KMS pellets?

[Aleks]

Hi there everyone, I just joined this forum.

I don't personally own any chinchillas, I'm a guinea pig person, but the rescue i work with has 3 chinchillas right now.

I get KMS pellets for my guinea pigs, and the rescue was considering buying them for the piggies at the rescue but we were wondering if the chins would also be able to eat them.
I know they can have rabbit pellets, but was unsure about guinea pig pellets. I've read a lot of conflicting information about whether or not the added vitamin C in guinea pig pellets is good for chins.

I emailed KMS and they said they don't know much about chinchilla pellets/nutrition and advised me to ask on a chinchilla forum.

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my question!

 

[CSquared]

I would stick with chinchilla food for the chinchillas. Stay away from the treat infused brands (Kaytee, Charlie Chinchilla) and go with Oxbow or Mazuri. Oxbow is carried at most box Pet Stores, and you can purchase Mazuri in 25lb bags at some farm / feed stores.

 

[Shenanigans]

I believe you can also order Mazuri straight from them-you may not get the middle store mark-up that way. Some members here will also sell food by the pound. If you go into the classified section there are links for the food pellets. Even stuff marketed for chins isnt good for them, for example Kaytee brand chinchilla food. anything that isnt straight brown pellets probably isnt good. If you're switching food, do it with a gradual mix so it doesnt upset thier systems. (unless it's a really crappy food, then it may be worth switching cold turkey) And also give timothy hay. I think most people free feed and give as much pellets/hay as the chin wants. I think the vitamin C isnt really necessary-I'm not sure that it would hurt though. It's a water-soluble vitamin, but chins dont go through a whole lot of water...
Other things that your rescue may not know-stay away from plastics and wheels that are mesh. filter water. and no fresh veggies as treats. keep them cool-under about 70, and keep humidity down too. Dont get them wet-thier fur is too thick and wont air dry which can lead to mold/fungus. There's a dust called blue cloud dust that they can roll in to absorb dirt and oil from thier coats. this should be given a couple times a week (more or less depending on conditions)
If you have the time to browse the forums there's a ton of really good advice here and way more than i can wrap up in one post.