Food and treats

[trish57]

I know it’s a little late to be asking about these questions two months into being a chin parent, but I just want to be sure I’m doing the right thing for my girls. The questions are about frequency of treat items.

I free feed Timothy hay and alfalfa pellets, and I give them several chew sticks each day. They have some wood toys in the cage to chew on, and of course, the wood ledges and lava ledges. They don’t seem to be too much into hanging toys; they seem to prefer to get them up off the floor.

I also give them each a whole (or several pieces of crushed) rose hip daily.

They each get half of a bite-size shredded wheat about twice a week.

Vine rings and bamboo fingers – how often?

They love loofah – is it ok to give that to them daily? (I have not been.) Or should that be limited?

Dried flowers – frequency of those? I have purple rosebuds (is it ok to give them AND rose hips in a day?) purple globes, peonies, tiger lilies, and
honeysuckle. I also have carnations, but they don't seem to like them.


Edited to add cholla - can they have that daily? They do love it!

Thanks!
Trish

 

[Amethyst]

Treats should be limited to one of one type per day, so one rose hip OR one shredded wheat, not both in one day. Vine rings and bamboo fingers are not treats, they are toys so you can give them as often as you want. If your chins are like mine though I limited them due to it being too expensive to given them all the time, lol. Loofah is also more a toy then a treat, I don't think they actually eat it, they just chew it to pieces. Cholla is also fine for every day, I think of it as a wood.

I really don't know about the safety of flowers, I know some are ok, like roses and hibiscus, but I'm not sure the other ones you listed are safe at all. Tiger lily (and lilies in general) are poisonous, at least to cats, it causes kidney failure!! Even in small amounts it can kill. Peonies are also listed as poisonous to cats and dogs, and carnations are mildly toxic. I'm not saying those flowers are definitely toxic to chins, but if they are to other animals I wouldn't be giving it to my chins. I don't know about purple globe they didn't come up when I searched, or rather the name was too vague to give me a single flower type.

 

[trish57]

You know, that was kind of how I thought it was in the beginning - the shredded wheat OR rose hip. But my brain must have turned it somewhere along the line.

You're right about the expense of giving them vine rings and bamboo fingers all the time. I think they would get tired of them if they had access to them daily anyway.

I think the flowers are probably ok - they are the "exotic herb sampler" from Ronda. I think they've had something from every bag and haven't had a negative reaction. They just don't care much for the carnations.

I was very surprised when I read that cholla was a soft wood. Seemed like it's almost petrified wood to me. And then I broke a piece off. Do you think I should get some coconut to help with their teeth? I understand that is hard.

What about my bonding thread? I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything to jeopardize eventually becoming part of their herd.

 

[Amethyst]

Oh ok, sorry, as I said I don't really know too much about which flowers are safe and looking online you pretty much just get info on what is toxic to cats and dogs not other animals. Well in that case the flowers are treats too so one a day, max just like the other treats. I know it doesn't seem like it to us, but think of the treats as junk/snack food, you only should eat a maximum of one dessert a day.

Cholla is actually a type of dried out cacti, not really wood but wood like plant fiber anyway. Some chins like coconut shells some don't, if they do chew on it then yes it can be a good chew toy. I have a few coconut halves in the cage, one I use as a treat bowl and the others are part of a hay holder. They chew on the edges some but that's about it. If you do get some just get a few pieces to start just to try out and see if your chins like it.

I'll reply to your bonding thread on that thread.

 

[trish57]

You mean "we're" only supposed to have one treat a day too? LOL ;p

Ok I get it.

The next time I order I'll try a little coconut. Gotta take care of those teeth!

btw, I think my girls both eat the loofah. Today was the first time I saw anything left over that resembled a piece of it. Someone is also chewing the edges of the tabs on the double fleece hammock.

Thanks!