Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: RollinEK on May 24, 2010, 01:08:01 PM
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I just got a chin from a breeder and he gave me some of his " super-secret " suppliment. I can tell it has oat tops, sunflower seeds in the shell, and some out of the shell. There are also little white pieces but I am unable to identify them. Anyways, my chins seems to love it. Anyone will to share some trade secrets????
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Don't know that one. But do check for sugar contents.
I don't supplement as such, but I do give them calcium & vit.C.
More to the breeding females but all get some about once a week.
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I feed a supplement of oats, wheat bran, and clovite. Clovite is a vitamin that looks like golden sand.
Other common items people use in supplements are:
Oatmeal
Crimped Barley
Powdered Milk
Wheat Germ
Baby Cereal
The Milk or Cereal could be your white stuff.
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What is a common place to get these items??? I would think a feed store but it's easier to ask you nice people! ;)
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I get my three items from a feed store but it comes in 50 # bags so you end up with over 100# of supplement. Buts its like $35 total.
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ok, thanks for the info.. do you mix it evenly? I.E 1/3 +1/3 +1/3? what do those 3 items help with?
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No,
I mix the oats and the wheat bran together and then 7 parts that mixture to one part Clovite.
Clovite contains:
Soybean meal, Soy flour, Vitamin A & D oil, Dicalcium phosphate, Vitamin B12 supplement, Vitamin A & D3 supplement, Choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, Calcium pantothenate, Niacin, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Biotin.
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allright. thank you
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For sunflower seed, I think it is not recommended to give too much to your chins, I never give sunflower seed to my chins as well, but some people said that because sunflower seed contains omega 3 which can make the fur of the chins become shiny and rich. Oat is fine, but also keep in mind that it is not their main meal so I think it should feed like a treats only.
For my chins, their regular meal is 1 tps of mazuri pellets and unlimited timothy hay per day. For supplement, I feed nutri-cal(which is a paste form supplement) twice a week, a little bit of alfalfa once a week, and a mixture of Calf Manna with their daily pellets by occasion, that is..... Normally, a healthy chins didn't require much supplement!
I am not from the States or Canada, and just want to share some experience here with you guys, cheers!!
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Wow 1 tsp of pellets seems very small! My guys get a scoop a day each (about a hand-full). They get 1/2 tsp of supplement and I keep hay cubes in there as well. I'm thinking of adding Calf Manna to supplement for my nursing moms. I am getting a lot of triplets born and I think it will help with its added calcium.
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Sorry, I make a mistake, I mean one table spoon, it's our normal practice in our city, and it's also the recommended amount by our local vet!
And I haven't introduce where I am from, I am from Hong Kong, which is a really small city!!
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Wow 1 tsp of pellets seems very small! My guys get a scoop a day each (about a hand-full). They get 1/2 tsp of supplement and I keep hay cubes in there as well. I'm thinking of adding Calf Manna to supplement for my nursing moms. I am getting a lot of triplets born and I think it will help with its added calcium.
I have a question, you mean about 1 hand full per chin?? By doing this, do you chin consumpt very less grass hay, as they may already fill up. I think that's the difference of feeding preference between a breeder from a pet owner.
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I put a handful (or 2 depending on how many chins are in the cage) per cage too. I find that I don't have to do this daily because they will only eat a small amount. I do check it daily and make sure nothing found its way into the food bowl that shouldn't have though. I put the hay in a separate hanging dispenser. I fill both as needed. They eat a little of each per day for the most part but Dagda for example prefers to feast on the hay and only eat a few pellets. In his case I wait to refill his hay until the container in Xochitl and Sorley's cage is out. *shrug* it depends on their preferences and personalities I suppose. Dagda won't eat the treats I got at the store either (vitakraft dandelion drops), he refuses till he gets either a raisin, a craisin or a cheerio.
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All of my chins get a handful of food per day and fresh hay daily. They dont always eat all the pellets but it makes me feel better knowing that its in there for them. They always eat the hay though :::grins::
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Yes my chins eat about a 1/4 to a 1/3 a cup of pellets, they get a mixed hay cube & timothy hay. For a few days every month they'll also get looses alfalfa.
I used calf manna for years, but haven't in about 5 now. I haven't seen any difference, though I'm getting more triplets now.Maybe I should.
About every other month I give sunflower seeds.
I treat them with oatmeal and papaya + others.
And I have to say less seems best with my herd. When I was fooling around with supplements I seem to have problems with diarrhea.
The nutrical I use only for sick chins as it increases their appetite but it's loaded with sugar. I haven't had to use it in years.
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For some reason, clovite is highly expensive around here. The lady recommended an " off-brand " as she stated it. I have found the product with its ingredients. What do you knowledgeable people think?
http://www.durvet.com/prods/DURVITE_667/DetailSheet.html
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Did you ask for it by the pound? Its like $80 a bag here but less than $4 for a pound. 5 pounds has lasted me a month with 500 chinchillas.
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I am buying the Durvite. the ingredients are exactly the same. i think im getting a 10lb bag, im not sure.