i'm just a bit curious, diet-wise.

[bbbbreekachu]

i'm already pretty certain of what my chin can eat and what's not good for him to eat but i'm still just a bit curious and, being a new owner, i want to be absolutely positive that i'm not giving him things that are harmful or might cause health problems in the future. i have him eating all living things' chinchilla daily diet but i'm switching him to oxbow's chinchilla deluxe food. he's also been eating a lot of timothy hay which i'm not worried about because i know that's good for him. i've heard that he can't have sugar so i haven't been giving him any but i did give him a raisin which i've heard isn't good so i'm stopping that. i gave him some fresh kale (it's a leafy vegetable) this past sunday and he ate it but is that okay for him to eat, once a week? also, is he allowed to have fruits and vegetables at all or are those things that he can't be given? i'm just not sure and i want to know so that i don't harm him. so, basically, what i'm asking is - what should his diet consist of and what should i not give to him during the week?

sorry this was such a long post, haha. i'm a new owner and i worry a bit, just want to make sure i'm doing a good job with him.

 

[Narcissus]

welcome! chins shouldn't have any fruits or veggies (including kale). It is awesome that your switching to oxbow!

 

[bbbbreekachu]

oh, thank you! and yeah, i decided to switch because the all living things brand has so much extra, more then just pellets, and i don't want him eating stuff that's not good for him.

 

[greychins]

Welcome to the forum. Good to hear you're stopping the raisins. You shouldn't give any fruits or veggies either -- the fruits have natural sugars in them (just like the raisins), and the veggies can cause bloat.

Really, all a chinchilla needs in its diet is pellets, hay, and water. Oxbow's a good pellet, so you're good there. As for hay, most people feed timothy hay, or some other grass hay.

There are treats that can be given, but like anything, in moderation. Some safe treats: cheerios, rosebuds, rosehips, shredded wheat (the unfrosted kind), pinch of oats (NOT the quick cook kind). My chins even think apple/wood sticks are treats.

 

[bbbbreekachu]

yeah, i'm glad that i thought to ask because i've read so many different things. i wasn't sure what was right and what wasn't, definitely confused me. we (my boyfriend and i) bought some apple wood sticks when we got him and at first he didn't really do anything with them but he's been chewing the one in his cage now like crazy. he's gone through a lot of the timothy hay that i have already, he eats that a lot throughout the day. i'm going back to the store on thursday to pick up the new food and some other stuff that i need, figured i should look into and see if there's anything else i might need before going. thanks, guys!

 

[Kriko24]

Welcome!

Greychins said it best, plain is the way to go. I feed my chin Oxbow pellets, timothy hay and occasionally the timothy hay cubes. My chin just thinks apple wood sticks are a treat - he goes nuts for them! Which is great because they're good for his teeth, so he can chew away on as many as he wants and he thinks I'm spoiling him! When I can, I also pick up rose hips from our local natural food store and give those as a treat as well.

 

[Sandi]

Welcome to the forum...

My suggestion would be for you to take a look at the FAQ's here on the forum, they're a great help.

You can start with the Chinchilla Basics...

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

[Idgie]

Welcome! What's your chin's name?
You will learn tons of things here. I did over the years. There are also people in the classifieds that you can buy treats, wood, food, supplies, etc. from. They have much better things than what you find in the pet stores.
I give Idgie rose hips, oat groats, and rolled oats as treats. Just a little. She also loves apple sticks. Chins like different things, so you'll learn what he likes.
Good luck!