13% protien alfalfa n timmy based pellets

[ErinsChins]

First I have made NO duplicate posts. You arent a mod so dont moderate me. That also is not allowed. What were you feeding your chin? What hay did you offer daily if any. What extras where you feeding? Where there any other medical conditions along with this problem? Was water intake adequate? What exactly did you do wrong? Also please read through this thread more accurately. I live in the u.s. I am not ordering online at this time for personal economic reasons that are no ones business on this forum. If you read the thread through you would know this. Oh and happy birthday by the way. I noticed it is your birthday when I logged back on.

You're right, that isn't allowed, just trying to save the mods some trouble; i'll gladly report instead.

He was being fed THIS. He got timothy hay daily and raisins once a day. He was a perfectly healthy chinchilla other than that. Normal water intake, up until the night that he had to the prolapse.

I have a life and have plenty of things to do. When I do post, I try my hardest to get an idea of whats going on. I do not have time to sit here and read every post that you've made. I know the general idea though, you want to feed a **** food even though others are telling you not to. I've given my .02 I'm just looking out for the chins and quite frankly i'm getting fed up with owners coming on here asking for advice but not interested in listening.

I apologize if i'm wrong about you not listening, but it seems that way. Like I said, when I do come on, I try to help. Is it ignorant to not read a whole thread? Probably, but if there's a chance of helping then i'm all for it.

NO the food won't kill him after one bite, but plenty of members here can tell you that it can significantly shorten his life. Can you post a link to the "chinchilla" version of the food you are referring to? Is it a Kaytee brand food?

ETA; Said chin was 6 months old at the time of death.

 

[tunes]

if you can not offer correct information or facts to back up your opinions then you should not respond. Thank you that is all.

Neither is self-policing Eric. This is a PUBLIC forum. YOU don't get to tell people whether to respond to this thread or not because you don't like their answers. You came here and asked a question. You were given an answer. People felt the feed you are offering is not a good feed for chins. If you want a lab analysis, feed it to your chins, put them to sleep, then have them cut open so that they can be analyzed. Other than that all we can give you is opinions based on experience. Now, I realize that might not seem like enough to you, since there are quite a few of us with just a tad more experience than you have with chins (not to mention 1000s more animals), but you've been given sound advice. Instead of taking it, you're trying to turn this into a pissing contest and getting defensive.

By the way, I don't care what your "economic" reasons are. If you can't afford a bag of feed for the chin(s) you have, rehome them because there is no way you can afford to support them or provide proper vet care when necessary. If you have a bank account, use Paypal. If you don't have a bank account, use a money order. There are many ways of getting feed through the mail if you truly are interested in doing so.

I did not read this thread word for word. Internet speak irritates the crap out of me and tends to make me avoid the thread; however, I do want to point out if you are feeding a treat filled feed, then of course your chin is not going to want "just" a pellet. I would much rather have a plate full of candy bars than a plate full of broccoli. If you're saying that a chin can survive on a hay only diet, and thrive on it, then take away the junk food, offer nothing but the good pellets, and give plenty of hay. When he's hungry, he'll eat the pellets.

Get snotty in this thread one more time, self-police one more time, and you'll go on permanent moderated status until you can learn to be civil. No one has been nasty to you. Different posting styles does not mean people are on their high horse or anywhere else. It just means they were answering your question and you didn't like the answer.

 

[ticklechin]

Petsmart sells Oxbow and Mazuri, buy it from that pet store rather than petco, problem solved and no shipping, paypal or credit cards involved. Chins who can eat will eat, they will not starve so just like a human child they will hold out for the goodies and like a human parent you tell them no and give them a nutritional feed rather than junk food.

 

[Eric4144]

Ok I was told fortified feed would kill my chinchilla and all feed is fortified. So that is incorrect. Im sorry if that offends you but it is the truth. Bonanza chinchilla food did not make Erins chin sick. If it did everyone should stop feeding the herb and grain fusion sold by a wonderful chin rescue that i have ordered their wonderful products in the past. Rosehips are safe and healthy flaxseed is safe and healthy if not over fed parsely is safe and healthy mint is safe and healthy ground blueberry is safe and healthy clipped oats very safe and healthy all ingredientsin the herb and grain fusion and dehydrated carrot slices are a whole lot safer than raisons. Especially in moderation at one to two per week. The feed is nutrionaly identicle to oxbow save 1 percent more protien and beet pulp is not used in bonanza chinchilla diet. I was defensive bc i was called lazy and i have done my homework and may not have 1000 chins but have adequate experience with this animal.

