Safe Treats
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Brandon
Well-known member
Ash
Trouble....
I think it's in the "FAQ" Sesame.
K
Karbry
Guest
For the ones that use acidophilius what do you get? Does it come in powder or pills? Sorry for hijacking. I was looking into the acidophilius and was unsure what to get the chewable or powder and if you give them chewable is it a whole tablet?
Thank you for any info,
Karen
Thank you for any info,
Karen
Brandon
Well-known member
Karbry- acidophilus mostly comes in tablets which you would pull apart and sprinkle over their food.
I personally stopped giving daily/weekly/severaltimesperweek treats years ago. I'll hand out the very occasional rosehip once in a BLUE moon. Maybe one every few months.
I've been thinking about picking up the pet pasta to see how they do with it...and they'll only be getting it again, once in a blue moon.
Without the treats in the diet my guys have been very healthy. I would like to keep it that way, and I honestly feel the more treats given, the less healthy they are long-term.
Yes, the worse treats play a bigger role- Raisins, dried fruit etc...but I think even long term the "healthier" treats could cause problems if given too frequently.
I've been thinking about picking up the pet pasta to see how they do with it...and they'll only be getting it again, once in a blue moon.
Without the treats in the diet my guys have been very healthy. I would like to keep it that way, and I honestly feel the more treats given, the less healthy they are long-term.
Yes, the worse treats play a bigger role- Raisins, dried fruit etc...but I think even long term the "healthier" treats could cause problems if given too frequently.
starleomach
Dawnna's Keeper
I used to give treats daily, now they only get them once in a while....
Cinder and Me
~Scuba Chick~
Looks like everyone has pretty much covered the "what to give" and "what not to give". 
I'll just add that giving my girl wood, wood sticks, bamboo shredders, wood toys, etc. are all considered treats in her eyes. I do give the very occasional plain cherrio, and every morning I give her a tiny pinch of oats. She loves those!
I'll just add that giving my girl wood, wood sticks, bamboo shredders, wood toys, etc. are all considered treats in her eyes. I do give the very occasional plain cherrio, and every morning I give her a tiny pinch of oats. She loves those! 
VolunteerChin22
I <3 dustbunnies
I use Ryerson's supplement as a treat for my chins with crushed rosehips. Occasional shredded wheat...
ABBY W.
Well-known member
I have to say, I take offense to the notion that I am "killing" my chins with treats. First, you will note that I only give treats, especially the dried fruits, in extreme moderation. As far as using acidophilus, I have found trying to get probiotics into my animals is usually very difficult, and stressful for them. A small bit of yogurt is less stressful, and does exactly the same thing.
It is true that there is no definitive evidence that chins can get hairballs, however, there have been cases of chins who have developed bowel obstructions that were found to consist of hair. Papaya enzyme does help break down hairballs, (that is proven) and it does no harm to my animals, so I will just play it safe. Papaya tablets are readily available through many reputable breeders including the Ritterspach online store. And, for the record, I have had no animals come up with significant digestive, tooth, or heart problems thus far (a record of five+ years). So I must be doing something right.
I think there needs to be some acknowledgement that, as with most things, there are different ways of doing things, and that does not make any particular way wrong. If this site is going to be one of fellowship and education, you might re-think the strength of the approach you take with those who disagree with you. Much is still unknown about chinchillas and their biology and biochemistry, so it is difficult to say if anyone of us is right or wrong. We just do things differently.
It is true that there is no definitive evidence that chins can get hairballs, however, there have been cases of chins who have developed bowel obstructions that were found to consist of hair. Papaya enzyme does help break down hairballs, (that is proven) and it does no harm to my animals, so I will just play it safe. Papaya tablets are readily available through many reputable breeders including the Ritterspach online store. And, for the record, I have had no animals come up with significant digestive, tooth, or heart problems thus far (a record of five+ years). So I must be doing something right.
I think there needs to be some acknowledgement that, as with most things, there are different ways of doing things, and that does not make any particular way wrong. If this site is going to be one of fellowship and education, you might re-think the strength of the approach you take with those who disagree with you. Much is still unknown about chinchillas and their biology and biochemistry, so it is difficult to say if anyone of us is right or wrong. We just do things differently.
konayipark
baby_godzilla
My boys will do tricks for apple twigs. I swear I'll give them a few, look away for just a second or two, turn back & all of the twigs have been stripped of their bark. And the occasional shredded wheatie.
staceylwolf
Well-known member
What about unsweetened banana chips? I haven't seen that mentioned but the breeder I got my boy from said they were ok.
alli713
..has a fleece addiction
Many people don't recommend dried banana chips either. Fruit naturally has sugar in it, and sugar with a hind gut fermenter like a chinchilla, do not mix. Sugar actually kills the beneficial bacteria in their gut that digests their food. So, it does more harm than good.
staceylwolf
Well-known member
Thanks! I hadn't bought any for him yet and I won't
Randy-Chin
Well-known member
I feed all my chins Goji Berries every week.
The Main Benefit of Goji Berries is that they Promote Complete Health
Goji berries are like a boon from God for human beings and animals. When these berries are consumed regularly, they are found to increase longevity and promote excellent health. It reduces the craving for sugar for the diabetics thereby improving their control-capacity and stabilizing the sugar levels.
Another Benefit of Goji Berries is that they can Supplement the Nutritional Value of Food
In short, the benefit of Goji berries is actively reflected in the many medical conditions where it helps to control and reverse obesity, prevent cancer, prevent age-related muscular degeneration, restores hair color, activates the immune system.
