Thought I knew about my chins, but after reading here I think I need help!

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mishellyshel

mishellyshel

Chin Slave
Joined
Mar 16, 2009
Messages
4,633
Location
New Jersey
Okay so I have 2 boys. Richie I have had for 3 years and we just adopted Stich. They are currently in separate cages, as after trying to get them to be friends didnt work. Richie got stressed and I decided that the new cage we are building will have to have 2 separate sections.
But the real question is after reading how dried fruit & raisins are SO bad for my little guys, how do I wean them off?? I feel so uninformed for shopping at Petsmart!! Any suggestions? I do give them the rosehips and wood sticks & 1 shredded wheat square a day. I also give a peanut in the shell every other night. BUT I combine about 1 tablespoon of a mix of several store bought snack mixes every night into their mazuri pellets (Stich getting a combo of mazuri & what his previous owner was feeding). The mixes are usually those fruit/nut mixes by Browns. They also get fresh hay & hay cubes. And plenty of water. Any advice on the snack situation and how to wean them off the fruit mix?

Michelle
 
mishellyshel said:
Okay so I have 2 boys. Richie I have had for 3 years and we just adopted Stich. They are currently in separate cages, as after trying to get them to be friends didnt work. Richie got stressed and I decided that the new cage we are building will have to have 2 separate sections.
But the real question is after reading how dried fruit & raisins are SO bad for my little guys, how do I wean them off?? I feel so uninformed for shopping at Petsmart!! Any suggestions? I do give them the rosehips and wood sticks & 1 shredded wheat square a day. I also give a peanut in the shell every other night. BUT I combine about 1 tablespoon of a mix of several store bought snack mixes every night into their mazuri pellets (Stich getting a combo of mazuri & what his previous owner was feeding). The mixes are usually those fruit/nut mixes by Browns. They also get fresh hay & hay cubes. And plenty of water. Any advice on the snack situation and how to wean them off the fruit mix?

Michelle
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I would cut out all fruit, nuts and snack mixes completely. It's really not good for them. The Mazuri you are feeding is great...but it doesn't need anything added to it. Mazuri, hay and water is all they need.
 
You don't need to wean them, they will live just fine without all that junk. Stop the peanuts altogether, and just stick with rosehips, plain shredded wheat and unlimited apple or other wood. The rosehips and shredded wheat should be given much less than you do, one (either a rosehip or shreddie) every other day is about right. Never use any of that store bought crud. They will be fine without the treats, I promise! You can also use a pinch of old fashioned oats (not the quick cook kind) too, but in moderation! You really can kill a chin with those kinds of treats, so cold turkey quitting is your best bet.
 
Trying to wean chins off of treats is not an easy thing. Most people advise that you just stop giving them to them. Watch their poos, make sure they stay consistent and normal, make sure they are drinking normally. Add some acidophillus into their diets, make sure it's a very high billion count. You can get it in different forms and may have to experiment to to find the one that works best for you. Mine like the flavored tablets. I break them into quarters and give each chin a quarter.

General rule of thumb in this house - if a pet store says it's safe, it probably isn't.

The only things I will buy at a pet store (and only if I'm REALLY pressed) is bedding, Oxbow guinea pig pellets for the Emo brat, and if I'm on the road I'll grab a bag of Oxbow hay for convenience sake. Other than that, I don't buy from or support pet stores.
 
I completle agree with Tunes. Thats just alot of sugar qhich can lead to alsorts of nasty reaction in their gastro intestinal tract.

Treats should be a relative term. A pellet out of my hand is considered a treat to my chins. But I also give a sliver (about the size of the gap under my thumb nail) of fresh apple once a week. And toys, there are a bunch of links to member sites with things like loofah and other small toys they can toss and generally destroy. Mind stimulation is just as good if not better than something to eat.:pillowfight:

Welcome to the forum!!!
 
Wow, thanks for the quick response! I know my boys are going to be sad but I want them to be healthy! Thank you all. I am about to place an order with Forchinate Chins so I am on my way to better food options!

Michelle
 
Don't feel bad, Michelle--it's very frustrating to see all the unhealthy products that are specifically marketed for chins.

As far as why? Well, the fruits have a ton of concentrated sugar in them, and their kidneys cannot take process it, leading to kidney failure. Fruits and vegetables too especially can lead to bloat. The nuts have a great deal of fat in them that their livers cannot process, leading to fatty liver disease (I believe that's what it's called). It's too bad, because they love them so very much.
 
mishellyshel said:
Wow, thanks for the quick response! I know my boys are going to be sad but I want them to be healthy!
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They don't have to be sad. We cut raisins out of our chins diet and they hardly blinked. Now we offer old fashioned rolled oats a few times a week, or an apple stick, and they are just as excited!
 
I agree with what's been said.
No peanuts at all. Nuts have too much fat in them and can cause fatty liver.

And I would not give shredded wheats as often either. Even every other day is still a bit much in my opinion. The only reason for this, is that if your chin were to get runny poo, shredded wheat won't help clear it up because their system is used to the fiber from the shredded wheat.

Most chins think wood toys are treats, so giving those as much as you want is fine. A rose hip every once in a while and a small pinch of oats every once in a while are great too.

And many people also make chin safe cookies on here (myself included) which will have no sugar or other things in them that aren't safe.
 
You'll find many great alternatives for your boys in the Chin Supplies for Sale section of this forum. Also, there's quite a few forum members that sell great products (hanging toys, chews, toys, healthy yummy treats) that your boys won't even miss the raisins and whatnot.

Welcome to C n H!
 
I got a few samples of dried mango and dried bananas with no sugar added and use those as treats on a very sparse basis. (probably a bit more often now that my Pachuco can't run around because of his hurt foot, so I spoil him a bit, but not more than 1 small mango piece a day). But I was in your boat not 2 weeks ago. Raisins and everything. You are definitely in the right place, I learn so much each time I log on.
 
Mangos and bananas aren't much better than raisins. Dried or not. ALL fruits have sugar naturally. Stay away from the fruits. Cheerios are much better or some oats (not Quick) He will be just as happy.
 
This is all good advice and I just had to say another Michelle from Jersey...ok so I moved out to PA but I am orginally from the Shore. Welcome and don't worry this forum will steer you in the right direction.
 
Smiley1 said:
Mangos and bananas aren't much better than raisins. Dried or not. ALL fruits have sugar naturally. Stay away from the fruits. Cheerios are much better or some oats (not Quick) He will be just as happy.
Click to expand...

How about coconut?
 
Coconut is also full of sugar. You should cut out the fruit completely. Rosehips, a cheerio, or a bite size unfrosted shredded wheat are great and chins love them. You can also give them boiled and baked apple twigs (or any other wood on the safe wood list) which they love and look at like a treat.
 
I agree, no fruit, no nuts, nothing of that sort. You don't want things with sugar or fat in them. Chin's digestive systems are not made to digest those things. They're made for digesting fiber and dry grasses.
A small pinch of old fashioned oats, a small non-frosted shreddie, a regular cheerio, a rosehip, or even a couple dried hibiscus petals are all okay.
You'd be doing more harm than good by feeding any types of fruits
 
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