Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: slinky123 on January 05, 2015, 07:52:29 PM
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So being a new owner and such I have decided to ask all of you what sort of diets do you have yours on! Any supplements? I'd love to hear how some of you more professionals treat your chins!
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My chin's diet is dead simple. Oxbow pellets and loose timothy hay. On rare occasions a fingernail sized piece of dried mango.
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No vitamins or suppliments at all?
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Nope. I advise against using vitamins or supplements unless there's a good reason for them. The only ones I consider proven safe are vitamin C and calcium. Calcium should only be given to pregnant and nursing chinchillas you are breeding and only in safe amounts.
I'm sure you'll find other opinions here as well but the minimalist approach works and is safe. If you do decide to supplement with anything else it is imperative you know what you are doing. Chinchillas have very sensitive digestive systems and also need what is best to keep their teeth trimmed.
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My chin is on a basic diet of pellets (1/3 Mazuri & 2/3 Manna Pro) and hay (2/3 timothy and 1/3 orchard hay) - free fed all day. Each week I offer them some alfalfa, which stimulate their appetite and once a month I offer 2-3 teaspoons of an oat-based supplement, which has encouraged their overall appetite. Not so much on other types of supplements unless medically necessary. I have a blog entry about my diet here if you are interested - http://lychinchillas.com/2014/11/12/the-ly-chinchillas-diet/ and happy learning! This forum is a great resource for all new and existing chin owners.