Soy Bean shavings - Input wanted.

[saphire]

I have been approched by a man that was tired of the smell of his little hamster and found a way to improve it significantly.

He is producing shavings made of the Soy Bean plant stems which is dried up than shredded and siffted to remove any dust. It apparently keeps odors for approx 3+ weeks for hamsters. The animal stays dry while the urine goes down. Unlike the wood shavings, there is no chemical reaction that emphasis the ammonia smell of the urine.

The shavings has a nest like comfort that does not compact, it is more of a shaving that springs back up. Keeps the animal dry.

I forgot to ask if it is cleaner as far as flying on the floor. LOL.

My question is, would you be tempted to try it or not and why.

This is not a debate, I am only wanting each person that replies to give me their own view.

So please lets keep it at that.

Thank you

 

[ChinnyMom]

this sound very interesting. do you have any links or more info on these soy shavings?

 

[ticklechin]

Soybeans and soybean vines are on the unsafe list for rabbits due to the lectins, IMO I would not use if the chin could get to it.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I'm happy with my shavings so I wouldn't be interested, but it sounds like an interesting bedding.

I've used feeds that have soybean meal in them and my chins did very well on the feed for multiple years. I'm not sure I would consider everything unsafe for rabbits or birds to cross species and also be unsafe for chinchillas.

 

[saphire]

Chinnymom, I will be getting more info from him when we meet with him. I have not seen the product, I do want to get more info. and feedback from his present customers.
I am interested in hearing the thoughts of everyone on this.

 

[jags]

I would be interested in more info and a sample if possible of the product.

 

[saphire]

I will get it for you Jags. I will bring you a sample at Nationals.

 

[GorillaJTA]

I grew up farming soybeans, and soybean stalks tend to have a texture tougher than stalky hay. I just remember how much they would irritate my hands when I handled it.

 

[ticklechin]

I know chins ain't rabbits, but this IMO is worth posting for breeders. Take it for what its worth.

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/42/4/487.full.pdf

 

[jags]

A little info I found states that Soybean Hay has a reputation as being a superior, high protein, emergency hay crop, but harvesting soybeans for hay is generally not recommended because drying time is increased relative to silage harvest, increasing the likelihood of rain damage. Leaf loss is also increased so that crude protein of the harvested forage is reduced. Additionally, soybean hay is often dusty and the stems are very brittle increasing feed bunk refusal. The latter can be reduced by good conditioning at mowing. Soybeans should be harvested at earlier stages for hay than for silage.
Also, there is a high risk of contamination with Blister beetles. Adult beetles feed on soybean foliage and leave only the main veins behind. Blister beetles contain an oily, caustic substance in their body fluids called cantharidin that helps protect them from natural enemies. Cantharidin is toxic and can severely injure livestock, particularly horses, when beetles are ingested with the hay. In fact, the beetle itself does not have to be ingested; hay contaminated with the body fluid of crushed beetles can be equally dangerous. The chemical irritates the stomach lining, small intestine, bladder, and urinary tract and reduces the calcium level in the blood. Horses that have ingested cantharidin may exhibit signs of colic, including excessive salivation, sweating, cramps, and urinary straining; a fatal dose will include fever, depression, shock, and death. Alfalfa hay, beet, eggplant, potato, soybean, sugar beet, and tomato's can also get blister beetles. The blister beetle genus Epicauta is highly toxic to horses. A few beetles consumed in a single feeding of alfalfa hay may be lethal. Like most things you just do not know without someone having done trials with it. Could the Blister beetles have been the problem with the study Dawn posted or maybe just the overall amount of soybean hay in their diet may have caused the problems? Would the chins eat enough of it used as a bedding to matter when properly fed a good diet, I do not know. I am not an expert but I will put some time into seeing what others have found as to if it could be a usable product. Then again I know nothing about its price so maybe it would not be worth the possible risks for the benefit's it could give.

 

[saphire]

I will get some and take pictures, give you the info on the feel of it, the prices and more detailes information on the process of the product. I plan on going to his place and see how it works.

I am very curious about this product and will also be chatting with some of his customers. Get the feed back from them as to how long they have been using it, it's longivity odor wise, have they noticed any difference in the health, litters etc.

 

[saphire]

Thank you everyone for your input.

Just wanting to add this to clarify.


I just want to make sure we are all on the same page for my asking the question on this product.

1 - tell people that I have been approched by someone with a different product.

2 - explained the little that I know what it is.

3 - gave an idea of how he tested it on his animals to show that after a week when you clean your animal will not be in a smelly cage.

4 - My question was simple. Would you use it yes or no and why. Who better to ask other than my chinchillas family.

This actually should be something everyone should embrace, information that is handed to you.

My objective with this question is::: Bring information and concerns back to him. He can then choose what to do with it all.
I also want to learn of the full process of his this product. So I have a good idea of it if any of my customers come to talk to me of it in the futur.
I believe getting both sides is enriching wether it is good or bad.

I am sharing this because someone wrote me saying they know I may want to use this product etc. Which I thought was interesting and somewhat disppointing and thought wrong.

I want to put it out there to everyone. If this product was safe for my animals I would, I emphazises on the following. I DON'T put my animals at risk for any reason wether they are my pets or breeders or rescues. I have a resputation and I intend on keeping it.!!

Thank again everyone.

 

[Claire D]

I would not use them for a number of reasons, including the GM issues. I certainly wouldn't want my chins ingesting soybean shavings.
A search of the internet shows a good number of studies which are worth a read.
A couple of examples:
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/article-gmo-soy-linked-to-sterility

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes

http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/2/9/2289/

*shrugs*

I'm happy cleaning my chins out once a week and I'm going to be honest and say that owners of any animal should be cleaning them out as and when required, rather than looking for a solution which promotes leaving an animal in their own mess.......

 

[ticklechin]

Sounds like this guy approached you for a business opportunity to sell these shavings?

 

[addictedtochins]

It apparently keeps odors for approx 3+ weeks for hamsters. The animal stays dry while the urine goes down.

It seems that it's big selling point is that it smells good for three weeks or more and reduces odor. Who cares? I would never keep a cage that dirty and full of poo. I use grass hay myself in their litter boxes

 

[Spoof]

I would not use it because:

I am happy with the products I am using: pine pellets and Sweet PDZ.

I don't trust soybeans. I know there is a lot of research for and against but I don't like that they are everywhere and in everything.

You can get a similar effect with beet pulp. Fill your cage with the pellets or shreds and you won't smell a thing for several weeks.

The reason I clean weekly is for the poo quantity not the smell. Some ranchers will bed deep and go a month. I don't like to do that.

Few pet owners realize that the smell they are getting from their hamsters/gp's isn't really the rodent but the phenol that is released from the pine when ammonia hits it. Therefore anything you use that isn't pine is going to get rid of that odor.

When I just had Doughboy for a year by himself I used Purina Show for bedding. Why not? $12 per 50lb bag back then, never smelt a thing. My roommates even commented on how they were surprised he didn't smell.

 

[saphire]

Sounds like this guy approached you for a business opportunity to sell these shavings?

For sure he sees me as an opportunity to get his product out. But before doing that, I must be convinced this is something I want to endorse.

Not knowing much about Soybean, I started some research on the net, wanted more in a very short time and wanted to know if people would use it. Doing a poll and getting views from this community is fast and a plus.

I am bringing it all back to him, showing him the reasons why I will not endorse it.

What he chooses to do with all of it will belong to him.
If others choose to use it, that also belongs to them.
I just know my name is not on it.

Thank you all again for your input and to everyone that has answered the poll. It is quite revealling.

Admin, this thread can now be closed.