First off, the website was basically written as a new owner guide, not for people that have owned chins, know what signs to look for, and are well versed in their care.
Let's see, I know several large breeders who feed alfalfa daily and exclusively. I've never scene an article about poor health effects associated with alfalfa.
I have read of instances that alfalfa could result in bladder stones in some chins due to excess calcium, and since most chin pellets are alfalfa, timothy is more recommended. I wouldn't feed an alfalfa pellet and an alfalfa hay. Timothy is also readily available. Many, many more pet owners use timothy rather than alfalfa.
Tap water may be fine - you just have to test it. Fresh water daily is unneccesary.
I don't know of many people that test their tap water before giving it to their animals- even small amounts of parasites can affect a chin. It isn't much of a task to filter your water, and many, many people recommend it.
I will always give my chins fresh water- it's not like water is something that is scarce.
Let's see, even Shoots says you can use raisins, especially for training.
Just because Shoots does something doesn't mean I will agree with it- I have also read of instances that the giving of raisins has effected a chin detrimentally. A few may be okay- but a new pet owner may see how much their chin loves the raisin and give it more, and more.
Many foods are so similar you don't need to be so gradual with a change.
I agree, I have done a few "cold switches"- but it also doesn't hurt to educate about feed switches. I will add information about the cold switch, though.
I'm pretty sure most breeders use runs mostly made of fiberboard. They don't chew it (no edges), but it appears to have no adverse effects.
Once again, this website was made for pet owners- not breeders. Pet owners aren't going to use runs. I would never give a chewing animal a shelf made out of board that was made with toxic materials (the glue holding it together.)
Isn't there chewable plastic at the bottom of that lixit bottle you recommend?
I haven't had much problem with my chins chewing them, some have a few chew marks, but none of it is enough for them to ingest to cause a huge amount of concern. Plastic shelves, on the other hand, are large and can be chewed in excess.
I'm not a big fan of the gradual introduction, as I've seen it lead to failure more than other ways. It might be useful to at least mention that there are other techniques. I like the smoosh, personally.
That's your opinion- a new owner doing a smoosh is just scary IMO. I'm not a big fan of the smoosh. I will consider adding information about it. I will also be adding more detail into the intro methods, I just posted the methods that have worked best for me.
Some dogs are fine - some have the predator instinct bred right out of them.
While this is true, my chins get very nervous when my dog is in the room and I have had a few instances of them getting stress induced diarrhea because the dog stressed them so bad.
I think leaving the chin alone for a few days after you get them is actually counterproductive - again, there are other, valid opinions.
This may be once case, but I have had good success with a very timid rescue by leaving him alone for a week and letting him realize that not everything is going to eat him before trying to interact with him.
I know some of these ideas are trashed on these forums by those who see an opinion written enough they think it the rule. But larger breeders with much experience often know differently.
Larger breeders also have more experience with chins and know what signs to look out for, and what they are doing. Once again, this website was written for the new owner.
I appreciate your input but it seems you are trying to force a rancher's view on things that were meant to educate the new owner. Not everything a rancher does would be good to suggest to a new owner, who may take the advice a wrong way and actually end up harming their chinchilla. Everything I have written on my website has been, I believe, widely accepted in the world of pet chin ownership. If you were pointing out things that could actually be detrimental to a chin, that would be one thing. However, I feel everything on my website is safe and effective for the pet owner.
Ziora- thanks for the suggestion. I will add information about fur slips.
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