Sandi
non-stop poop sweeper
Doesn't bother me what you feed... I said I would not recommend it as a feed for chinchillas. Daily feeding of fruits and vegetables and sunflower seeds is not good for them and can lead to problems in the long run.
Food - The Great Debate.
- Thread starter Mady
- Start date
Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:
Stackie
I bite.
I would never feed my chins anything with seeds in them. They are extremely high in fat, something that chins do not digest well. It can cause fatty liver disease. They also do not do well with the sugars found in fruits. FM Browns does not have a very high reputation in the animal nutrition world. It is one of the run-of-the-mill pet store feeds that appeals to the pet owner, not the animal's nutrition. I've worked with several vets who hate the stuff.
Feed what you will, they are your animals. But if people see something alarming or potentially detrimental to a chinchilla's health, they will point it out, especially if it is being recommended to others.
Feed what you will, they are your animals. But if people see something alarming or potentially detrimental to a chinchilla's health, they will point it out, especially if it is being recommended to others.
Jenn
ZooKeeper
And it is important that others know that even though you will feed your chins what you will, against better advice, that fruit and veggies and seeds are not chin appropriate foods at all. It is not ok to inform newer chin owner with bad advice. Each to his own, but there are better choices out there and there are foods that should be avoided all together. Just because your chin is ok now, doesn't mean that months or years down the road he won't suffer the consequences.
First I didn't recommend to anyone. The question was what do people feed there chins. Second to me this is not bad advice. I have compared the labels analysts with the brands you people are saying is better and the only difference I see is there is more moisture in mine. Therefore my chins are getting the same nutrition as yours. Third i never asked for anyones advice on what I feed my chins. I have happy healthy chins. 
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
melbur10
Well-known member
@Rokka, I Belive the Only difference is not the moisture content it is Infact the dried fruits veggies and seeds.
These are bad for chins, and added as a part of their daily diet is even worse. No one can tell you what to do, but we are being clear that you have all the information, and can hopefully make an informed decision. Defending a bad food choice is a problem because new uninformed members and owner will see this and could make the same mistake which could lead to potentially harming another animal.
It needs to be clear to others it's a bad choice.
These are bad for chins, and added as a part of their daily diet is even worse. No one can tell you what to do, but we are being clear that you have all the information, and can hopefully make an informed decision. Defending a bad food choice is a problem because new uninformed members and owner will see this and could make the same mistake which could lead to potentially harming another animal.
It needs to be clear to others it's a bad choice.
You know what I'm not going to continue arguing this with you all. I personally do not feel it is a bad choice. What people feed there pets is really up to them. I am just saying I have seen the benefits of feeding this brand to my animals. I feed my chins what I feel is the best brand for them. Have any of you ever actually seen this feed. It's like 90% pellets and 10% sunflower seeds and dried friut. There is also sticks in it. I honestly don't agree with everything some of you do but I don't judge you guys. There is a more tactful way of educated people than being judgmental.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
melbur10
Well-known member
Tbh I don't think any one is being judgmental of you personally.
The food yes we will judge the food based on what we know is not good for an animal.
I would like to add a responce to some thing brought up previously, Rokka likely goes through a 22.5lb bag so quickly not because they eat more of it due to nutritional concerns, but because a good portion of the weight would be made up of fruit and sticks...
Which obviously weight a bit and when added to pellets you would naturally go through it faster.
The nutritional value of the pellets themselves is questionable however the nutritional values being close to that of other feeds is a good thing tho I do question the credibility of any company which is selling a feed that contains other things.
And I have to question the nutritional values because I don't know if the nutritional value is on the feed as a whole or the pellets only...
Any way, no one is judging you personally Rokka this is just a feed discussion.
Chins cannot process the things in the feed you mentioned properly. Some recommended reading would be on hind gut fermenters.
All that aside.
I feed the Alderpark pellets, milled in BC and I have a full bag shipped to me.
Even with shipping costs it's way Cheeper than other feeds and I know my girls are getting what they need.
