Food Troubles

When I first got my 3 chins, I was feeding Manna Pro Pro, since that's what they were fed at the breeders, and that's what she recommended. I was new to chins, and went with her suggestions. However, the further I got through the bag, the more corn I found in it. So of course I panicked, and I switched them to Blue Seal Show Hutch Deluxe immediately. The food was so full of corn, that we decided it was safer to just do a cold switch. They handled it amazingly (and I realize how lucky I am for that)
They are doing wonderful on it. Their fur became shiner and softer, and they seemed happier, wasting less food. The last few days, I have been sick and hadn't realized how low I was on food. I quickly ran to the local Tractor Supply Company since that's where I get their food. When we got there, they are completely out out the feed and don't know if, or when, they'll get more in. Since chins can't go without pellets, I got a bag of Manna Pro. I'm worried about switching them back because of the corn, but even more worried because I don't have enough Blue Seal left to do a transition of feed.
Since they've been on Manna Pro before, do you think they'll be okay? Obviously I'll keep a close eye on them, and they always have fresh water and access to Timothy Hay.

My other question is, what brand of food do you guys recommend, where can I get it, and how much does it cost?


Has anyone had any luck/experience with this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/purinareg%3B-rabbit-chowtrade%3B-complete-natural-advantedgetrade%3B-rabbit-food-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

or this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/producers-pridereg%3B-rabbit-feed-50-lb

I need advice and help...

A lot of people feed Manna Pro with no problems.

I would not be switching them back and forth, it's hard on their systems. They can go a few days without pellets and be just fine. Just give them plenty of hay.

I've got no experience with either of the foods you posted links to but you might do a search on them.

Does Tractor Supply sell Blue Seal Show Hutch? I didn't know that.

manna pro, mazuri, and tradition are all pretty common feeds. Personally I like Mazuri's chinchilla pellets and I buy straight from them (usually you can get free shipping on either size bag, you just have to google for whatever coupon code isn't being advertised at the time) http://www.mazuri.com/chinchilla.aspx
With any ordering online (and as you've found out buying bags) you have to pay attention in advance of running low. Just hay will be fine for a while as previously mentioned.
I would be wary of rabbit feeds simply because they aren't designed for chins (not that all chin-designed foods are good either- Kaytee fiesta and charlie chinchilla brands make me shudder). I'm not one of the members who know what protein content and percentages of all the different ingredients are best, but if you can find and post that info it'd be helpful. I wouldn't recommend a cold switch again-everything BooBoo said is right.

Manna Pro Select Series Pro is a decent food. Ive been using it for years myself. Every once in a while i do find a stray piece of dried corn in it. I just take it out and throw it away.

I assume they are stray pieces form something else they make near by since Pro does not contain any corn as an ingredient.

The Purina® Rabbit Chow™ i cant rly comment on from a nutritional point. But when i first started with chins, a breeder had recommended either that or Pro for me to try. I went with Pro tho'

There is a thread for Producers Pride Food I went to the store and copied down the ingredients by hand since i couldn't find them online. Its all listed there, but no one has rly comments on its nutritional value.

I feed Mana Pro show and I have never found any corn at all....

So if I put them back on the Manna Pro, you think it'll be okay? I hate switching them back and forth, but like I said previously, I've been sick and haven't been down in the chin room to feed so I didn't know I was low. My mom or dad have been tending to the chins while I was sick since 1) I wasn't able to barely move from the couch and 2) I didn't want to risk transferring anything to them as I know some human illnesses can be contagious to animals.

A good thing to do when your sick. You dont want your chins catching anything.

MannaPro Select Series Pro rabbit food is a safe food for a healthy chin. Corn is not an actual ingredient in the food. If you see a stray curnal then just take it out and throw that piece away.

If they have been good with eating the food, then they should be good to continue with it. Unless you rly want to switch them off of it.

You had them on Manna Pro, switched them to Blue Seal Hutch... Running low on Blue Seal now. Store doesn't have Blue Seal, so you bought Manna Pro.

I say if you want to switch them back to Manna Pro, do so slowly. Get enough Blue Seal that you can transition them back to Manna Pro. If you can't buy the Blue Seal from where you usually do, you might try ordering some from Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue. Just enough to do the transition.
http://www.foreverfeistychinchilla.org/store-dietary.htm

First, I'm the breeder and I always suggest MannaPro PRO to my customers as it's what my herd as been on for roughly 7ish years. That said, we did (locally) have BIG issues with corn this spring...I mean, dumping a bag into a bin and literally seeing close to 20 pieces (whole and partial) on the top layer. I contacted MannaPro and urged my customers to as well. They informed me that the machines the feed is milled in are actually CLEANED using corn...I informed THEM they were going to lose a LOT of customers (corn is detrimental to rabbits as well as chins) if they didn't figure their crap out. Onward through the fog...the feed has been pretty darn corn free for a few months now.

