Chin Food
By little_momma
@little_momma (198)
United States
November 2, 2007 3:20pm CST
What kind of food does everyone use for their chinchilla and why? We used to feed ours Kaytee but it was only sold in smaller bags and when we added to our chin family we needed a bigger bag so we switched to mazuri and our chins love it. It also helps that we found a feed store that will sell us a 25lb bag for $11.
4 responses
@greenspider (31)
• United States
8 Mar 08
Hi, little_momma (72). I just recently joined MyLot. I couldn't have responded before now, but I wonder why no one has responded for 5 months. Anyway....
I no longer raise Chinchillas, but I love them and I do wish I had a few at this time. They are amazing pets !
For feed, I always made sure that my chin family had access to a supply of rabbit pellets, which are made of compressed hay. Chins like to gnaw on things (everything!), so I made sure they had a supply of field corn and pieces of scrap hardwood.
Grocery stores clean their veggies before displaying them and throw away the best parts, like outer cabbage and lettuce leaves, carrot tops and celery leaves. They will give you this scrap if you ask for it. I also raised rabbits, so I got a lot of veggie scrap and used it all.
Your chins DO love fresh greens, don't they? If you only feed them pellets you could give them a real treat by giving them fresh greens like I have mentioned above. All the greens you can use won't cost you more than a stop at your grocery to ask the manager for something he throws away every day.
@lotsofpuppies07 (39)
• United States
17 Apr 08
Hello, I work as a veterinary technician at a very busy mixed animal practice. When it comes to feeding chinchillas, Rabbit pellets should NOT be fed over a long period of time. The ingredients in rabbit pellets can cause liver damage. Which is one reason why they manufacture specific types of pellets. When feeding a chinchilla it is easier on their digestive system if they are fed only one brand of pellets at a time. Switching brands frequently or mixing them can upset their stomach and cause stomach cramping (colic) and diarrhea. If you want to switch brands it should be over a few days mixing bit by bit of the new food with the old. Doing this will allow their sensative digestive tract to become use to the new food. Also, chinchillas love treats especially raisins,apples,and carrots. They will normally eat as many as you are willing to give them. But becareful too many treats like raisins can lead to diarrhea, obesity, and even kidney or liver failure. Small bits of treats should only be given every few days. If you are feeding a good quality pellet food and allowing them to have access to fresh water and Timothy hay then supplements are not necessary.
@surveygirl190 (19)
• United States
3 Oct 11
Oddly enough there is one type of rabbit feed that works wonderfully for chins, I want to say it is purina, although I could be incorrect in that assumption. If you want to check go to chins-n-hedgies.com.
Personally I feed my 3 chinny girls oxbow, and it keeps them happy and their coats beautiful. I have heard that Mazuri is a wonderful feed, but have not used it myself. I have also heard that it can cause loose bowles with chins, have you seen anything of the sort?
@crazycee (3)
• United States
25 May 09
Well, ChiChi, my chinchilla, just turned 13 yrs old this month and she has lived on Alfalfa Hay, Charlie Chinchilla mix, Kaytee Fruit & Veggie for Chinchillas, Kaytee Forti-Diet Crunch with Dental Bites, a few pieces of dried mini pineapple bites and dried apple(not alot, these are only treats and are not good for chinchillas because they are really nothing but sugar), and 1 or 2 banana chips. Yes, I give her a little more than a teaspoon of this mixture and a whole lot of hay and fresh water everyday. Lots of excercise, love and attention! A lot of chinchilla owners or even vets might not agree with this diet, but, like I said, she is 13 yrs old, seems happy and is still running and jumping around like a youngster.
@otleymorgan (42)
•
10 Apr 08
I know you're in American, and I'm in the UK but I thought I'd reply.
The best food is to always give your chinchillas a good pellet (not mix as this promotes selective feeding resulting in not getting all the nutritional values of a good pellet) and good quality hay. We feed Duggins by one of the top breeders here in the UK. However I know theres a certain amount of protein between 15% - 20% (roughly) which will show if it's a good food for a chinchilla.
Fresh greens however...I would steer clear, in all 12 years we've had chinchillas we've never given them. However, I know people that do and it's very occasional as it could cause bad bloat or runny poos. But theres so many chinchilla treats available, I would just stick ones that say they are suitable on the packet because you can't go wrong then.
@Marie5656 (336)
• United States
23 Oct 08
I buy KayTee chinchilla pellets. I just have Trixie, so the bag lasts a long time. I also feed her a mix of Timothy hay and orchard blend hay.
I give her an occasional dried banana chip or a cheerio as a treat. She loves the wodden branch bite sticks also.
