| Things to know about your pet chinchilla |
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| More on Treats (a better explanation) Supplements and Grain Mix - Chinchillas enjoy a bit of grain every week to 10 days. The extra oils in some of the seeds are also healthy. Best if you remove all the corn kernels. Hamster mix is fine, sans the corn... you can give oat grouts mixed with sweet horse feed (no corn), but dry plain oatmeal works well for most pet keepers. Again, most pet owners tend to over do this type of item also. In the wild chins would get very little food that resembles grains. Vitamin C - 1/2 - 1 tab chewable natural source Vit C once a week. Those red pellets? - Calf Manna and Animax are two red pellets that are sold for a variety of animals. These pellets smell of licorice and most animals really seem to enjoy these pellets You can get as many opinions, some confusing, on these when it comes to feeding it to chins. My take it a small amount is not going to harm them, but I think some folks over feed this supplement in the later part of pregnancy. It does seem to stimulate the appetite, and is great for a chin that has had an operation or sickness. Cuttle Bone - Offer in the cage for several days are a time. Adds calcium and trace minerals. Treats & Sweets: Raisins are probably the most widely fed chinchilla treat, while also possibly being the worst treat. These are almost all sugar and make the poop slick. People sometimes are treating their chins to what they think is a good thing, but maybe it is time to look at other alternatives: Use plain or unsweetened products only, and dried papaya or pineapple the size of a raisin will provide digestive enzymes. A raisin, a craisin or something of that nature every few weeks is no big harm, but only if health food has been norm. A few raisins maybe in order if poos are small, stringing together and irregular. Papaya and Pineapple are good items... dried with no sugar added. It has digestive enzymes that helps break down hair balls. Naturally sweet, and about the same calories as a raisin (which can loosen the bowels). Offer either about once a week for a healthy adult. Cereals : Shredded wheat cereal is one of my chins favorites. A spoonsized square can be broken in to several bits for a training session. Some will accept cherrios, Whole grain toast, crisp and cut in to 1 inch squares. Yogurt : You need to find a fresh yogurt with as little sugar as possible and ACTIVE YOGURT CULTURES. Select a berry flavor, NO CITRUS, NO PITTED FRUIT (no Cherry, peach, apricot, and no banana)... Some chins love yogurt, some refuse it, some take a while to get used to it. Offer yours about 1/2 teaspoon to start out with, about once a week. You can try it daily if they seem to refuse it at first. It is always a good idea after a chin has been on meds from the vet, especially antibiotics. Yogurt helps replenish the flora and good bacteria in the gut. |
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| WARNING! Most pet chinchillas recieve too many treats! Make sure that you are not killing your chin with kindness. Of the items suggested in this list, only one item should be given each day! |
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