is it ok to give my 9 month old vitamins and supplements just to maintain health

[chancesmomma]

I have been giving Chance vitamin c which he seems to love and and I recently read that young chins teeth can change color, so I was wondering about getting him arkvis which is a vitamin and mineral supplement which contains calcium and it would be good for his teeth as well.... so I was wondering if anyone has used it before and where I can find it, and if it is a good idea to give him......I feed him oxbow food pellets and timothy hay, also from oxbow, and I give a dandelion yogurt drop once a day with a vitamin c. It has been almost a month that I've been giving him the vitamin c. If anyone has an other recommendations i would greatly appreciate that.:chin4::chin5:

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Chinchillas don't need to be given supplements unless they are ill or recovering from an illness. Oxbow pellets and timothy hay are just perfect. Also, excess calcium can lead to bladder and kidney stones in chins. The most important thing for healthy chin teeth is that they are eating lots of hay and have things to chew on to wear their teeth down, as they are every-growing.

 

[chancesmomma]

Should I not give him the vitamin c anymore, I started giving it to him cause he kept getting eye irritations and a friend of mine that works at a pet store and is pretty up to date with critter knowledge suggested I gave him vitamin c to help clear the eye and it worked and to give him a dust bath once a week instead of every two to three days....its been about as month and we haven't had any eye issues.....he also has plenty of wood toys and his wood house which he loves to chew on along with a cardboard chewbular tube and some pumice stone things, but I just noticed the lighter color of his teeth now they where a little brighter yellowish orange before the vitamin c, and now they are slightly lighter.

 

[Bovril]

Dairy should also be avoided because chins can't digest it. I know that you can buy yogurt drops with chins on the packaging at pet stores, but a seriously scary amount of items at pet stores "for chins" actually aren't safe for them at all. A lot of people on here sell great chin-safe treats if you check the classified section!

 

[saphire]

Bovril the yogurt drops are not a healthy treat... If you want anything that is healthy for your animal, look for the stores. An excellent treat for them is rosehips and apple, pear, etc twigs. They go crazy.

Chancemomma, you do not want white teeth for your chinchilla... you want them as orange as possible. Since they are now lightening up, you can give him some alfalfa hay daily for a week and then turn it down to once a week.

As Basket mentionned, Oxbow feed, hay and chin safe woods and chews are all he needs.

Personnally, the only other product I give my chins is Lifeline twice a week. Here is the link if you would like to read up on it. http://www.chocolatechinchillas.com/id6.html

Keep it simple!!

Good luck!

 

[ticklechin]

There is only anecdotal evidence that Vit c is beneficial to chinchillas, you can use it since excess is excreted.

 

[becky12883]

Orange teeth are healthy teeth for chins, you do not want white teeth. As was already said, no dairy, and supplements aren't really necessary. Good quality pellets and hay, which you already have, and water are all chins need nutritionally. Pets store products are not usually good for chins, even if there is one on the package. For treats no nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, dairy, or meat. There are many many threads about what some healthy treats are. Apple wood sticks, rolled oats, rosehips, shredded wheat, and plain cheerios.

 

[Bovril]

Saphire, I think you misunderstood me; I was saying that even though they sell yogurt drops marketed to chinchillas, that doesn't mean they're good for them, and to avoid dairy. Sorry!

 

[Zoaea]

I bought those dandelion yogurt drops once, they gave my girl bad gas. You sometimes tell if they have painful gas by when they lay on their side while awake and if you touch their tummy they will guard it or even squeak. Also, instead if pills or supplements I would find a chin safe treat/herb with via c, that way they get a more natural form of it. Rosehips that are fresh have good via c content and chins go nuts for them (so treat and vitamin in one package)! (Ref: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins

Alfalfa hay was a good tip for healthy orange teeth, just make sure you follow the recommendation for cutting down on it over time too.

Have fun, sounds like you love your chinny and are on top of finding the best ways to care for him! =)