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[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Are these as ok as strawberries and raspberries?

[jmdebb]

no none of those are safe for chins..
jean

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

My Vet said they are, but I forgot to ask about the blueberries.

[mb30]

Your vet is an idiot.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Well, she's the one who went to vet school, so I wouldn't say that.

[GrayRodent]

All I can say is please don't feed chinchillas fresh berries. It kills chinchillas by causing diarrhea that can be so bad that it causes rectal prolapse. Vet school is nice but some vets have no clue when it comes to exotic pets. We will not take our parrot to a clinic that is not avian board certified for this reason. Unfortunately there's no chinchilla equivalent of this!

[ABC Chinchillas]

Chinchillas should not get fruits or veggetables. Vets learn about chinchillas in 1 day along with rabbits and guinipigs so unless they choose to learn more on thier own they know very little about chinchillas.

[lilchinchilla]

I agree with Kristy. Vets do not learn much about chinchillas. They learn about more common pets. I know a vet in Maple Ridge told one lady to feed orange juice and banana chips to her chin to get her chin over a really nasty respiratory infection. As most know - antibiotics are what fixes those kinds of problems, not bananas or orange juice. 

Even the vet I see regularly, while he is good for surgeries or doling out antibiotics when I need those, he does not know everything about their diets or care.

IMO, fresh fruit just is not a good idea at all or fresh veggies. You may hear something to the contrary of that, but I've seen and heard a lot of how that affects their digestive tracts, and some chins end up with really bad diarrhea or rectal prolapse (if the diarrhea is not fixed immediately from the moment it is seen.) from fresh fruits or veggies.

If you insist on giving fruit, make sure it is dried naturally (no preservatives or added sugars) and a small piece once in a while (once in a while meaning like once a week or once a month. Small piece meaning like half an inch or smaller in size of dried fruit like a cut up raisin or chip off a banana chip, or a small tiny cut piece of papaya.).

Moderation is the biggest issue with treats of any sort. Fresh fruits or veggies just are not for chinchillas though.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

This is a misunderstanding. I have freeze- dried berries, unsulfured and no additives. I was just wondering if blueberries in this form are safe like strawberrries and raspberries are- in moderation, of course.

[AnnieHank]

I would agree that vets don't always everything about chinchillas. My usual vet (specialises in exotics like chins) was away on holiday so I brought my little guy to a different vet in the same clinic for his after surgery care when he was neutered. He wasn't really eating. She advised this kind of diet of raisins and fruit. He very quickly became constipated and he died. I wish I'd known then what I know now but I learned the hard way not to trust vets completely. They'll never care about your little one the way that you do and they won't have to live with the consequences of bad advice, but you will. 

Chinchillas only need hay, pellets, water and love. Anything else we give them is for our own benefit and is not necessarily good for them. You don't need to give the fruit and veggies so why risk it?

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

I am so sorry to hear that. You know, I think I will stop giving treats so often. Maybe a pinch of oats once in a while, but probably not much more.

[mb30]

That would be a good idea for your chin. Killing with kindness is a very real thing.
Rosehips are a very good treat for chins.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

He had flowers in the last food that we fed him, but he ignored them completely. What's the appeal of rosehips to chins?

[mojito]

Since many people (at least compared to cat/dog owners) do not own chinchillas, many vets don't know too much about them. Often they will use their knowledge on small rodents in general when caring for a chin. You need to find a vet that knows specifically chinchillas which can be difficult (the one I know is about an hour or so away). For some things like teeth you can go to a rodent specialist but otherwise you must be careful!