Hay addict?!

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mummypig

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
109
Location
South England
My new girl (14 weeks) isn't really bothered with her pellets (I'm using the pellets her previous owner had which were UK "pets at home" own brand but I'm mixing in a few Science selective (nicer brand) with a view to having both my girls on the same pellet) but she eats stacks and stacks of Timothy hay. She does eat a few pellets but her main diet is hay. Is that ok? Or should I limit her hay intake? She is dinky (unfortunately I don'thave a gram scale- will get one next week when I've finished my nightshifts!) but she looks & feels like she has gained weight in the 5 days I've had her.
 
I recently switched my two girls over to orchard grass a few months ago instead of timothy hay because they werent really eating the timothy hay anymore. they do the same thing now, and dont each much pellets but lots of hay now, i had made a post about it on here and was told it was fine.
 
Do not limit her hay intake; hay is the most important part of a chinchilla's diet. I actually limit the amount of pellets (my chins get only a small amount of pellets; I fill in a small treat cup with 50% pellets & 50% herbal supplement) to make sure they eat lots of hay. Herbivores thrive on good hay and herbs; just look at a 2000 pounds bison. It's important to offer a diet that closely resembles the composition of the foods that chinchillas consume in the wild. Many captive animals suffer from diseases that wild animals do not suffer from or they are not common in wild animals. Many domestic chins suffer from dental problems because people decided to change their diet, and offer pellets instead of various grasses and herbs. Chins are born to slice through coarse vegetation with front teeth and their back teeth are designed to break up grass by grinding action. Pellets are just crushed between teeth – crashing action does not wear down molars properly and fast enough. As a result, they can become misaligned and can cause the misalignment of the incisors as well. Another possible problem is the development of sharp spurs when the back teeth do not wear each other down any more. Pellets also aggravate the condition in chins with teeth problems. It's not only about tooth wear; teeth also grow faster on high energy diets.

Unfortunately, many pet owners think that chins need a bagged, "complete" diet as they have been conditioned by manufactures who claim that they know what we should feed our animals. As a result, pet owners think that a bagged diet is better than a natural diet and afraid to follow the logic. Surprisingly, we do not think that a pelleted diet that consists of about 4 ingredients and lots of synthetic nutrients is good for us or for our children.

Here is the truth about animal nutrition. Feeds have been developed by trial and error as we lacked detailed knowledge about diets of wild animals. The scientific study of diet is young, and it's not an exact science; new substances are being discovered all the time. Pelleted feeds lack enzymes and important elements, including secondary compounds that possess medicinal properties (in the wild, nutritional = medicinal). A pelleted diet can not replace a natural diet and goodness that Mother Nature offers.

I'm happy to see that more and more vets recommend to reduce the amount of pellets chins get and offer more hay. They also explain the importance of coarse stalks.
 
Thank you both, especially Tanya for the information. I'll continue to give her stacks of the hay :0)
 
i love tanya!

and i agree. the more hay the better. i have myself quite a nice selection with the main staple being timothy hay. i like to offer botanical, orchard, oat & alfalfa hay. somedays they only get timmy.......other days a blend of all. i also have alfalfa cubes that i like to toss in their cages every now & again.

i also agree about the herbal supplement. with tanya's help i have researched and did some trial & error on herbs and give everyone of my chins an herbal/flower/oat blend every night. they get so excited! they wait by the front of the cage for their herbs. not too much, just enough to give them a good healthy mix.
 
My own chins get unlimited timothy hay and sometimes other types of hay. I do feed pellets but don't give any herbs at all. I just think for my own chins I feel better not giving any herbs. I think some people do tend to jump into herbs without getting schooled about them. There are a lot of risks when dealing with herbs and I'd rather leave it to the experts.

Just for interest I may look for some courses on herbs and animals. It might be very interesting.
 
i agree about the herbs. the ones i use are pretty basic & safe. i mix in a few different ones. but because there is so many different things in my herbal mix and they only get a small amount, i know they are truly only getting a few pieces of each herb.

i have several herbal books that i have consulted for my own self. and there is tons of info at the library and online. the ones i order are organic and i get them from:
www.mountainroseherbs.com

they are very reasonable and i love reading the info on their website! so much to learn.
 
Back
Top