Vet recommendated Diet

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ShadowIllusion

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I am considering a NEW vet for a few different reasons, BUT this one, on their website, say this;

DIETS - We recommend that guinea pigs and chinchillas are fed 1/8 cup of maintenance pellet, unlimited timothy or mixed grass hay, and a small amount of dark green, leafy vegetables (NO SPINACH) each day.

I am not sure if this means post-surgery, or in general. OR if it is just for guinea pigs.

Is this actually OKAY? I know not to feed them ANY fruits or veggies.
 
Sad to say, but most vets don't have a clue when it comes to proper chinchilla diets.

For instance, the well known Avian and Exotic vet in Raleigh, NC that so many people in this area recommend lists on their chinchilla fact page that "Small amounts of alfalfa or clover hay, dried fruit and fresh vegetables can be offered as treats" and only to offer small amounts of pellets. I have told them many times that they are risking the lives of their patients by recommending such a diet, but of course, who am I?

http://www.avianandexotic.com/csmammals/csm001.pdf

No, it's not ok to feed fruits and veggies to chins, regardless of what a vet says.
 
I am trying desperately to find a trustful vet that knows what they are doing..
My boy needs to be neutered due to some complications but I cannot find any.
My thinking is, why should I trust a vet that does not know what they are talking about when they say what their DIET should be, if I can't trust them in that why would I trust them to put my baby under and operate on him. ):
Both vets had recommended veggies
 
I can relate. My vet has only given me one piece of bad advice and it was that chins may eat a small amount of leafy greens. I told him I was not going to do that and he said that was fine, that it wasn't necessary to give them veggies just that they can have a small amount of them. I didn't get into an argument with him about it, since I only owned my chin for less than two weeks but knew that fruits and veggies were not safe and it was my first visit. Otherwise I really like him, but that will always stick with me. I had actually forgot he said that to me for a couple months because he is an otherwise seemingly knowledgeable vet.

I guess they can't be perfect. Vets can't know everything and some are very willing to collaborate with their clients and learn from them. I just try to look at how knowledgeable they are in areas I am not, like surgery or meds. After researching and corroborating their advice, I can slowly build trust in them but I've never taken a vet at their word. Or anyone for that matter. I see them more as consultants and occasionally surgeons when I need them to be. A lot of these vets probably don't own chins, and it's not easy to go to a farm and observe and study them, so they would only know the technical aspects of these animals, not exactly everything to apply in their everyday husbandry.

I agree that to advise something that is wholly detrimental to your animal reflects very poorly on their grasp of the species. I would suggest finding vets that have successfully neutered chins before and are familiar with it. Other than that you can do your whole finding the right vet process after if he needs to get neutered soon. At least you won't have that to worry about and you can put more effort into looking and asking around for a regular vet.
 
You should be able to find someone listed on my site for the MA area that you can trust. As far as diet and other general info about chins from a vet....even the best of them are very often lacking in the basic care area http://www.foreverfeistychinchilla.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/veterinarians2.htm

I spoke with a woman yesterday who had her chin for years who had been feeding fruit every day until I told her she should not be doing that. She said her vet had never told her not to feed that in all these years.

May I ask what the 'complications' are that you feel you need to neuter your chin?
 
Here is the other thread that I had posted concerning his problem..
http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19910
If you scroll down to where I said **UPDATE**that is where I had found out what was wrong.
Even if I move the testicle back to it's proper position, it shifts back into the place it was before.. It is an issue, and it is visibly effecting him.

So I am trying to find a vet FAST,
 
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My vet, Dr. Sager is on there too! He was awesome with my Angel after Lucifer died.
 
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