Where can I donate.........

[mishellyshel]

all the not so good stuff that I bought my chins before finding this forum.
what other pets would use the stuff, i hate to throw it away.
i have some kaytee treat mix and a few other mixes of things that came with my one chin.
i am sure i can just toss it in my backyard for the birds & squirrels but if any shelters would use it I would rather help animals in need.

 

[xcoronaangel]

I bring all the items my hopsital and rescue wont use to the local animal shelter in my area. They normally take anything and everything they can get their hands on. My shelter takes everything from dogs and cats to birds and hamsters and turtles... bunnys ect so I know my stuff is going to be used.

 

[paris26]

I'm sure any shelter or rescue group that does small animals would appreciate it. At my shelter, I take all of the "seed" filled junkfoods and add it our rat/hamster mix bucket.

 

[Linda]

At my shelter, I take all of the "seed" filled junkfoods and add it our rat/hamster mix bucket.

Have you ever considered that maybe it's no better for the hamsters and rats than it is for the chinchillas? Perhaps some of this junk food is better thrown away than fed to any living creature.

Linda

 

[Essentia]

Have you ever considered that rats and hamsters have a very different diet than chins do? Just because something isn't good for one animal doesn't mean it isn't good for another.

 

[Linda]

As President of the California Hamster Association, I can assure you that most of what is sold in pet stores is junk food as far as a hamster's nutrition goes. Yes, they can eat fresh fruits and vegetables and other things that chins don't eat, but feeding them the junk seed mixes is feeding them junk food and no better for them than it is for chins.

Just as pet store employees don't properly educate on chin care, they don't properly educate on hamster care. And just as few people on this list recommend pet store food for their chins, few people on your quality hamster lists recommend pet store food for their hamsters. We use high-quality Purina Mills lab diets for the hamsters just as people here recommend PANR. It's really not that different except that more people consider hamsters "disposable pets" than they do chins, so few people question when they die young due to a poor diet and/or inadequate care.

I'm afraid there are more similarities between hamsters and chins than differences when it comes to human and pet store behaviors.

Linda

 

[Essentia]

All I can say on that one is "my bad". The condescending sound of that post just made me want to say something. I probably shouldn't have worded it like that. I didn't mean that all seeds and such are good for them, just that they have different diets. I was trying to make my post sound like yours so you could hear how rude it sounded.

 

[Linda]

I am sorry that you consider me rude and condescending, but perhaps I was just shocked at what appears to be a double standard on this list. Perhaps I should have waited over night and replied later. And you have helped argue my point for me. Yes, hamsters have different diets than chins or rats. Even more food for thought, the five hamster species commonly kept as pets each have different optimal diets although they have many similarities. The person who started this thread is discussing chin treats supposedly designed for chin diets. Why would it then be recommended that they are good for hamsters and rats? True, wild rats tend to eat anything and everything. Domesticated, well bred rats should eat a quality diet, and the one most often chosen by those I know is a Teklad lab diet.

I haven't been a member long, but I have been reading much longer. I took on a couple of rescue chins a few months ago. Knowing that I didn't know their optimal diet, I did some research and special ordered some Mazuri for them. I also picked up some PANR (which doesn't have to be special ordered). Although I would never have considered the junk food from pet stores knowing how bad it is for hamsters, this list stopped me from feeding them fresh fruits and vegetables which is the main treat I give my hamsters. My chins get a mix of PANR and Mazuri plus their daily treat of hay which they love. Previously they were getting a diet with a few pellets and a lot of sunflower seeds, raisens, and other dried fruit.

Each species needs its own optimal diet. Junk food for chins would not be a quality diet for hamsters or rats.

Over the weekend, I picked up a pair of adult pedigreed chins. Although rescues are always nice, I wanted a pair of well-bred and well-raised chins. I have learned a lot from this list and hope to do right by all of them. I'd just encourage others on this list to see other species in the same light that they see their chins.
Linda