Pumpkin Seeds n high sugar diet induced Diabetic weight gain and health problems.

[RDZCRanch]

Since chinchillas are still considered to the domesticated pet world there IS a limited amount of credible scientific research available. While I agree that this article isn't a great example, I think we should be open to new ideas about chinchilla biology and husbandry. That's not to say I am going to run off and overhaul my animals' diets based on this research, but there's no harm in reading it for the purpose of further educating ourselves.

For the life of me, I can't understand why some people get so worked up about any new idea that is put out here. Just because someone tosses out a thought doesn't mean they are advocating anything that is harmful to chins, just they had a thought and wanted to share it with others. Isn't that what we're supposed to do here? I didn't read anything that indicated the OP was at all advocating this idea, or that he was planning on "experimenting" on his own chins. He just found a study he thought was interesting.

There is credible research that was paid for by the ranchers forty years ago on a chinchilla's dietary needs. Maybe forty years can be seen to others as "outdated" but I've met ranch chins in their late twenties and I even saw a couple 15 year old girls from Ralph Shoots ranch that were still in breeding and getting along just fine. To me, that proves forty year old research and means we DON'T need knew homeopathic remedies.

What you're neglecting to think of, Eric, is that when you feed anything for ONE benefit, you are neglecting all other parts of that fruit, nut, seed, plant, etc. While pumpkin seeds may have one enzyme or whatever inside that could help a healing process, there are other enzymes, proteins, fats, and what-have-you that could cause serious harm in the long term. If the benefits do not outweigh the costs there is no point in "pondering" it's possibilities. The drugs we have available for our use in people and animals are ALL derived from naturally occurring substances like plants. They're just specific to the actual molecules from the plant that are beneficial.

 

[Eric4144]

I agree to some extent rdz but research is now showing that in some cases like the isolated molecules in bettacarotene actually increase cancer cell growth but while kept in their natural form discourage it. It is shown that its a combination of these molecules that as of yet science does not understand that is needed. Also chins are adapted to consume some seeds and even fruits though ive not seen research to indicate how much or the nutritional quality of such seeds or fruits. (i almost never offer even a tiny peice of dried fruit though i do feed clipped oats occasionally) If its very balanced with the known nutritional dietary needs of a chin and amounts are proprtional to size I cant help but to be currious as to if the benefits could be there with little to no risk of detriment to the animal. (Possible unknown allergies exct...) Im going to continue looking into this to see what I may find. In any case careful consideration is in order.

 

[ticklechin]

Chins are built for a low nutirtional diet, its why their digestive system is built for fiber and their teeth grow constantly-the diet in the wild has very little nutriton so they need to eat large amounts of food to stay alive, that diet is mostly fiber and very little nutrition, the teeth stay worn down and there is no problem with hypomotility. Why would you need to add nutrition to a animal that does not need it, is not built for it, is fed a balanced diet with just pellets and hay, the pet chin has problems with teeth and guts, both have alot to do with the other things that are fed beyond the basic diet, and these same pet chins do not have a problem wth much disease beyond that, so I guess my question to you Eric is what disease are you trying to fix with your research?

 

[RDZCRanch]

The composition of grass seeds is completely different than the fatty "seeds" we eat. Grass seeds have little fat and very little weight so they can float far and wide. I live in a high desert, there is VERY sparse vegetation and any fruit available does not have high sugar or water content. The main thing chinchillas survive on in the wild are grasses, roots, DRY vegetation (not vegetables or fruits or nuts), and the occasional seeds from those vegetations. The seeds are desert plant seeds, they expend very little energy being fatty, nutritious and large since they rely on wind to disperse them and not animal droppings.

To me, my animals are not lab rats/mice/chinchillas/guinea pigs or whatever else. I'll stick with tried and true methods that will guarantee my animals long healthy lives (except in the case of freak accidents like a lung aneurysm which you can't control or "fix" with anything). They're health, happiness and comfort come above all else for me. This is best achieved by a good pellet diet with hay for added fiber and roughage, filtered water, clean cages, and wood chews that are properly processed. This is honestly why most of my babies stay here, there are few pet people I would trust with the lives of my chinchillas since treats and other "interesting" things are always being added to their diets or "contemplated". I'd rather my chins live there lives out here not as "spoiled" but healthy and not suffering from a painful case of bloat or GI Stasis. Heck, I cry when I get gas...I hate to think of any of my chins getting gas! I've seen the damage bloat does to the intestinal tract, it is not pretty. I've seen the damage fat can do to a chinchilla's liver...also NOT pretty.

It just absolutely stuns me that people's years of experience with chinchillas and other studies (published or not) can be completely ignored or put down because ONE other study MAY...POSSIBLY show some health benefits for an animal that is very distantly related to chinchillas. Honestly, you say you aren't going to do it and you aren't advocating giving chins pumpkin seeds, but you make it sound like you REALLY want to try it in all of your posts. That it's just going to be some great idea that's going to cause a massive break through. I could go back and quote every sentence that leads to this feeling for me, but frankly, I have a life and don't have the time to babysit this thread. I hope you don't give your chin pumpkin seeds and I hope he/she does live longer for you...but with the way your posts on nutrition keep going, I'm not holding my breath.