I post alot of questions heres one more...

[GahhItsLee]

Treats... What are good treats what should i steer away from?
I just found out that sunflower seeds are bad (Luckily)
Are there any other treats that are bad?
Right now he gets a timothy hay cube put in his cage ever few days (He loves them) and he gets a kaytee nibblers which is like a hay cube with fruits in it.
And for occasional treats i give him like super dried raisins and i gave him sunflower seeds but that ended tonight... I just realized his food as sunflower seeds in it

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Lets address needs and feed first before we worry about treats - Chins only need good quality pellets, timothy hay and filtered water. What kind of food are you feeding? Your pellets should not have anything in them other than pellets. Oxbow, Purina Advanced Nutrition Rabbit food, Tradition, Mazuri, etc are a few acceptable chinchilla feeds. Most everyone here avoids kaytee products of any kind.

As far as treats go, lets go with what is ok rather than what's bad - an occasional shredded wheat (bite sized not frosted) are good, dried rosehips provide viatmin C, some people give a cherrio, a pinch of oats (old fashioned not instant) are all ok. Raisins and other dried fruits have a lot of sugar in them so they should be avoided.

Also, you can also use the search function to search for answers to questions you might have rather than posting a new thread for each one. Not that we don't welcome your questions, it might be faster than waiting for a reply

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Also, remember that it is NOT good for chins under 6 months to have ANY treats.

That doesn't mean that you can't hand him a pellet, a stalk of hay, or give him a prepared apple stick to chew on. Chins seem to think that anything WE hand them is a "treat", so it won't hurt to fool him for a while. :thumbsup:

 

[Stoli]

I like Kaytee food and treats!

First of all I would have to disagree with the mentions above. Not every one joins the band wagon just because it's popular. I use Kaytee and so do many of my friends and we are very happy with their products. I us the Timothy cubes and my chin has lived a long healthy life. I also feed Forti Diet Pro Health which had great immune building ingredients. Sometimes I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

 

[GahhItsLee]

I honestly dont know the age of my chin... I got him from a petstore i was told hes around 3-7 months but who knows...
And i just realized there was a search function... Ill use that from now on thank you
By the way hes been getting the petsmart store brand of fortified chinchilla food which i guess is bad because it has lots of sunflower seeds in it

 

[tunes]

First of all I would have to disagree with the mentions above. Not every one joins the band wagon just because it's popular. I use Kaytee and so do many of my friends and we are very happy with their products. I us the Timothy cubes and my chin has lived a long healthy life. I also feed Forti Diet Pro Health which had great immune building ingredients. Sometimes I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

It has nothing to do with being popular. People use many different types of feeds, not just one. If we all only used one type of food, then that statement would be more accurate. We use many different kinds of feed.

The point being made is that pretty much anything from a pet store should be avoided. I have rats, degu, chins, bunnies, birds, a bearded dragon, ferrets, cats, dogs, and horses. Know what I buy from a pet store? Nothing. Not a single thing. There are some dog and cat foods that I "could" buy, but I generally find them more reasonably priced somewhere else.

Ingredient wise, Kaytee is not horrible. It's not the best, but it's not some treat laden diet that is going to cause your chin to keel over from diabetes or some other disease. The biggest problem with any food from a pet store is mill date. I have yet to see a bag of Kaytee that tells you when it was manufactured and when it expires. Oxbow claims it's food is good for a year. I wouldn't trust that as far as I could throw it. Most other companies say 6 months. When you buy chin food from a pet store, it could be sitting in a hot warehouse for 5 years before you get it. You have no way of knowing, neither does the store that sells it. I want my chins to have the best food I can get them. That means freshly milled, within an acceptable range for expiration.

 

[ticklechin]

First of all I would have to disagree with the mentions above. Not every one joins the band wagon just because it's popular. I use Kaytee and so do many of my friends and we are very happy with their products. I us the Timothy cubes and my chin has lived a long healthy life. I also feed Forti Diet Pro Health which had great immune building ingredients. Sometimes I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

Forti Diet Pro Health chinchilla has ground corn as the 6th ingrediant, since corn is starchy and undigestible to chinchillas most of us avoid ground corn in feeds. Corn can lead to digestive issues, especially if the digestive system gets compromised.

 

[GahhItsLee]

I guess the world of chinchillas is about experience and picking your and your chins preference... Im gonna try what tunes suggested. Thanks everyone

 

[JennyBug]

I give my chins plain Cheerios, and they LOVE them!! My older girls get 3 per week, and my younger girls (around 6 - 7 months) get 1 - 2 per week.

If you think your chin is too young for treats, try what was advised above and just hand him a pellet, piece of hay, or apple chewie. They really don't know the difference!!! I did the same thing - raisins and other dried fruits - but after finding out how bad they are for chins, I now only give dried fruit in tiny amounts in unique circumstances (like when they have to take yucky Baytril!)

 

[GahhItsLee]

Thank you