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08
SEP
2014
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You should never feed rolled oats, wheat, crackers, weetbix or any breakfast cereals to chinchillas, rabbits or guinea pigs as it affects their calcium and phosphorus ratio and reduces the absorption of essential nutrients from hay, depleting calcium in their bodies and causing digestive, dental and bone problems.
Rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas should have a diet high in fibre, and fairly low in calories (especially fats and starches). And we not referring to Crude fibre because it is poor measure of plant lignin and cellulose, but rather digestive and indigestible fibre, which is only present in high quantities in hay. Over time pellet diets have been sold as the mainstay of their diet, but pellets was originally formulated for non household pets (i.e. laboratory or farmed rabbits and chinchillas).
Some of the problems associated with feeding too much lucerne based pellets are:
Obesity
Dental disease
Soft stools (with norm st.. [More]
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Tags :
Feeding Rabbits , Guinea Pigs & Chinchillas Dry Food in South Africa , Dangers of Feeding Dry Food To Guinea Pigs , Rabbits & Chinchillas in South Africa
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05
AUG
2014
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Chinchillas are fascinating pets, and like most rodents, they are remarkably clever. Of course, being beautiful to behold, and soft as silk to the touch isn’t a good enough reason to keep chinchillas as pets. Fortunately, given a bit of space, plenty of love, a proper diet and following these tips will make it easy for you to keep your chinchillas happy and healthy for as long as they live (which can be up to 20 years).
Understanding Chinchilla Needs
As with most pets, there are a few key areas where their owners can focus for chinchilla health. When caring for and handling your pet, you should always keep these needs in mind.
Eating – Chinchillas have a special digestive system that allows them to pull the necessary fibre from their diet. In order to keep everything running smoothly, and to maintain excellent health, chinchillas need access to plenty of fresh Timothy Hay every day.
Sleeping – These beautiful anim.. [More]
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Tags :
Tips For Keeping Chinchillas Happy In South Africa , Buy Chinchilla Food South Africa , Chinchilla Cage South Africa , Caring For Chinchillas South Africa
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12
JUL
2014
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Providing a healthy and well-balanced diet for your chinchilla is essential to his health and will ensure he has the best quality of life possible. Most health problems stem from an owner providing incorrect nutrition, which can be avoided with good education.
With so many chinchilla food options out there, how do you know which is the best for your pet? Consider a day in the life of a wild chinchilla. He would spend 70% of his time above ground searching out or 'foraging' for food while keeping a beady eye out for predators, to make sure he wasn't going to end up as someone else's dinner!
His diet would be mainly made up of grasses, hay, herbs and bark - all high fibre foods! His territory would be the equivalent of around 30 tennis courts meaning he'd get a lot of exercise every day searching out food across that area. The chinchilla's whole existence has evolved around this high fibre diet.
Many chinchilla owners do not take into consideration a chin.. [More]
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Tags :
Chinchilla Feeding Guidelines , Feeding Chinchillas in South Africa , Chinchilla Food South Africa , Correct Diet For Chinchillas , RSPCA Feeding Guideline For Chinchillas
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29
JUN
2014
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Chinchillas are attractive pets – they’re friendly, cute, and low maintenance. Chinchillas are suitable for many ages, in big cities or the country, for both new pet owners and those dedicated to chinchillas. However, chinchillas are not the same as cats and dogs. You wouldn’t take care of a horse the same way you’d take care of a dog. You wouldn’t take care of a hamster the same way you’d take care of a goldfish. Similarly, chinchiillas have some needs that are different than the needs of other types of pets.
One of the most common problems with owning an exotic pet (reptile, chinchilla, bird, etc) is that very often is it difficult to find information on proper nutrition. Although caring for a chinchilla seems simple, feeding them is not quite as straightforward as buying a bag of dog food at the pet store. Chinchillas are strict herbivores. Unlike dogs and cats, chinchillas’ digestive systems are built to efficiently digest toug.. [More]
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Tags :
Chinchillas And Hay in South Africa , Feeding Chinchillas In South Africa , Chinchilla Food South Africa , Chinchilla Diet South Africa , Chinchilla Nutrition
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24
JUN
2014
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Your chinchillas may start off as quite timid pets, but with plenty of love and enriching activities, they can become quite lively creatures. Chinchillas can be quite inquisitive and should be introduced to new activities and games for the duration of their 10-15 year life. Here are just a few enrichment activities.
Enriching activities for your chinchilla?
Chinchillas are prey animals, and they will spend plenty of time hiding until they become comfortable with their surroundings. They’re likely to enjoy hiding away almost as much as they love running and jumping. The enrichment activities that you choose for your chinchilla should address these natural desires – and their need to chew. You may want to consider:
Creating tunnels,
Adding boxes to hide in and jump from,
Ensuring that different levels of the housing are moved occasionally, or
Providing a chinchilla safe wheel (with a smooth surfa.. [More]
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Tags :
Enrichment Activities for Chinchillas , Chinchilla Food South Africa , Caring for Chinchillas In South Africa , Feeding Chinchillas , Chinchilla Toys , Chinchilla Cages South Africa
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07
JUN
2014
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It’s important to feed your chinchilla the right food. Chinchillas like all animals have quite specific dietary requirements and shouldn’t be fed food meant for other animals. Food that is meant for rabbits, or a generic food designed for all small mammals will not have the right balance of nutrients for your chinchilla. Vets report that 80% of chinchillas that come into their practice have a health problem that is directly related to poor diet. Common ailments are constipation, overgrown teeth, obesity and other problems related to these primary issues. The good news is that many of these are easily prevented if owners understood a bit more about what their chinchillas should be eating and why.
