I see we have an overzealous enthusiastic new chin owner!
We laugh
with you,
not at you ... we have all been there before!
If you have seen very many of my post you will know I often mention this:
Manufactures do not take the time to do their research! They see that a chinchilla is in the rodent family and assumes any thing a rat can have a chinchilla can have. WRONG!!!
Manufactures create a product to appeal to the eyes and minds of the consumer ... not the animal that eats it, but the human that buys it. Many times this can become the downfall of the animal, especially when it comes to chinchillas.
I love the description they give for their "Natural Chinchilla Food" note how the different words appeal to
you that I have in bold print ... by the time you read it, you feel guilty if you don't buy it! Even the name sounds like a prescription from a doctor!
Sunscription Vita Chinchilla Food
Only the finest will do for your sunny-bright pet! This specially formulated mixture contains bananas, raisins, and hulled oats – foods that will vitamin-charge your chinchilla’s health. The freshness of these high-quality ingredients will provide your charming pet with the well-balanced diet and great taste he deserves!
Now, tell me which of the above ingredients grow in the chinchilla's natural habitat ... the Andes Mountains.
I send more letters to the different manufactures and raise more ceilings in pet stores than you can imagine.
They want to charge you high dollar for killing/injuring your chinchilla and/or making a wreck out of it's health.
Chinchillas are just like little children ... offer them a bowl of ice cream and a bowl of collard greens, give them the choice, and see which one they eat. When treats are mixed in with their pellets, they will eat the treats and leave the pellets. Don't be fooled thinking they will eat the pellets eventually ... they have even been known to refuse to eat until given the treats and/or have thrown the pellets to the floor of the cage or on your rug.
bananas are considered a treat ... dried bananas usually contain lots of preservatives ... I give mine a nibble or two of a fresh banana ... but ONLY as a TREAT!
raisins are considered a treat, a high sugar content treat
ground corn in pet food is not the same quality as the corn we eat, pet quality corn is not good for your chin, but fresh, steamed corn ( a corneal or two) is OK for your chin to eat
it has freeze dried peas and all sorts of interesting stuff in there...Herbs...flowers...berries...vegetables...grains...
I never like to see ingredients listed as a general description, I much prefer the exact ingredients be listed.
If you have a high quality chinchilla food, a good supply of hay and fresh water, this is all your chin needs ... anything else is extra and should be questioned.
Treats should be treated as treats ... rewards for something special they do or as a training tool.
Question, do they list the mill date of the products? OR the expiration date? Or no date? I noticed they use the word fresh in their description.
Jo Ann
P.S. Thank-you for bringing this to light ... so many people do not want to admit their 'learning mistakes' leaving many more to do the same. Each time a mistake or wrong thing is brought out into the light many more people do not make the same mistake. I applaud you for doing so.
