What treats do you give your chins?

[EmilyLiliLove]

What treats do you give your chins? How often? Where do you buy them? Price? Do you use treats to teach them tricks or just as treats?



I use cheerios for training them but they only get one a day if that. I also use dandelion drops a few times a week. Other treats i have used are rose hips (don't know where to get at decent price), sunflower seeds, raisins (small amounts), dehydrated banana and cranberries (i dehydrate my own), shredded wheat, cheerios and in the past i gave air popped popcorn. Yes i know some of these aren't healthy, I am looking for healthier treats. That is why i posted this.

 

[Amethyst]

Several of the things you listed are unhealthy and/or unsafe. Chins should not have seeds, too high in fat, fruit (or vegetables for that matter) fresh or dry, too sugary, the dandelion drops are yogurt and sugary, chins shouldn't have dairy, popcorn or rather corn in general is dangerous to chins.

I buy my oats (slow cook kind) and cheerios at the grocery store, I eat them too so I just share. The rose hips I buy online, about $4 per 100g, rose petals I collect myself from the wild rose bushes all over my property. I use the treats mostly as something to search for in the cage, so they have to forage a bit. I mostly use sticks as their daily treat that I hand them.

 

[Minccino]

At first I thought raisins were ok (no more than 1 a day, I would slice the raisin into 2 or 3 pieces), but since learning they aren't safe, I've switched to Cheerios. I just wish I could find a mini box of them instead of the regular sized boxes. I don't like regular Cheerios,so a lot will go to waste lol.

 

[Godofgods]

for a while i would give them at most a single cherrio a day. It does help with some training sometimes. But i mainly just use twigs. Ive tried to buy them a variety of flavors but they all seem to want the apple. Some times even turn there noses at other flavors i give them.

 

[riotheoleo]

My chinchilla gets PLAIN shreddies daily, flower power (its a mix from chinchillas2shop of several different flowers, its safe) now and again with his pellets (only a little bit sprinkled on top as he will only eat it out the bowl) and goji berries daily (if he hasn't already had a shreddie)
As godofgods said, mine also has apple twigs to chew on as a treat/toy. He loves them.

 

[ElliesMama]

I have a variety of treats for my chin that include:


Goji berries
Hawthorn Berries
Rose Buds
Hibiscus
Chamomile
Calendula
Red Clover
Green Oat Tops
Cheerios

and occasionally I will give her a sunflower seed or two

 

[ElliesMama]

My chin loves those apple twigs the most too. She chews them up so quickly!

 

[Airyn]

In the morning, I give them Tanya's Broad Spectrum Supplement. At night, I rotate among Cheerios, Oats or Shredded Wheat. They loved the oat tops from that supplement, so I feed that occasionally as well.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I would NEVER give my chins any fruits,especially dried, grains or those sugary yogurt drops. For treats I give spoon sized NON-frosted shredded wheat and twigs. I tried the plain cheerios but found my chins ignore that for the shredded wheat.

 

[Smidgeyy]

As some have said... A lot of those are not healthy for them.
I give mine one small treat daily at most, sometimes not even at all.
I usually use cheerios, rosehips, calendula petals, rosebuds, a flower mix(not sure what is in there anymore Lol), and wood. :]

 

[chrisbradley6]

hopefully new chin owners will see this thread. they can see that we are advising that some of the above treats arent healthy, and they can also see that many of us dont actually use them! we practice what we preach!

 

[jbcstratton]

I only do old fashion oats, shredded wheat, and occasional Cheerios.

 

[EmilyLiliLove]

since i have started this thread i have switched to JUST rose hips, apple wood sticks, cheerios and shredded wheat. thanks for all the advise

 

[Cuddlebug]

For those of you who are new to chins or have never been given good information here is a page I wrote for my website and a book I am writing.

[FONT=&quot]Recommended Safe Treats for Chinchillas[/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]Chinchillas do not require treats in order to live a healthy, happy life. Treats are used more for the satisfaction of the owner than for the chinchilla. All a chinchilla really needs is fresh water, a good pelletted food and hay, either loose or cubed. If the decision is made to give treats, they should not be more than 10 % of the chinchilla’s diet. A good rule of thumb is one to two treats per week (this is the total of all the treats, not one or two of each treat per week).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For those who would like to give the occasional treat, here is a list of safe treats.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]One Unsweetened, Plain Cheerio [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A Pinch of Uncooked, Old Fashioned, Rolled Oats (not the instant or the quick cooking types) [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Half a Plain Shredded Mini Wheat Square[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]An Organic Rose Hip [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A Variety of Hays (brome, orchard grass, oat grass, botanical hay)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Other items that chinchillas enjoy as treats in unlimited quantities are: [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Wooden Sticks or Chews (see safe woods list) – pesticide free, scrubbed, boiled and dried[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lava or Pumice Blocks[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Willow[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Balls[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Grape Vines – treated the same way as wood[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Wooden Toys[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Loofa Chews (do not use the kind that has been bleached and dyed for human bathing)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Avoid giving any of the following:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fresh or Dried Fruits (contain too much sugar and can cause diarrhea, bloat and possibly even death)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fresh or Dried Vegetables (can cause diarrhea, bloat and possibly even death)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Nuts and Seeds (contain too much fat, will cause liver problems and a shortened life)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]People Food (contains too much sugar, fat, salt, etc.)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Trail Mix (contains many items that are unhealthy for chinchillas, additionally can cause obesity)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Alcohol[/FONT][FONT=&quot] (Deadly)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Chocolate [/FONT][FONT=&quot](Deadly)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Note:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Do not add treats to a chinchilla’s pellets. This causes chinchillas to dig through their food, discarding the pellets in search of treats. This is known as pellet digging and can cost a lot of money in wasted feed. Also, when a chinchilla pellet digs, they will eat only the treats and leave the healthy pelletted food uneaten.[/FONT]

 

[aznmexaggie]

Wooden sticks... I don't give food item treats anymore except on a very rare occasion.

 

[rachelkbarnes]

Where do you fine the rose hips and twigs that everyone has mentioned in the posts?? I am a newer Chin owner and am interested in finding healthier treat options. I would like to introduce My Chin, Princess Daisy, to these new treats but I am not sure where to find them!