Food - The Great Debate.

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Mady

Alfred's Mommy
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
31
Location
Indiana
What do you feed your chin? I'm currently feeding Oxbow from my local Petsmart. I've heard really good things about Mazuri, though. Which do you prefer? If any of you have fed both kinds of pellets to your babies, which one do you like better and why? OR if you feed a completely different brand, what is it and why do you like it best?
Thanks, guys! I appreciate the help. :)
 
If Oxbow wasn't so expensive, I would keep getting it hands down. However, with 7 chins, it adds up quickly. It is also in many pet stores and becoming more and more easy to find. On the other hand, Mazuri has been discontinued from some stores so it is getting harder to find. I and many others have had issues with Mazuri. It is known to cause diarrhea in some chins for no reason that clears up when feed is switched to a different brand. On the flip side, there are some people that have great results with it and never experience the diarrhea problem with their chins.

I personally feed Tradition. With as many chins I have, it is more cost effective and it is also a great feed. I buy a 50# bag for ~$20 from a local feed store. There are members on here who sell it as well.

Other good ones are high quality rabbit pellets, such as Nutrena Naturewise and Manna Pro Sho.
 
I use Browns nutrition plus. I buy a 22.5lb bag. It last a little over a month. It cost $38. I don't mind the cost as long as my chins get good nutrition. I have 4 chins. :) I keep it in the freezer to keep it fresh.

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I feed oxbox since I am able to get it local now even the big chain pet stores are selling it....I only have one chin so the cost is not considerable even if I add another chin one day when I am ready I will use oxbow good food and easily available I used to use mazuri no problems but they stopped carrying it and only had a tiny bag so thats why I switched
 
In the past I've fed Mazuri and never once had a problem with it. Local feeds stores are by far the way to go when buying feed, and I've found if they don't have it in stock they can generally order whatever you like if you ask them to special order it. Currently though I feed Purina Rabbit Chow Show, and it is $18.95 for a 50 lb bag. I really like it and don't think I'll ever be switching back. The smaller pellets are easier for them to eat and all my chins have been gaining weight while on it. I think its easier for kits to eat as well, all my kits since I've started using it have been over 300 grams at 10 weeks of age.
 
I use Browns nutrition plus. I buy a 22.5lb bag. It last a little over a month. It cost $38. I don't mind the cost as long as my chins get good nutrition. I have 4 chins. :) I keep it in the freezer to keep it fresh.

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pellets shouldn't be stored in the freezer. when they are taken out of the freezer, condensation happens inside the container/bag and the pellets could be prone to mold. an airtight container in a dry and cool location is best for storage. right in your chin room is perfect conditions for storing feed, due to the low humidity and coolness from the a/c.

this Brown's nutrition plus, what is the nutritional analysis and the ingredients? seems like 22.5 pounds in a month is a lot of pellets for three chins to be going through, and the nutrition in the pellets may be low, hence the large amount of pellets they are eating. my two chins go through a 5 lb bag of oxbow pellets much slower than that. i usually have to buy pellets once a month at most if i get the 5 lb bag, and my boys much prefer their pellets over hay.
 
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Here is the label for the Browns Nutrition Plus ..seeing you asked what's in it. I have fed my chins this for 8 years now and they are healthy as can be besides my new one have a sore foot. I have also always stored the pellets in the freezer. Maybe i buy bags further between. I don't honestly keep track. I just buy a new bag when I'm low.

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I feed Purina Rabbit Chow Show - can't beat the price for 50lbs for less than $20. I have fed Oxbow in the past, but the price difference was just too much not to switch. All my chins gained weight when I switched to PRCS, so I'm happy with it.
 
i'm finding it very hard to read that label due to glare and photo size. could you please type out the ingredients and the analysis? thanks.
 
IMO I agree with Chinnymom and I would not store pellets in the freezer either. Based on the ingredients label Rockka's posted, I would not recommend this feed for chinchillas due to it containing sunflower seeds, vegetables and fruits.

FM Brown's Nutrition Plus Chinchilla Food - Ingredients:
Alfalfa Meal, Oats, Soybean Meal, Wheat Middlings, Wheat Bran, Molasses, Whey, Wheat Germ Meal, Sunflower Seeds, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Split Green Peas, Lentils, Dehydrated Apples, Raisins, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Copper Oxide, Iron Sulfate, Iron Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Acetate w/ improved Stability, Vitamin D, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, D-Pantothenic Acid, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride and Artificial Colors Added.


ETA: I used to feed my boys Oxbow but I had the same reasons for switching them to Tradition that Stacie had.
 
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Do any of you feed your chinchilla no salt sunflower seed and dried fruit? I think just about every chin owner does. It has more pellets than the *treats* you think are in it. As far as storing it in the freezer that is so it stays fresh and doesn't dry out and lose it's nutritional value. You don't have to agree with how I take care of my animals. My vet is perfectly fine with what I feed my chinnies. :)

Just curious! How long do you keep your chinchilla food laying around that your afraid mold is going to grow on it? I know I use what I take out of the freezer with in a weeks time. Could mold if I lived in a moist hot house I guess but then I wouldn't have chinchillas would I?

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I am feeding a half half mix of oxbow and mazuri, reason being that my girls came with mazuri and I have heard great thins about it, didn't want to switch them over too quickly, one time I gave a piece of mazuri to my boys and they took it like a treat and kept asking for more, since then I have been adding a bit of into their oxbow.

My girls seemed to like oxbow more than their mazuri too.
But while I was reading the ingredients on mazuri and oxbow, mazuri seemed to be lacking some vitamins that oxbow had.

Is it bad to feed then half half mix? Or is it ok that I continue.
They were both eating their feed fine before, but they seem to be eating more after the half half switch.
 
Thank you so much to all of you for your wonderful input! :) It's good to know that I'm not the only one concerned about my chins nutrition. Since cost isn't an issue, I think I will continue my journey with Oxbow; Alfred really seems to enjoy it. He's not quite full grown, so I'm curious to see if that should affect how much of it I feed him?
Thanks again to all of you for your time and input!
 
Do any of you feed your chinchilla no salt sunflower seed and dried fruit? I think just about every chin owner does. It has more pellets than the *treats* you think are in it. As far as storing it in the freezer that is so it stays fresh and doesn't dry out and lose it's nutritional value. You don't have to agree with how I take care of my animals. My vet is perfectly fine with what I feed my chinnies. :)

Just curious! How long do you keep your chinchilla food laying around that your afraid mold is going to grow on it? I know I use what I take out of the freezer with in a weeks time. Could mold if I lived in a moist hot house I guess but then I wouldn't have chinchillas would I?

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Most chin owners strictly feed a pellet diet, like Oxbow or Mazuri, since sunflowers and dried fruit is bad for your chinnie. And not all vets are knowledgeable about the strict requirements for chins and assume they can be cared for like rodents, which is untrue. No raisins, fruits, seeds or veggies.

To the OP, I have fed mazuri in the past but when my local pet store stopped carrying it, I switched to Oxbow. I was equally happy with both feeds.
 
My chins and I are happy with our food selection. The analysis on the brands that you folks are talking about are about the same as mine. The only difference is mine has 2% more moisture in it. My vet is very educated in chinnies. We talked about all foods and chin needs and what treats we give and what treats we don't. I'm sorry my food selection bothers you folks but honestly I'm not changing it for you. Also I have seen how the quality of the food helps animals. All my small friends eat browns.

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we are not asking you to change it for us, we are simply stating that your food selection is not the best. it is your decision to feed your pets what you want, we are just informing you that the feed you have chosen contains things that it should not, and is not the highest quality.
 
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