Treats

[bpayne1217]

Alright so Maddie is about 5/6 months and when I got her back in Febuary the breeder I got her from gave me a bag of peanuts for her treats and told me I needed raisins to give her. About a week later I read online that peanuts aren't good for her and I immediatly stopped (which she really didn't like). And then last month when I joined this forum I found out she souldn't be getting raisins because she's too young. I'm so frustraited that is guy who was a "breeder" told me to give them to her once to twice a day. :hair: I stopped doing that now too. I give her 1 rosehip a day(or less) and some yummy chin salad a couple of times a week (which she LOVES).

My question is are rosehips okay at her age? Also are peanuts bad? I keep seeing Chin toys in stores with peanuts in them. Although I'm not stupid enough to buy random petstore crap just becase it has a chin on it.

 

[Olallie]

Well i wouldn't go over board on the rosehips, but they are the most common treats on this forum, besides unfrosted shredded wheat, whole wheat pasta, and apple twigs. With apple twigs you can give as many as you want, but I would hold off on all others until she's over 6mo, and then in moderation.

If you buy from the pet store make sure you do research on the toy before buying. Then you wont be dissappointed.

Its terrible the breeder said that to you, but to each his own, its important that you do the research on your own, and make your own decisions, which you have done and i congratulate you!
Have fun with maddie.

 

[Randy-Chin]

My question is are rosehips okay at her age? Also are peanuts bad? I keep seeing Chin toys in stores with peanuts in them. Although I'm not stupid enough to buy random petstore crap just becase it has a chin on it.

I start my chins on rosehips at about 6 month old. Along with many other natural and organic healthy food.

 

[Riven]

Chins don't need treats. My chins get chews, pine blocks or natural wood sticks. And if I have a sick chin, or a new mom, or on the occasion I just feel like it, they get an un-frosted shredded wheat. The more you feed them ( variety wise ) the more trouble you'll have figuring out what made them sick if they get sick. I don't know what a "chin salad" is, but it sounds kind of scary to me.

 

[inzeos]

Always interesting to see how restrictive diets can be for chinchillas in captivity. I'm pretty certain they would eat more than wood bark, hay and pellets if they were wild.

 

[bpayne1217]

I don't know what a "chin salad" is, but it sounds kind of scary to me.

Not scary at all. Don't worry. It's a whole bunch of good stuff. I ordered it from Essentia on here. Maddie LOVES it.

Here's the thread in the classified --> http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9811

 

[aznmexaggie]

Wild chinchillas don't exactly have access to fruits, veggies, and carbohydrate-rich foods. Their native habitat supports mostly fibrous plants, grasses, and cacti which is why chins in captivity do well on foods which are high fiber and not rich in sugars and lipids (such as hay and chin pellets which are made primarily of hay). Many of the fruits and veggies we eat and grow would never grow in the elevation chins are found in South America. The climate just wouldn't support it.

Long story short, even wild chins are not eating raisins, apples, cucumbers, and whatever other fruit/veggie treats some people have considered giving which grow in cooler or tropical climates. Their digestive tract is just not suited for digesting it well. They are "cellulose-splitters" as was put in an Empress article, thriving on high fiber foods and extracting and utilizing nutrients from foods which are NOT rich in carbs, lipids. There is no need to overload them with sugary or fatty treats like raisins and peanuts.

Kudos to you for researching. There are a lot of "breeders" out there with questionable practices.