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Emma

Guest
Hey everyone

Just wanted a bit of advice on food as I'm a bit confused. :wacko:

We know from reading on here that it is recommended to give a raisin as a treat every few days or so, but some of the main bags of food in the UK contain loads of them! Is that the case over in the US as well, or do the manufacturers here think it's ok?

Our two oldest chins are very fussy and will pick through their favourite bits of one of these two varieties, both of which contain a lot of raisins:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/food/chinchilla/charlie_chinchilla/13288

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/food/chinchilla/charlie_chinchilla/13288

Our younger pair are much better and will just eat these pellets with pieces of the above food as treats:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/pellet-chinchilla-food-1kg-by-pets-at-home-15670

We've always taken out the raisins, and instead give them as treats, but we've got an ever increasing pile of them!

Emma
 
Hi And! There are some brands of food here in the US that contain treats along with the pellets. They are definitely not recommended though as the pellets are usually of lower quality and many chins pick through the pellets and eat mostly treats. We generally do not recommend that raisins be given as treats to chins anyway, as they contain alot of sugar and chin systems are not able to process them easily. A quality pellet and hay is the way to go. Charlie Chinchilla is the only brand you've listed that we have here and it is on our unofficial "don't feed" list.

Our knowledgable UK staff member Claire will probably be along to chime in on this soon...
 
:wave: Hi Emma. :)

You've listed some of the foods not generally recommended by most chinchilla owners/breeders in the UK. They are sold more for human benefit than the chins' - variety being the spice of life & all that - a chinchilla's diet of pellets is considered too bland so the manufacturers add treats to make it appealing to the owners.
Having said that, just as you are doing, some people use the Extra Vital & Charlie Chin as a treat every now & then but with the raisins removed first. They can also be used as an indicator of health in a chin - if the chin won't eat them then there's something going on. I also know some people who use them to help stimulate appetite in poorly chins (again, one each occasion the raisins are removed).

The P@H pellets are ok(ish) & I do know that it can be difficult to get hold of other breeder recommended pellets in small enough quantities for pet owners who only have one or a few chins.
Recommended pellets in the UK are:
Duggins, Charnwoods, Harrisons, Beaphar Care + Chinchilla, & Supreme Science Selective Chinchila.

Both the Beaphar Care + & the Supremem Science Selective are extruded pellets rather than the traditional compressed sticks. They are crunchy & the Beaphar is made into different shapes & colours but there is no difference between the shapes/colours & chins don't selectively eat them.
Given the choice & money no object I know several breeders (including myself) who would use Beaphar as a staple diet alongside good quality hay.
As appetite stimulants go I have yet to see a chin turn it's nose up at Beaphar - I use it with some of my oldies &/or poorly chins & I feed a few nuggets as a treat to all my other chins once or twice a week. It's lovely hearing the crunching noises they make & they Hoover them up PDQ.
The same can be done with the Supreme Science Selective but I have found my chins don't like that as much as the Beaphar Care +.
I've also found both Care + & Science Selective to be excellent for chins with tooth problems - the chins can eat them much easier than the normal compressed pellets but they do not seem to have any detrimental effects on chewing ability (so from that point of view are sometimes better than normal pellets - chins get back to eating normal/hard food faster IME).

It might be worth trying your oldies on the Beaphar & Science Selective because there's no selective feeding but they are a bit more palatable than normal pellets & healthier than mixes.
 
Where can those of us in the US buy Beaphar care in the UK? I use manna for the reason you list-the manna pellets are softer and tastier and dental chins will eat them first. I am not a manna fan and would rather feed a "real" pellet. I have a 16.5 year old who gets filed once a year or so and due to the high protein in the manna I would rather offer him something with lower protein.
 
Hi Dawn, unfortunately, the horrible exchange rate & shipping charges make getting Beaphar from the UK a bit of a PitA. I know that Meanie tried to order some direct from John Hopewell http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/default.asp?template=productlist.page.xml&CategoryId=9 but if I remember rightly he would not do it because it was going to prove ridiculous cost-wise. :(


Seapets - http://www.seapets.co.uk/products/p...foods/beaphar-care-plus-chinchilla-1-5kg.html - also sell Beaphar Care + but I am not sure whether they ship.

I'm sorry I can't be more specific ATM - I will see if I can find out anything further. i
 
Last edited:
Claire D said:
:wave: Hi Emma. :)

You've listed some of the foods not generally recommended by most chinchilla owners/breeders in the UK. They are sold more for human benefit than the chins' - variety being the spice of life & all that - a chinchilla's diet of pellets is considered too bland so the manufacturers add treats to make it appealing to the owners.
Having said that, just as you are doing, some people use the Extra Vital & Charlie Chin as a treat every now & then but with the raisins removed first. They can also be used as an indicator of health in a chin - if the chin won't eat them then there's something going on. I also know some people who use them to help stimulate appetite in poorly chins (again, one each occasion the raisins are removed).