Many ranch diets are based on the same formula and I feel the way this formula was made is far beyond large company made feeds.
Some one actually went out studied the wild chinchillas diet, studied what our captive chins need and put it together... I love that.
I've had bad feedback from both muzuri and oxbox feeds, and to be honest I've never wanted to feed either(would have considered oxbow before the formula change)
I keep my feed individually packed and in the fridge... Never the freezer (due to the moisture issue)
I keep all my animal feed in the fridge but I'm lucky enough to have a animal fridge lol
The food yes we will judge the food based on what we know is not good for an animal.
I would like to add a responce to some thing brought up previously, Rokka likely goes through a 22.5lb bag so quickly not because they eat more of it due to nutritional concerns, but because a good portion of the weight would be made up of fruit and sticks...
Which obviously weight a bit and when added to pellets you would naturally go through it faster.
The nutritional value of the pellets themselves is questionable however the nutritional values being close to that of other feeds is a good thing tho I do question the credibility of any company which is selling a feed that contains other things.
And I have to question the nutritional values because I don't know if the nutritional value is on the feed as a whole or the pellets only...
Any way, no one is judging you personally Rokka this is just a feed discussion.
Chins cannot process the things in the feed you mentioned properly. Some recommended reading would be on hind gut fermenters.
All that aside.
I feed the Alderpark pellets, milled in BC and I have a full bag shipped to me.
Even with shipping costs it's way Cheeper than other feeds and I know my girls are getting what they need.
Many ranch diets are based on the same formula and I feel the way this formula was made is far beyond large company made feeds.
Some one actually went out studied the wild chinchillas diet, studied what our captive chins need and put it together... I love that.
I've had bad feedback from both muzuri and oxbox feeds, and to be honest I've never wanted to feed either(would have considered oxbow before the formula change)
I keep my feed individually packed and in the fridge... Never the freezer (due to the moisture issue)
I keep all my animal feed in the fridge but I'm lucky enough to have a animal fridge lol
Yeah what we feed is totally up to us, as are all the other decisions we make on behalf of our pets. The majority of us want what's best for the pets we choose to have, too, and since nutrition is such a vital part of keeping them healthy and happy and a small step in helping ensure they live as long and as well as possible, it is beneficial for them to welcome suggestions that might help you make improvements. Shutting down and getting defensive won't benefit your pets in any way at all.
Daina91880
Well-known member
When they shouldn't have any seeds or dried fruit, 10% of their feed is quite a lot. They aren't even supposed to have a lot of safe treats, so why give them something that could be harmful to them in such abundance?
Personally, I came to find this forum to educate myself and I'm glad I did. I have learned a lot about what is safe and healthy and what is not. If someone told me flat out that what I was feeding wasn't healthy for my chins, I would stop immediately. The fact that they cannot process sugar or fat that is in nut, seeds, fruits, etc should be enough to make you at least think that what you're feeding isn't the best. But, as you've stated, they are your pets and you have every right to feed them what you want, even if it could cause them health problems.
Personally, I came to find this forum to educate myself and I'm glad I did. I have learned a lot about what is safe and healthy and what is not. If someone told me flat out that what I was feeding wasn't healthy for my chins, I would stop immediately. The fact that they cannot process sugar or fat that is in nut, seeds, fruits, etc should be enough to make you at least think that what you're feeding isn't the best. But, as you've stated, they are your pets and you have every right to feed them what you want, even if it could cause them health problems.
Once again, thank you all for your input - it has been such a big help! I think I'll stick with Oxbow.. Seems to be a good option.
I feel so blessed to have found a forum like this with such great, and open-minded people! I have been on other forums for different purposes before (like the horse forums I'm a member of), and it seems as if NOBODY is open-minded, nor able to be constructively critiqued. -.-
So I seriously applaud all of you!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I feel so blessed to have found a forum like this with such great, and open-minded people! I have been on other forums for different purposes before (like the horse forums I'm a member of), and it seems as if NOBODY is open-minded, nor able to be constructively critiqued. -.-
So I seriously applaud all of you!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