 

[ticklechin]

If you have that much "experience" and did your "homework" and you feel that the items you listed are chins safe and your feed is just the cats meow, then WHY waste forum time and space by asking opinions? It sounds like you had your mind made up to feed that junk food and ignore the simple advice of K.I.S.S, feed a plain chinchilla pellet and hay. But they are your chins so do what you want.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I agree with Dawn. I didn't take the time to read every single post after you posted in response to me. You asked a question and we all pointed out immediately that the feed is crap. You've said several times that fruits and veggies are safe in moderation. Do you even know WHY fruits and veggies are not given? WHY they cause bloat? It's not because of the water content, sweetie. I also do not advocate giving herbs and another long time member of this forum posted on another thread about paisley being bad for chins because of something it does naturally in the digestive tract. If you are so well read and educated on chinchillas then you would know all of this and wouldn't even consider feeding the crap food.

I don't parrot advice, I'm giving you advice based on research done by many people throughout the years. I'm not going to sit here and try to find every single article I've read on chinchilla digestion and the effects of fruits and vegetables on their digestive tract so that you have "proof". I've owned chinchillas a heck of a lot longer than you have, I have more and I guarantee I have talked to a heck of a lot more chinchilla competent vets and chinchilla experts. With all of this backing me up (since you seem to NEED this varification) I am telling you that food is crap and don't feed it. I don't need to give you reasons WHY since you are so experienced you should know them already.

Asking questions is a wonderful thing and should be encouraged, however, once you get an answer you should ask for clarification instead of immediately disregarding the answers and demanding a different one. THAT kind of response tells me that someone is looking for an excuse to do what they want to do. We're not going to approve of the feed so just do what you will with it.

 

[Eric4144]

I asked about a different feed and about the order of specific ingredients in that feed. I dont believe any feed to be the cats meow. We do not know enough about chins dietary needs for any feed to be the cats meow. Most of the extras ive listed are not junk save maybe carrots. They all enhance the diet and do not harm the animal when added in moderation. Do you not offer healthy treats to your chins? No shredded wheat cheerio rose hips old fashioned oat meal? No supplement? Most people offer all of these in moderation. You are right my mind is made up and have said as much several times. I am simply trying to offer information facts and my opinion just like everyone else. Im not carrying this conversation alone.

 

[ticklechin]

I do not feed anything but pellets and hay to my normal chinchillas, what a SHOCK they are all still alive after all, I have had most of them for 10 years and one is 17. Apple sticks is the only treat they get, period. Do you see ranchers feeding junk food? Ya think they know what they are doing? I think so and smart pet owners should take a page from the ranchers book and feed their chins a simple diet and plenty to chew. Your information and facts are no use to people who actually understand chinchilla anatomy, the more junk food you feed the more detrimental to the chinchillas health, feed what you want, be a trend setter, but those of us who follow a simple diet will still have our chins well into their old age.

 

[RDZCRanch]

The only "treat" my chinchillas get is wood. KD pine blocks or wood from sources I personally know and can prepare and bake myself. So, no, my chins do not get a supplement or any treats. The only chins that have ever gotten a supplement are nursing mothers that get a ground mix of alfalfa, oat hay, timothy and powdered goat's milk or sick chinchillas that need to gain weight.

We DO know enough about chinchilla's dietary needs to know what they should or should not have. Ranchers have paid for many studies to be done on chinchilla's specific dietary needs to see what exactly is needed. This is also why ranchers will have their own feed milled with their specific list of ingredients. Ranchers need their animals to thrive. It is a business of keeping animals alive to reproduce for them. There is a good reason for ranch chinchillas living into their late teens and early twenties. There is research, there are facts and you are ignoring them and obviously have not done enough research into a chinchilla's dietary needs to decide a proper diet for them.

 

[Kalandra]

OK guys enough. I'm tired of the warning messages I'm getting that this thread is going no where.

It is clear to me that everyone has their opinions and neither side are willing to budge. Eric, you have plenty of messages in this thread of opinions, use that information and decide for yourself if you want to use this feed or not.

For now I'm shutting this thread down. It has gone no where for over a page and I do not see it going anywhere from here. If you dislike my decision, take it up with Becky or Peggy.