I got my girlfriend a chinchilla awhile back and we are always confused on what to get, but want to be more advance in this knowledge. When we go shopping for our chinchilla, female named charlie, we get her only treats and food with the word chinchilla or a picture of a chinchilla, but sometimes it says for small animals and has pictures of rabbits, genie pigs, etc.. So, I wanted to know watch can they eat and what can't they?
What to feed and not to feed??
- Thread starter zgromie
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If you are buying it from a pet store, don't. Pretty much anything with a picture of a chin (and "other animals") on it is junk.
Chins need a good pellet (not pet store feed like Charlie Chinchilla or Kaytee), good quality hay (good second cut timothy), filtered or reverse osmosis water, and very few treats. Safe treats would be old fashioned oats, lots of chin safe wood chews, the occasional plain cheerio, bite sized nonsugared shredded wheat, rosehips.
No yogurt chews, no wood from pet stores (which often has peach in it which is toxic for chins), no raisins.
Chins need a good pellet (not pet store feed like Charlie Chinchilla or Kaytee), good quality hay (good second cut timothy), filtered or reverse osmosis water, and very few treats. Safe treats would be old fashioned oats, lots of chin safe wood chews, the occasional plain cheerio, bite sized nonsugared shredded wheat, rosehips.
No yogurt chews, no wood from pet stores (which often has peach in it which is toxic for chins), no raisins.
Why exactly is it bad to buy from pet stores, and why would raisins be bad for them?
Stackie
I bite.
Most pet stores carry things that are marketed for chins, yet completely unhealthy and dangerous for them. The only good brand I have seen in pet stores is Oxbow. Mazuri is another but I don't really like Mazuri at all. Just because it has a picture of a chin on it does not mean it is safe for a chin by any stretch- most companies are in it for the money, not for the health of the animal, unfortunately.
Any feed that has things other than pellets is not a good feed. If it has fruits, colorful things, etc. it is not healthy for them. You want a strictly pelleted diet.
Raisins are bad for chinchillas because they are loaded with sugar. This sugar causes the bacteria in the chinchilla's GI system to go crazy. A product of bacteria is gas. When the bacterial community is out of whack, a lot of gas is produced and this leads to bloat with the chinchilla- a very painful and sometimes deadly condition. Raisins can also lead to dental caries (cavities) and diabetes.
Any fruit, dried or fresh, and any vegetable can do this to a chin. Chins require a very bland and high fiber diet with minimal sugar- hay and pellets.
Any feed that has things other than pellets is not a good feed. If it has fruits, colorful things, etc. it is not healthy for them. You want a strictly pelleted diet.
Raisins are bad for chinchillas because they are loaded with sugar. This sugar causes the bacteria in the chinchilla's GI system to go crazy. A product of bacteria is gas. When the bacterial community is out of whack, a lot of gas is produced and this leads to bloat with the chinchilla- a very painful and sometimes deadly condition. Raisins can also lead to dental caries (cavities) and diabetes.
Any fruit, dried or fresh, and any vegetable can do this to a chin. Chins require a very bland and high fiber diet with minimal sugar- hay and pellets.
Ok, what would you say is the best brand of hay and pellets to give to a chinchilla. And what treats are healthy because what about like cheerios or other fiberious snacks like nuts and such? I know they don't need anything with sugar, but would it be safe for them to eat anything that has natural sugar and give them to the chinchilla like once a week. I know you may suggest not giving them at all, but I looked here (http://www.chinchillacymru.co.uk/feeding.htm), so would this guide be good or ok to follow?
Sdo9396
Well-known member
That guide has a lot of bad information on treats..chins cannot have nuts, fruits, or veggies..healthy treats are things like rose hips, plain cheerios or plain shredded wheat cereal, or old fashioned slow cook oats. Only one cheerio of half a shredded wheat once a day a the most or just a pinch of the oats. Good chinchilla feeds are Mazuri, tradition, PRCS, manna pro, or oxbow.
greychins
NWI Chinchillas
I wouldn't follow that website you linked at all. It just screams bad information. The top two categories of "treats" listed are fruits and veggies - both are not good treats. On top of that, it talks about nuts and seeds - also bad. Also talks about providing a cuttlebone to chew - only needed if there's a calcium issue - which there shouldn't be if a quality food is fed. In fact... the only thing I really agree with is the part that says to change food slowly. The rest is junk. I'd look at http://www.chinnation.com - much better, correct, information on there.