Goji Berries are more than half the sugar of raisins. The sugars in raisins are mostly glucose and fructose (simple carbohydrates) whereas the sugar in Goji Berries is a polysaccharide (complex carbohydrate).
Raisin - 3 raisins is 1.0842 grams of sugar
Goji Berry - 3 Goji berries is 0.1125 grams of sugar
I give each chins 1 to 2 berries every other day. I do not consider Goji Berries as a treat, but more a very valuable health supplement that is natural.
Polysaccharides are relatively complex carbohydrates. They are polymers made up of many monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds. They are therefore very large, often branched, macromolecules. They tend to be amorphous, insoluble in water, and have no sweet taste. [1]
When all the monosaccharides in a polysaccharide are the same type the polysaccharide is called a homopolysaccharide, but when more than one type of monosaccharide is present they are called heteropolysaccharides.
Examples include storage polysaccharides such as starch and glycogen and structural polysaccharides such as cellulose and chitin.
Polysaccharides have a general formula of Cx(H2O)y where x is usually a large number between 200 and 2500. Considering that the repeating units in the polymer backbone are often six-carbon monosaccharides, the general formula can also be represented as (C6H10O5)n where n={40...3000}.
Storage polysaccharides
Starches
Starches are glucose polymers in which glucopyranose units are bonded by alpha-linkages. It is made up of a mixture of Amylose (15-20%) and Amylopectin (80-85%). Amylose consists of a linear chain of several hundred glucose molecules and Amylopectin is a branched molecule made of several thousand glucose units(every chain 24-30 glucose unit).
Starches are insoluble in water. They can be digested by hydrolysis, catalyzed by enzymes called amylases, which can break the alpha-linkages (glycosidic bonds). Humans and other animals have amylases, so they can digest starches. Potato, rice, wheat, and maize are major sources of starch in the human diet. The formation of starches are the way that plants store glucose.
Glycogen
Glycogen is a polysaccharide that is found in animals and is composed of a branched chain of glucose residues. It is stored in liver and muscles.
The Main Benefit of Goji Berries is that they Promote Complete Health
Goji berries are like a boon from God for human beings and animals. When these berries are consumed regularly, they are found to increase longevity and promote excellent health. It reduces the craving for sugar for the diabetics thereby improving their control-capacity and stabilizing the sugar levels.
Another Benefit of Goji Berries is that they can Supplement the Nutritional Value of Food
In short, the benefit of Goji berries is actively reflected in the many medical conditions where it helps to control and reverse obesity, prevent cancer, prevent age-related muscular degeneration, restores hair color, activates the immune system.
Goji Berries are more than half the sugar of raisins. The sugars in raisins are mostly glucose and fructose (simple carbohydrates) whereas the sugar in Goji Berries is a polysaccharide (complex carbohydrate).
Raisin - 3 raisins is 1.0842 grams of sugar
Goji Berry - 3 Goji berries is 0.1125 grams of sugar
I give each chins 1 to 2 berries every other day. I do not consider Goji Berries as a treat, but more a very valuable health supplement that is natural.
Polysaccharides are relatively complex carbohydrates. They are polymers made up of many monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds. They are therefore very large, often branched, macromolecules. They tend to be amorphous, insoluble in water, and have no sweet taste. [1]
When all the monosaccharides in a polysaccharide are the same type the polysaccharide is called a homopolysaccharide, but when more than one type of monosaccharide is present they are called heteropolysaccharides.
Examples include storage polysaccharides such as starch and glycogen and structural polysaccharides such as cellulose and chitin.
Polysaccharides have a general formula of Cx(H2O)y where x is usually a large number between 200 and 2500. Considering that the repeating units in the polymer backbone are often six-carbon monosaccharides, the general formula can also be represented as (C6H10O5)n where n={40...3000}.
Storage polysaccharides
Starches
Starches are glucose polymers in which glucopyranose units are bonded by alpha-linkages. It is made up of a mixture of Amylose (15-20%) and Amylopectin (80-85%). Amylose consists of a linear chain of several hundred glucose molecules and Amylopectin is a branched molecule made of several thousand glucose units(every chain 24-30 glucose unit).
Starches are insoluble in water. They can be digested by hydrolysis, catalyzed by enzymes called amylases, which can break the alpha-linkages (glycosidic bonds). Humans and other animals have amylases, so they can digest starches. Potato, rice, wheat, and maize are major sources of starch in the human diet. The formation of starches are the way that plants store glucose.
Glycogen
Glycogen is a polysaccharide that is found in animals and is composed of a branched chain of glucose residues. It is stored in liver and muscles.
HI thanks for the advice.
I didnt realize there was so
much variety out there thats
safer for my chin
I was wondering though, where would i look
to buy this kind of treats
like the dried pink rose buds, and all the flowers
as well as this sticks?? do i just go out into nature
cause i would have noo idea what is safe for him out there
sorry ahha I am kinda a non-nature gal
I didnt realize there was so
much variety out there thats
safer for my chin
I was wondering though, where would i look
to buy this kind of treats
like the dried pink rose buds, and all the flowers
as well as this sticks?? do i just go out into nature
cause i would have noo idea what is safe for him out there
sorry ahha I am kinda a non-nature gal
Ash
Trouble....
You can buy a lot from members on here if you don't know where to look. Chinchewy1, ForCHINate Chins, and some others offer a variety. You can also check local health food stores and even herbal stores and the Farmer's market.
