Where did this "fact" come from?

[Claire D]

Lately we've been having a discussion on a UK forum about hand rearing kits and the "fact" that chinchilla are lactose intolerant was raised.
Since many of us in the UK use the traditional evaporated milk formula with great success, we've been trying to find out where the lactose intolerant statement comes from. We can't find it!
The discussion is really interesting and has got some of us searching out lots of things in an effort to find out more.

Anyone know where it comes from? :thinking:

 

[ABBY W.]

I have never heard that. I use kitten milk replacer when I have to hand-feed kits. No problems here.

 

[Ash]

Kitten milk replacer is not suitable for chins. Kittens are carnivores. Chins are not. It doesn't have the proper nutrients. You might be getting the kits to survive, but they're not getting as much of the nutrients as they need.

I've never heard chins were lactose intolerant, but I believe the goat's milk formula more closely relates to chin milk.

 

[tunes]

Lots of people use the Carnation milk instead of the goat's milk. I was always told though that the goat's milk more resembled mother's milk and was more easily digested in kits than the Carnation, so I use that. Spoof provided a link to a milk study, and I stickied it. Did you see that Claire?

 

[Riven]

I've never heard that either.

 

[Spoof]

I have heard this but not in relation to kits. Lactose intolerant generally describes an adult of a species that can not digest the proteins in milk. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case with adult chinchillas.

Baby mammals drink milk, chinchillas are mammals.

 

[starleomach]

a lot of adults of species are lactose intollerant. but as babies you are not it is evolutionary. Humans from areas that do not regulary drink milk or use milk products have been seen to be lactose intollerant.

 

[Claire D]

Spoof provided a link to a milk study, and I stickied it. Did you see that Claire?

Yes I did thanks - it is an interesting read.

Thank you for all your comments so far - looks like chins being lactose intolerant might be one of those "facts" that is not based on anything other than guesswork. :huh:

No-one here has yet come up with anything written about chins being lactose intolerant and no-one on the UK forum seems to have been able to find anything either. :thinking:

 

[menagerie]

Does anyone have a study on goat and cows milk similar to the one for chin milk?

 

[Silverrose]

I have one that discusses milk fat. I will try to find a more complete study.

 

[tunes]

Here's one on goat's milk. Not as in depth I don't think as what Tara posted:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/94/2

And here's an in depth one, but it's specific to a certain kind of goat I'm not even sure we have here in the US:
http://www.aspajournal.it/abstact/04_2005/08_Todaro.pdf

Here's one on cow's milk, but I don't think it really is the same type of thing: http://www.cazv.cz/2003/CJFS4_03/1-JANKOVSKA.pdf

I'll keep looking.

 

[ABBY W.]

I have heard of people using goat's milk, but I remember hearing that cow's milk is too fatty. I have also been told that goat's milk should be cut with water. Is this a good idea, or can a kit take straight goat's milk? I have found that kits actually do very well on KMR with a tiny amount (1.4 of pea size drop into about 2 oz of forumla) and a little bit of baby rice cereal. I have hand-fed several kits and have seen great results with this mixture.

 

[tunes]

1 can goats milk
1 can water
1 teaspoon baby rice cereal

 

[DaphnesandFreddysmom]

where do you get goats milk? is it evaporated of is it fresh like cow's milk? if someone had to look for it where should they look?

 

[tunes]

I get mine at Wal-Mart. It's in the baking section, right next to the Carnation milk in a can.

I have heard of some people using fresh, but I would think you would waste more that way. This way you mix it up, freeze it, and only take out what you need.

 

[chinsNdobermans]

I use fresh goat's milk when I can get it but there is a lot of waste that way. I just feel like the kits like it more but that's probably just my imagination!

 

[lilchinchilla]

I get fresh goat's milk in the dairy section next to the soya and other types of milk. I buy it in the 1 liter and for the price, it is so inexpensive that it isn't truly a waste, imo. Totally worth it if it helps the kit who needs handfeeding.

 

[Randy-Chin]

If I need goat milk I get it at my health store (The Outpost) it is organic.

So far I have not needed it for any kits. I feed my females that are expecting a organic and natural supplement. Once the kits are born I use another organic and natural supplement. So far all my females have had enought milk for all the kits born.