Yea, PANR it is purina advanced nutrition rabbit right? It is like a step up rabbit pellet, but also is cose or identical most say who use it, to something like Tradition, Mazuri, etc on the "high end" of what is good and out there specifically for chinchillas.
I have access to that, as well as Manna Sho, which is like Calf Manna, but they also have their own pro and sho feeds for rabbits, and many people are also putting their chins on that saying it is very good and supposed to be cheap too.
I am asking about Chillets, for the following reason: I own multiple chinchillas, and prefer to buy my food in at least 50 pund bags. Money is not as much as an issue for my animals and their food as I want to feed the best I have access too.
I have tried Mazuri once in the past. They switched over fine, but overall in general, ESPECIALLY pregnant or lactating mothers, the stool was a LOT softer and not like it is when peple consider it normal or optimal condition. I also didnt like the smell as much.
I had before I tried Mazuri, been getting Tradition brand for the past year from m first breeder. I know she was or think she may have been getting it from the Wisconsin mill in this state. 6 months after I met her, she informed me when I went to her place to buy some food that she was switching to Pen Pals, which I know of people also using and saying great things about it.
I know it is "rabbit" pellets, but she told me she had just attended one of the wisconsin shows and a big topic was brands of feed, and what to look for etc, and Pen Pals was introduced by some of the bigger breeders who would buy into 3 tons of it or so for their herds and then people buying from them.
Initially I got two bags. I have to say I loved the smell of it, was fresh, the pellets were longer and a little more skinny than the Wisconsin milled tradition, and they were more firm. The chinchillas loved them.
For some reason, maybe a person who went into buying that much, dropped out I think, and they stopped getting it. They had at the first order of a few tons, either one ton and three people or three tons I dont remember.
Anyways, I found a much more local supplier of tradition where I live. The breeder I had been going to even for the food and good kind of hay, not the type you get in the store, was an hour away, and I found one that lived in the next country, like 20 minutes away.
She was getting the Tradation, from the Wisconsin mill. When I first met her, the tradition was fine and everyone who used it was good with it. Then they ended up having someon drop of some tradition from the Illinois plant to them. It was very good and uniform.
After those bags sold, they had their original tradition, but we noticed as we got more, the pellets changed, smell, size, even bag, from the ones in the Ill. mill and what they had bee before.
The inconsistencies is what the reasons are for the mass switch. Tradition has been known as a good stand by product, but the mills I think can differ in what they use as fillers, or exactly what ther hay is like obviously than the next mill, especially if they are trying to cut costs with economy and business.
On that note, about them cutting costs because of the economy, they "policy" at this time saying you have to buy one ton at the minumum or they wont sell it, which is different.
My supplier, and people buying it from them, obviously dont want the variation in it, and to be locked into that much at a time when there are so many inconsistencies.
I did have a female, who was a very good mother, breeder, and at having babies, for the first time ever, lose both babies in both horns one at 1/2 into development, which was about 2 months into the new Wisconsin tradition bag.
They all eat it and get used to it now, well half of them do, the other half, they utterly and totally ignore their bowls, not touching the food or throwing it, and just eat lots and lots of hay.
One who has been doing this is a pregnant mother to be, it seemed halfway through her pregnancy, all she wants is hay, I feed them 50 pound boxes of oxbow timothy that is very fresh, and also mix in their cages orchard hay from oxbow too sometimes. SHe also has access to pretty much as much apple bark as she wants and sticks, they are local and sanitized completely and baked, but
back to the origonal subject, and I think all this information is pertinent, if anyone is reading this, to their nutritional needs overall,
SO, the Chillets, I get from the MCBA newsletters, where the company that does have them, one of the companies, have been around a while I am guessing. I think a MCBA person who gets the newsletters might know about this. I am looking for anyone who has seen them, tried them with their animals, or knows anything.
I would like to stay with the switch from the supplier I have now which is why I am wondering about this particular pellet. 50 pounds bags of what I would LIKE to feed them, which is an Oxbow premium , but from what I hear it is insanley expensive.
So, sorry for the legth of this but I want to make sure if anyone is interested to respond, that they have the information about my chins nutritional details.
Thanks to anyone who knows anything about chillets.
