Rosehip tea?

[emily.j.roth]

So, I went to the herbal foods store today because I've been looking for rosehips to feed my chinchilla (I can't find them anywhere BTW) and I came across a couple of different things. They had rosehip capsules that said they only contained rosehips and the capsule, and they also had rosehip tea, which claimed to only contain rose hips and the tea bag. The company says they used oxygen bleached bags (not chlorine), but there is nothing on the website about their products being certified organic or fairtrade. I purchased the tea to look up more info on it, but haven't found any. Would it be safe to remove the dried rosehips from the bag and give it to my chinnie? Have any of you done this before? The name of the company is alvita (here's the link to their site http://www.alvita.com/ ) Any info you have on this would be great, thanks!

 

[Essentia]

If you break open all the tea bags you will see just how little you get for the price. If you can't find them local (and most people can't) your best bet is to purchase them online. I sell them, though right now I am low. If you go to the classifieds section here you will see a whole bunch of people who sell them for a whole lot cheaper than what you will pay for the tea.

 

[Chub_Chub]

PLEASE DO NOT GIVE THAT TEA TO YOUR CHIN!! I bought the EXACT same tea for the exact same reason and it was not good. This was about a year ago and I was completely new to chins.

I opened a tea bag and gave my little Bowie a pinch of it after playtime. He started acting lethargic and went and lay down, which was odd for him, but I thought he just had a really good run during playtime. He was back to normal after an hour or so. He ate and drank and was fine later that night.

The next day I gave some more, again after playtime. Again, he started acting lethargic and lay down, this time I was worried and tried to get him to move around a little. He was acting strange, couldn't really stand normally. He tried jumping for his ledges and fell. :cry3: I pulled him out of the cage and he didn't struggle (again, not good for a chin!) as I held him... I thought for sure he was going to die. He was literally acting like he was drunk, he just wanted to lay down or be held and couldn't walk or jump. I put some fleece in a box for him to lay in the bottom of the cage and tried to give him some hay and he seemed to take it willingly enough, so I kept feeding him and talking softly to him (crying the whole time). After a couple hours, he was back to his same old self again, and I kept watch over him the whole night to make sure he was ok.

FYI for those interested: I kept the tea, since I am a tea drinker, but its not something I like. The tea is Alvita brand, the box says caffeine free, and the ingredients simply says "rose hips"... NOTHING ELSE. The best guess I have is that the tea is treated somehow because it is not organic certified (although I got it at Sprouts), or that they are lying about the ingredients. The symptoms Bowie seemed to display are what I would imagine low blood pressure would be like for chins. So whatever the tea is, it may have caused his blood pressure to drop to a level of lethargy and being uncoordinated. Hay and water helped him back out of it.

 

[Chub_Chub]

 

[AZChins]

I remember you telling me about giving that to Bowie. That's so scary! I have no idea of what could have caused that! I'll definitely make sure to tell people about that...and just stick with rosehips that people sell for chins.

 

[Chub_Chub]

This was like PRE-SUSAN dating... :wacko:

Back in the dark times when finding local supply's was a nightmare. People need to know that you are a more than just a name in Arizona, you are "THE NAME" in Arizona. Everything you do encompasses your life devotion to your animals, and our animals.
After my years of fighting in war torn countries, I know the difference between capitalists and humanitarians. You are a humanitarian Susan! From the freshness and quality of your supply's, to driving 2 hours to Phoenix to hand deliver items, and refusing gas money. And any one who doubts your breeding knowledge need only look at your animals, they are HUGE, healthy, and produce babys above 60 grams. Not to mention the sheer number of +10 yr old chins in your herd. Your vet should be paying you for all the experience he gets from emergency rescues, and regular checkups.
This is what makes the difference for us...
And it definitely makes you more than just a "SOCIAL STANDING ON AN INTERNET FORUM".

Thank you for your sacrifice,
Alex & Rochelle

 

[Chub_Chub]

Emily, We were just like you... Looking for supply's locally and not finding them anywhere. And not really trusting of some E-Bay stores that had them for sale. I am so glad we met Susan!

We would like to pay it forward and send you some rose hips. They are super cheap, and will last you a long time. Send us a PM with an address, and we will make it happen.
And when you run out, there are dozens of reputable suppliers on this site to buy from.

 

[AZChins]

You two are hilarious! Come on, you know that I get way more out of this than the chins do...I get to play with fuzzy, fun chins all day. My job is awesome...and the rescues come in and I get to play with them and watch them blossom into happy, healthy chins. I'm happy that you're happy...and I like seeing you when I go up for delivery trips. It's always good to see a friendly face when I am up there.

 

[kendra]

Wow, I never heard about Bowie, that's so scary. I used tea rose hips but it was a different brand/certified organic- I think I will toss it! Never had a problem before but would rather not press my luck! Thank you for the info