Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: rainbowrotties on September 20, 2010, 04:13:08 PM
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I've notice contradictions before. What BRANDS of Chinchilla food AND rabbit food are safe, healthy and alright for chinchillas to eat. I've notice that rabbit feed seems to be cheaper but not sure if its ok for my chins to eat. My local pet stores don't buy alot of chin food because there isn't an abundace of chin owners in my area so they always seem to run out when I'm in most need of it.....but they always seem to have rabbit feed. Would it be ok for me to gradually switch them to a rabbit feed and if so WHAT should I get? I have 7 adults and two babies to care for and I need some advice. Thanks everyone
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I was doing research and i come across this. Hope it helps!
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100403220920AARQaND
I think the important thing is the protein level, too much of it can cause liver and other damage to chinchilla, so just watch out for the protein.
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So I've been checking into the local pet stores and I'm getting even more frustrated >:( ::tickedoff:: :flames: ......NONE of them carry ANY of the listed "good" chinchilla OR rabbit feeds!!!!! they sell alot of Kaytee for both but I'm not sure if that's a good one because it has a lot of colorful fillers (seeds and such). here are others that they carry:
Ecotrition
Healthy Select Natural Chinchilla Diet AND Rabbit Diet,
several differnet Kayee mixes for both ,
LM Animal Farms Bonanza Gourmet Diet Chinchilla Food AND Rabbit Food,
Sun Seed Sunscription Vita Prima Chinchilla Formula AND Rabbit Formula,
Supreme Pet Foods Charlie Chinchilla Dry Food,
ZuPreem Nature's Promise Premium Rabbit Food,
So my question is....will any of these work for my chinchillas? Are these good brands to use either rabbit or chinchilla? Does anyone know? I need help. Thanks
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I would stay away from pet store rabbit feed. Show rabbit feed is what is safe and you won't find that in the pet stores. There are many great online stores that sell chinchilla feed.
http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/supplies.html is a great one!
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I buy ahead on everything. The pet store where we find food and chewies is also the shopping place for a lady with dozens of chinchillas, so they frequesntly are OUT of ANYTHING I drove half an hour there to get ::) So, my best advice is...stock up! ::gossip::
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know ???
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So I've been checking into the local pet stores and I'm getting even more frustrated >:( ::tickedoff:: :flames: ......NONE of them carry ANY of the listed "good" chinchilla OR rabbit feeds!!!!! they sell alot of Kaytee for both but I'm not sure if that's a good one because it has a lot of colorful fillers (seeds and such). here are others that they carry:
Ecotrition
Healthy Select Natural Chinchilla Diet AND Rabbit Diet,
several differnet Kayee mixes for both ,
LM Animal Farms Bonanza Gourmet Diet Chinchilla Food AND Rabbit Food,
Sun Seed Sunscription Vita Prima Chinchilla Formula AND Rabbit Formula,
Supreme Pet Foods Charlie Chinchilla Dry Food,
ZuPreem Nature's Promise Premium Rabbit Food,
So my question is....will any of these work for my chinchillas? Are these good brands to use either rabbit or chinchilla? Does anyone know? I need help. Thanks
all bad..
i j ust copied this from my site ... being lazy...
You should supply your chinchilla a diet that is made of a good nutritious pellet and hay. Most pet stores do not carry nutritional pellets, so you might need to do some research on where to get your food from. Some examples of unhealthy pet store chinchilla pellets are: Kaytee Fiesta, Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Chinchilla Food, Supreme Charlie Chinchilla, Sun Seed, FM Browns Nutrition Plus and Vita-Vittles Chinchilla Diet. Pet stores also do not carry very many chinchilla safe treats {see list below}. Some names of safe nutritious chinchillas foods which you can buy off the internet from many breeders are: Tradition Chinchilla Food, Mazuri Chinchilla Food, Oxbow, PANR, Kline Diet, Nutrena, Manna Pro and APD. You may be able to find Oxbow at Petsmart or Pet Supplies Plus, or Mazuri at a local feed store. Chinchillas do not over eat. The rule of thumb is about two tablespoons of pellets per day. If the dish is empty in the morning, please add more; chinchillas will not overeat. Timothy hay is their base hay which should be available to eat at all times. Make sure the hay is not moldy, wet, or filled with weeds. Some other safe hays/grass are Brome, Oat, Botanical, Orchard, and Meadow. I suggest adding some of these other hays/grass in a few times a week because their teeth are always growing. Since each hay has a different texture, each hay must be chewed differently. This helps wear all of the surfaces of the chinchilla's back teeth down so no teeth spurs develop.
some rabbits foods are safe.. the ones i have on this list are safe.. please do not just use any rabbit food for your chin. and i always feel like i left something out.. so sorry if someone pops in with something i did leave out.
most of these foods i do carry on my site..
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my biggest issue is the cost of shipping, I'm working on a very limited budget right now do mainly from the economy here in Michigan but also because I went from having 4 jobs between my fiance and I to only having 2 and neither are the higher paying ones. We are working out our finances. So buying off the internet is ok but the shipping charges are what get me! I need something local that I can purchase and pick up or shipping will be cheaper because it's only going a very short distance. Is there anyone in MI that sells online or I can go to an purchase from? I'm also looking for a large amount of dust, I can only get small containers from the pet stores and with even just 6 chins I seem to go through quite a bit.