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[Jose Chinchilla]

Has anyone ever heard of "Orchard Grass" and do you know  if it is safe for chinchillas??? SCIENTIFIC NAME DACTYLIS GLOMERATA L.

[dianah]

orchard grass is ok! oxbow do a version. i would use it in small quantities, in addition to - not instead of - timothy. healthy enrichment!

[jmdebb]

yup.. din is correct other safe ones are: [some are grasses, some hays]

meadow, botanical, oat, but not alot of it it, broome, bermuda, hmm i think i might be missing a few, major brain fart...

maybe someone else can help this old mind out.. lol

j

[Jose Chinchilla]

So I found this hut made out of orchard grass, so if I put that in Jose's cage, I should just use that and not the timothy hay? Or use both?

[dianah]

i'd use both. let him nibble on the hut but keep the supply of his existing hay.

as with any new food, you need to remember than the gut flora in chinchillas takes ages to change according to food consumed so there should not be any sudden changes. i know it doesn't sound like much type of hay changed to a different hay but it's best done slowly.

i'd monitor the hut for wee as well - mine tend to pee into grassy houses :/ 

[Jose Chinchilla]

Thanks! He has a box that he loves hiding in, but it's on the bottom of the cage underneath a shelf and well, honestly, he always gets on the top shelf and therefore, the top of the box is ALWAYS covered in poo!  So I figured with this grass hut, he could do the same thing with it that he does with his box, but since the grass hut is rounded on the top, the poo won't stay up there for all to see!

[dianah]

i know!!! celebrate the poo though my rescue girl - who's just started producing proper poos today after being in stasis for a while - has such sensitive tummy that i jump with joy every time there's decent poo on top of her snug and house!