On the subject of Blue Seal Show Hutch Delux...awesome feed, hard to find. I hear TSC may not even carry it soon and if they do, it'll only be in select stores. Knowing where you're at, there IS a store that carries it within driving distance of you (Lorretto, PA) but not sure how fresh it is as I've never purchased it.

Anyhow, in our area Mazuri can be hard to purchase as well and I'm going to wager that if you have a hard time getting bags in advance when you are purchasing locally...remembering a week or two in advance to order online may not be your best bet.

I've seen the two feeds you've posted at the local TSC...I'm just not really sure they'd work. The ones used on this site have BEEN used for years...showing they can be a healthy diet. You'd need to look over fat, fiber, protein...and if they're all in range then you'd need to check the ingredient list one by one to make sure of safety.

On that note, they may be okay...they may not. If you're set on cold turkey switch...then just know it may go horribly wrong.

If you switch them cold turkey, I recommend that you sprinkle some Lifeline on their food to help with the switch.

They've been switched basically cold turkey, because the Blue Seal I had left was pretty much just powder/dust. I sprinkled some of the powder over the food, but it made Willow sneeze and her eyes water a bit so I stopped. They're doing fine *knock on wood*. Their poop hasn't changed size, shape, or consistency. The color got a little lighter, but Manna Pro is a lighter colored feed than the Blue Seal. They continue to get 2 oats per night (as opposed to getting a pinch once in a while) and occasionally get a piece of a shredded wheat or a plain cheerio. (never the same night as oats.) They are doing amazing and my boys are actually picking up a couple grams.

I realize the risk I took doing a cold turkey switch. I plan on just keeping them on Manna Pro unless the corn issue would get too bad again (hoping it wont).

On another note, I got all the wood from a 10ft tall Pussy Willow Tree. It was my pap's and he cuts it down every 2 years to optimize growth. Well it got huge the past two years, and I now have close to 200lbs of wood. Some of the logs I got are about 35lbs a piece and are about 12 inches diameter and 2 1/2 feet long. It's going to take me forever to process it all, but at least I'll definitely have happy chins.

Another quick question, about whether a wood type is safe, has anyone ever tried Blueberry Bush wood? My neighbor has several bushes that will be getting trimmed soon, and I was wondering if the wood would be safe to give to chins (after boiling/baking of course) It's never been sprayed or treated with anything.

I know blackberry is fine, and I know a general guideline is trees with pits are bad, trees with seeds are probably ok... but it isnt a tree and blueberry is a different genus than blackberry too.
You made me curious so I've been looking around.

aznmexaggie said:

Raspberry is in the Rubus genus and belongs to the Rosaceae family. According to this compilation of safe woods, http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm, woods from the Rubus genus are safe.

The woods to avoid in the Rosaceae family are only those from the Prunus genus, which are the pitted fruits such as plums and peaches. These woods contain cyanogenic glycosides which are metabolized, when consumed, into cyanide.

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Raspberry grows a lot like blackberry, but it should be safe too. Still not blueberry though.

ticklechin said:

Lyonia ferruginea (Dragon wood) is in the same family as blueberry,cranberry, bilberry, and some others, but is in a different genus.

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Dawn mention this, but I cant find much info on the others either! Well, not besides info on the berries/leaves being used. Dragonwood is coming up as ok for birds though, and generally bird-safe is chin-safe. With that and the fruits/leaves being used occasionally, it may be ok.

Personally I wouldnt trust the blueberry unless I knew for sure. I wont be the one risking my chin! Maybe others can chime in.

Blueberry - wouldn't risk it. Never heard of anyone using it.

As for the corn issue - Just toss the corn pieces. No need to keep switching them back and forth. If the corn is such an issues and you can't continually get Blue Seal, then I suggest finding a food, where corn isn't an issue and you can get whenever you need it, and transitioning them to it. Switch back and forth, then back again, then again... isn't good on their systems.

I don't plan on switching their feed again unless the corn would get ridiculously out of hand like it had before.

And I've been looking up all sorts of things on blueberry wood. I haven't found anything saying it isn't safe, but I haven't found anything saying that it is. So I'll just stick to the known safe woods unless someone else chimes in and knows if it's safe or not.

Does anyone know if the wood/twigs from a rose bush would be safe? Obviously the thorns would be removed, but I was curious about this also.

nikkik0720 said:

Does anyone know if the wood/twigs from a rose bush would be safe? Obviously the thorns would be removed, but I was curious about this also.

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According to this safe wood guide, rose branches or anything from the rose family is safe: http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm
Of course you would need to remove thorns just as we do for Cholla cactus and other spiny woods.

Thanks. I thought the wood would be safe, as I've read a few places that it was, but I wanted to be sure. There's been a few different sites that said certain woods were safe that I know aren't.

I'm always looking for safe things to give my chins as treats.