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Q & A / Food hay and other needs, advise needed
« on: December 20, 2016, 01:59:47 PM »
I have recently rescued 3 boys and 2 pregnant girls, and am a first time owner so want to do right by them. Gotten wonderfull help here already about caging for the girls, so now I want to ask about neutrition as reading online gives too many different answers.
Hay:
Lets start with hay. My local petstore sells mostly mountain meadow hay, whatever that means. Being the only thing available they have used it for a short while.
But today I finally found Timothy and Alfalfa at my vet clinic. So question is, should I only use those, never the ordinary hay? I read pregnant and nursing chillas need the alfa, should they have only that or combined? Should the boys have some combined with the timothy?
Wood:
Are apple sticks the only wood they should have? Are there any other safe woods I can find in the wild? (Norway, northern hemisphere so mostly same kinds as North America available) I only use bought apple wood at the moment.
Food:
They are picky eaters and shouldn't have foods where they can pick their favorites nor too many treats I read. I found a food that they really love, but fear it might be "too good" and only should be used as treats.
Their main food is a pellet mainly made of timothy, which sounds like might be the correct food to give them. I have two brands, first I find localy the other is harder for me to get
Treats:
But those sticks with seeds on them, though marked as chinchilla, I read they are wrong for them, don't give them at all. Is this true or can they have them just sparingly? Is it better not to?
I read there are few safe treats and all used sparingly, but healthier to give none at all, so I get worried. One of them had almonds with it when I got him, should they not have those either?
And what about this snack, dried dandelions as far as I understand:
And these are made of carrots and raisins, both I've heard negative things about:
This was sold as chinchilla snack, has yoghurt, milk and egg as well as seeds:
Stones:
The boys have a pink himalaya salt stone in their cage, so I wondered if maybe the girls needed that too, but semed more like it was wrong. Should it be removed?
The other boy had a small white disk that also seems might be some kind of salt, but not sure.
I found a big pink gnawing block that was suposedly for chinchillas. Might have been calsium or the like. Is this something they should have? Boys and girls both or only the pregnant ladies?
I also have general gnawing mineral stones for rodents, shaped like fruits. Good or bad?
I also have gnawing stones from the Andies for their teeth, but seems to only be for their gnawing habbits and ever growing teeth.
Other?
Is there anything else they need or thing I need to know about? All help is highly appreciated
If you have an opinion even on just one of these items I'd be happy to hear it =^_^=
Hay:
Lets start with hay. My local petstore sells mostly mountain meadow hay, whatever that means. Being the only thing available they have used it for a short while.
But today I finally found Timothy and Alfalfa at my vet clinic. So question is, should I only use those, never the ordinary hay? I read pregnant and nursing chillas need the alfa, should they have only that or combined? Should the boys have some combined with the timothy?
Wood:
Are apple sticks the only wood they should have? Are there any other safe woods I can find in the wild? (Norway, northern hemisphere so mostly same kinds as North America available) I only use bought apple wood at the moment.
Food:
They are picky eaters and shouldn't have foods where they can pick their favorites nor too many treats I read. I found a food that they really love, but fear it might be "too good" and only should be used as treats.
Their main food is a pellet mainly made of timothy, which sounds like might be the correct food to give them. I have two brands, first I find localy the other is harder for me to get
Treats:
But those sticks with seeds on them, though marked as chinchilla, I read they are wrong for them, don't give them at all. Is this true or can they have them just sparingly? Is it better not to?
I read there are few safe treats and all used sparingly, but healthier to give none at all, so I get worried. One of them had almonds with it when I got him, should they not have those either?
And what about this snack, dried dandelions as far as I understand:
And these are made of carrots and raisins, both I've heard negative things about:
This was sold as chinchilla snack, has yoghurt, milk and egg as well as seeds:
Stones:
The boys have a pink himalaya salt stone in their cage, so I wondered if maybe the girls needed that too, but semed more like it was wrong. Should it be removed?
The other boy had a small white disk that also seems might be some kind of salt, but not sure.
I found a big pink gnawing block that was suposedly for chinchillas. Might have been calsium or the like. Is this something they should have? Boys and girls both or only the pregnant ladies?
I also have general gnawing mineral stones for rodents, shaped like fruits. Good or bad?
I also have gnawing stones from the Andies for their teeth, but seems to only be for their gnawing habbits and ever growing teeth.
Other?
Is there anything else they need or thing I need to know about? All help is highly appreciated
If you have an opinion even on just one of these items I'd be happy to hear it =^_^=
