Supplements/Hay

[HermesMama]

Hi all!

I wanted to ask in your opinion, what are the best vitamins/supplements to give chinchillas? Are these necessary/how often? What have your experiences been?

Also, what are the healthiest/best options for treats and herbs?

I want to make my chinchilla's diet as healthy and enriched as possible (and am willing to spend the money to do so) but I also don't want to overload his digestive system with too much stuff.

I have a big question about hay. I had read that first cut timothy hay is the most nutritional, so that is also what I bought. I also bought orchard grass hay to mix in for some variety. However, he is not a huge hay eater, unless it is the cubes…which he likes to munch on. His poops have been a little on the soft side since I got him about a month ago (even though I changed his food over slowly)… and I have been hoping to get him to eat more hay to maybe firm them up… would it be better to try a 2nd or 3rd cut timothy hay? I have heard 3rd is much less nutritional and also hard to find a good quality. Please advise!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Brittneyk13]

Supplements/vitamins aren't necessary to give a chinchilla but I give my girl a herb mixture made by fuzzies kingdom to give her diet interesting. Here is the link. http://www.fuzzieskingdom.com/herbs/treats/organic-supplement.html
She can be a picky hay eater as well but when I sprinkle this supplement on it she goes crazy and eats almost all of it. I also buy the hay off that same website whenever it's available. It's a great variety of hays and my chin LOVES it.
I also buy hay by either oxbow or American pet diner. first cut hay is more coarse and has more stems. It also has the most fiber out of all the hay types (I believe). I try to mix up the hay types especially since my chinchilla prefers 3rd cut hay to 1st cut. (3rd cut is a lot more softer and leafy but it is harder to find good quality).
As for the hay cubes they are definitely okay to give but I don't think they are as good for wearing down their teeth like loose strand hay. I would definitely give the supplement a try and see if that makes your chinchilla more interested in eating the hay
Hope this helped!

 

[Amethyst]

For the most part the best hay is whatever your chin will eat, cubes are just as good, but loose offers enrichment too (most chins like to play with it). I remember from previous threads your chin is young, you don't want to add anything in addition to the pellets and hay until the chin is full grown, so no treats, herb mixes or otherwise until then. Once the chin is old enough though these herb mixes are great, as well as rosehips, cheerios, shredded wheat, and old fashion oats.

What kind of pellets are you feeding? Mazuri for example has been known to cause loose poop issues for some chins. Also chins need to eat hay, it should be about 75% of the diet, the pellets are more like a supplement to the hay to give the chin added nutrients, so it's important to find a hay the chin will eat. A mix of hay is a good way to encourage eating more hay, and each type wears down teeth differently. Any grass hay is good, timothy is just the most common as it's the most well balanced fiber to nutrition, but bluegrass, meadow, orchard, mountain, oat, stuff like that are all good. You can also mix in alfalfa hay as well, a growing chin can use the extra calcium and protein found in that too, most chins love alfalfa too (which is probably why most pellets are alfalfa based) so it might help increase hay consumption.

 

[chingo66]

In regards to hay, here's an article that describes some of the different types and cuts: http://smallpetselect.com/blog/what-types-of-hay-should-i-order-for-my-small-pet

Also, figuring out how much your chin needs to is something important obviously....
"The following can be times when your pet might require extra calories in his or her diet, in which case you’d be likely to feed alfalfa hay.
During those all-important growth months. Chinchilla kits, exactly the same as human babies, use an incredible number of calories during growth. Alfalfa hay should be fed during this time.
Pregnant and nursing mothers. Once again, this time of a chinchilla’s life is a time of massive increased energy need. Not only for the mother, but for the new life growing inside her and to produce the necessary milk to feed her young once they’re born.
Sick, rehabilitating or recovering chinchillas. Illness or injury gives an animal a much increased need for energy. The extra protein and calories contained in alfalfa hay will help his body during this vital recovery period.
Geriatric chinchillas. In the same manner as some humans, sometimes older chinchillas have an issue with keeping weight on. They might also have a reduced appetite during the winter of their years, so feeding alfalfa hay with higher energy can help to counteract these issues.
High energy chinchillas. Every chin has his or her own personality, and that extends into how much energy they expend on a daily basis. Some never seem to stop bouncing around; others are far more comfortable spending extra hours snoozing. For those that are hyper, and therefore burning up more calories, it might be necessary to feed alfalfa hay at certain points throughout the week or even on a daily basis."

I get my chin her hay from that site and then just supplement her diet with treats. Treats should be the size of the pad of your thumb... One treat per day.
Keep them relatively high fiber & low fat, limit wet fruits because this may cause diarrhea.
Since nuts are high in fat give very seldom or not at all.