Onion skin?

[Jen]

So, I have an odd treat question.

I've been reading the forum for a while, and have stopped giving my chin any dried fruit (and will be passing on the "chinchilla treats" I was given to a friend with a rabbit, as well as the dried coconut flesh), but I was wondering if they're able to eat onion skin?

Marlowe was running around the kitchen, and found some flakes of skin that hadn't been swept up. He went absolutely crazy for them. I had been processing the skins for dye, and he even tried to run off with my wooden spoon (it was too big - he was trying to hold it with his teeth and paws while running on back legs only).

The skins are easy to come by, and I always have a bag around (for dye purposes). Is it okay to give him the occasional pinky-nail-sized bit of skin, or this a no?

I also give him the occasional small bit of licorice root, and bits of malted barley. Because the barley is malted, the natural starches in the seed have converted to long-chain sugars (it's leftover from homebrewing). Are either of these going to be harmful for him?

What about bits of carob? (This came in a mixed bag on Chinchilla treats from a friend - I only give him the carob, and the hay pellets from it).

I'm avoiding shreddies and cheerios, because I can't eat them myself, and the box would never be emptied. I have twigs coming in, and when spring comes could grow my own herbs to dry for him, but is there any other treats I can use to keep a variety?

This has..gotten a lot longer than I intended, sorry, but any advice is appreciated

 

[Strevale]

Onions should never be fed to chinchillas. It can be poisonous. No licorice root. I don't know about malted barley, but if it's sugar-y then probably not. No carob. I would stick with plain unsweetened cheerios or shreddies even if you can't eat them yourself. Maybe try getting a little individual box.

 

[hownowbrowncow]

I wouldn't risk it. I stick with rosehips (whole ones and the cut n' sifted one) with a bit of apple pomice every couples week. I also don't eat cereal so I leave that out of my chin treat stash.
Some chins get excited about things that aren't good for them. I used to have a chin that was a fanatic about trying to eat my brick (faux) fire place. He turned it into a game where I sit by it and shoo him away and chatters at me and then makes another dash for it! He loved it, but in no way was I going to let him get near it.

 

[halfstache]

I hope this doesn't come out harsh sounding, as I don't mean it to, but your chinchilla is not your trash can. Please do not feed him things that you are not sure of as being okay for him to eat. I understand that you've avoided treats that are known to be good because you do not want any to go to waste, so with that in mind let's look at the financial aspect of this. A small box of generic shredded wheat is going to cost you about a couple of dollars. That box, if only being consumed by your chinchilla is going to last you a very long time, and in my mind that is a great thing (that's a lot of treats for only a couple dollars). Now think about the alternative, giving foods to him that are not known to be safe could result in an emergency vet bill or even a dead little buddy, either of those results are going to be way more costly than buying a box of shredded wheat.

 

[Dreamlite]

I wouldn't feed anything to my chin except pellets, hay and for treats rosehips, cherios and shredded wheats. Its easy to find small single serve cereal bowls at the dollar store and chins don't care if they are stale or not. I have a box of cherios and as long as they stay in a air tight container they will last quite a while. Onions are poisonous to every rodent. Please do not feed him unsafe treats. Its better to waste a few dollars on a box of cherios than to spend hundreds to save him at a vets.

 

[landrk11]

Here's some ideas. I have read alot and I follow an organic treat rule with my little one. She gets organic shredded wheat, organic Cheerio like cereal and organic dried craisins with no sugar added. There is alot out there about raisin effects on their livers so I give craisins sparingly instead.

I also dehydrate my own treats like mint, marigolds, apples, pears, carrots, strawberries. I also give her pieces of my untreated dogwood tree which is a chin safe wood. She loves the twigs and goes crazy for the dehydrated marigolds. Because I grow the the marigold and mint and do not use pesticides I know what's in them.

Her main diet is the hay and then pellets but her treats are things that I know are chin safe and I know what's in them.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Apple pomice, craisins, and dried fruits and vegetables are all bad for chinchillas. They ALL contain sugar which can cause serious digestive issues. Drying does not remove the things the chinchilla should not have. It only removes the water. Also, just because it has no sugar added or is organic, it does not mean that it is sugar free and safe. All those items have sugar in them naturally.

 

[Riven]

Treats are for people, not for chins.

Chins don't need treats of any kind in any way. The best diet for a chin is a good quality pellet and hay. The only reason chins "need" treats is for human enjoyment of watching them eat them. They're just as happy to get a bit of oatmeal or an alfalfa cube or pellet, a new kind of hay, or a chew stick.

 

[ticklechin]

K.I.S.S.-keep.it.simple.stupid, pellets, hay and water are all a chin needs, its the owner who has the need to treat, just say no.

 

[Jen]

Thanks guys,

I have been holding off on the o.ion and licorice root until I knew, so I'll keep those for my own use.

Lately I've been sticking to things I've seen mentioned here, mainly the occasional rosehip and twigs. I've also thrown away all the commercial treats I'd been given (Im on my phone, and can't remember who vetoed the carob bark, but thank you).

Thanks for the advice on dollar-store cereal as well. I'm trying to keep my place gluten-free, but I may look into it.

Thanks again for all the responses

 

[Idgie]

My chin also likes oat groats. They are nice and little, super cheap, and I hand feed a few to her and we're both happy!