The P@H pellets are ok(ish) & I do know that it can be difficult to get hold of other breeder recommended pellets in small enough quantities for pet owners who only have one or a few chins.
Recommended pellets in the UK are:
Duggins, Charnwoods, Harrisons, Beaphar Care + Chinchilla, & Supreme Science Selective Chinchila.

Both the Beaphar Care + & the Supremem Science Selective are extruded pellets rather than the traditional compressed sticks. They are crunchy & the Beaphar is made into different shapes & colours but there is no difference between the shapes/colours & chins don't selectively eat them.
Given the choice & money no object I know several breeders (including myself) who would use Beaphar as a staple diet alongside good quality hay.
As appetite stimulants go I have yet to see a chin turn it's nose up at Beaphar - I use it with some of my oldies &/or poorly chins & I feed a few nuggets as a treat to all my other chins once or twice a week. It's lovely hearing the crunching noises they make & they Hoover them up PDQ.
The same can be done with the Supreme Science Selective but I have found my chins don't like that as much as the Beaphar Care +.
I've also found both Care + & Science Selective to be excellent for chins with tooth problems - the chins can eat them much easier than the normal compressed pellets but they do not seem to have any detrimental effects on chewing ability (so from that point of view are sometimes better than normal pellets - chins get back to eating normal/hard food faster IME).

It might be worth trying your oldies on the Beaphar & Science Selective because there's no selective feeding but they are a bit more palatable than normal pellets & healthier than mixes.
Click to expand...

That's great, thanks very much, I'll get some Beaphar asap. I know there a few threads on here explaining how to help switch their food.

Wish I'd thought to ask sooner, I just bought loads of food last week so I wouldn't have to go back again for a while...Oh well, I've got enough 'treats' to last ages now!

Thanks again for your help

Emma
 
ticklechin said:
Where can those of us in the US buy Beaphar care in the UK? I use manna for the reason you list-the manna pellets are softer and tastier and dental chins will eat them first. I am not a manna fan and would rather feed a "real" pellet. I have a 16.5 year old who gets filed once a year or so and due to the high protein in the manna I would rather offer him something with lower protein.
Click to expand...

Claire D said:
Hi Dawn, unfortunately, the horrible exchange rate & shipping charges make getting Beaphar from the UK a bit of a PitA. I know that Meanie tried to order some direct from John Hopewell http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/default.asp?template=productlist.page.xml&CategoryId=9 but if I remember rightly he would not do it because it was going to prove ridiculous cost-wise. :(


Seapets - http://www.seapets.co.uk/products/p...foods/beaphar-care-plus-chinchilla-1-5kg.html - also sell Beaphar Care + but I am not sure whether they ship.

I'm sorry I can't be more specific ATM - I will see if I can find out anything further. i
Click to expand...
John was more than willing to ship it to me directly, I believe shipping was going to be about 4 or 5 times the cost of the product. But I was lucky and managed to find an alternative. I had someone who was in the UK at the time and was coming to San Diego bring it in their luggage, I then had my mother and stepfather bring more back when they went to Northern Ireland. :D

Tucker loved it while he was able to eat. It helped both Sophie and Sparky get back on solid foods after their medical issues. I also hand it out as treats. Nothing brightens up Sophie's face like the sound of the Beaphar jar. :laughitup:
 
And said:
We've always taken out the raisins, and instead give them as treats, but we've got an ever increasing pile of them!
Click to expand...
I would take that pile of raisins and put them in the dustbin. They will do more harm than good for your chin.
 
I have been searching all afternoon for the Beaphar Care + and used so many different search engines and terms and I think I finally found a place with reasonable shipping, just waiting for a firm quote, I will let us USA people know if we can acually afford it!
 
Please! I am also interested in getting a bag. I had heard about it awhile ago also, and I just didn't think it was doable. If you end up finding something I didn't please share.
 
So I got the feed coming 2 kg for 21 pounds shipped, a bit expensive but since its for only one chin for short periods of time its worth it, LL and CC are not that cheap either so I am good!
 
That's not bad considering the rubbish exchange rate & general shipping costs ATM.
 
Got my beaphar yesterday! The stuff smelled so good I had to taste it-not bad, it was crunchy and herbie tasting! Everyone ate it like candy except Spice, the sound of 7 chins crunching this feed was too funny! If anyone who has dental chins wants a sample to try before commiting to a whole bag, let me know and I will send you some.
 
what was the expiry date u got for your bag? I was wondering what was a good date? a year from expiring? I have a bag dated at march 2011.
 
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