Consider a day in the life of a wild chinchilla. He would spend 70% of his time searching out or 'foraging' for food while keeping a beady eye out for predators, to make sure he wasn't going to end up as someone else's dinner! His diet would be mainly made up of grasses, .. [More]
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Tags :
Taking Care of Chinchillas South Africa , Choosing Right Chinchilla Food , Chinchilla Food South Africa , What Is Right Chinchilla Food , What Do Chinchillas Eat , Feeding Chinchillas , Chinchilla Food Sour
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31
MAY
2014
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Chinchillas have an exceptionally long lifespan, making them an appealing pet choice for people looking for long-term companions. In their natural habitat in the Andean regions of South America, they typically live for 8 to 10 years, but in captivity, chinchillas often live 15 to 20 years. To maximize a pet chinchilla's lifespan, proper care is essential.
When your chinchilla suddenly dies young, between 5 to 10 years of age, especially if they looked healthy and showed no signs of illness, it can be very upsetting. Understanding the history of chinchillas, the breeding techniques and their sensitive digestive system does help explain why many chinchillas can die younger than expected.
In the wild
When chinchillas were first imported from South America - at first into the United States,and then into Europe - people found it really difficult, at first, to keep them alive in captivity. This was mainly because of a lack of understanding of what wild chinchillas eat.. [More]
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Tags :
Dangers of Muesli Type Foods For Chinchillas South Africa , Never Feed Chinchillas Muesli Type Foods South Africa , Why Chinchillas Die From Eating Muesli Diets South Africa , Facts About Chinchilla Life
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18
MAY
2014
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People are naturally drawn to animals, and there are many benefits to keeping pets in your home. Indeed, there are many studies that demonstrate people with animal relationships derive an unusual amount of healthy benefits from them.
Just like humans, domesticated animals require a special diet aimed at providing them with all the proper nutrition they need for a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, some pet owners do not take the time to ensure their small furries are getting the diet they require. Although different animals do have different nutritional requirements, this quick guide will ensure your rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla is receiving exactly what he needs for optimum health.
It All Starts with Timothy Hay
The foundation of your pet’s diet begins with timothy hay. Rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs cannot get enough of it. Small furries need to eat a pile of hay as large as their body every single day. Timothy hay has almost everything yo.. [More]
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Tags :
Feeding Your Small Pet Furries in South Africa , Feeding Pet Rabbit Food , Feeding Guinea Pig Food , Cavi , Feeding Chinchillas Food , Timothy Hay , Teff Hay , Alfafa Hay , Lucerne , Burgess Excel
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28
APR
2014
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This is a question we are often asked… Can I feed my Chinchilla Rabbit Pellets?
The answer we always give is a resounding “no”. Chinchillas have a similar digestive system to rabbits and fibre is a core part of their diet. However, their nutritional needs are quite different which is why Burgess formulated Excel Nuggets specifically for Chinchillas. Consistently feeding rabbit nuggets or rodent pellets to a chinchilla can cause illness, so please opt for a food that has been specifically formulated to meet their needs.
This is also why we would suggest that rabbits and chinchillas are not kept together as pets. As with rabbits, a chinchilla’s teeth will continue to grow throughout his life. They can become overgrown and this can be fatal. A good, coarse fibre filled diet, including Burgess Excel feeding timothy hay, will help to keep teeth in good shape in addition to wooden chew objects for gnawing.
If you spot that your chinchilla i.. [More]
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Tags :
Feeding Chinchillas The Right Diet in South Africa , Chinchilla food South Africa , Chinchilla pellets , Muesli Chinchilla food , Lucerne pellet , Muesli Chinchilla food , Chinchilla breeder , Timothy Hay
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18
APR
2014
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Rabbits are being killed by owners who feed them muesli, according to a shock study by Edinburgh researchers in England. They found the cereal – commonly fed to the pets – causes fatal dietary problems. It is thought the findings could also apply to guinea pigs and chinchillas.
Now pet shops are being urged to remove muesli-style rabbit food from their shelves after researchers at Edinburgh University found it was causing potentially deadly problems. An extensive study discovered that while Britain’s 1.7 million pet bunnies seemed quite happy munching muesli all these years, the food is causing unnecessary visits to the vets and shortening their lives.
Now, owners are being urged to feed their pets a daily diet of hay or grass, with some leafy green vegetables and a small amount of pellets instead.
An estimated 57 per cent of rabbit owners give their pets muesli-style foods because they have been led to believe it was an appropria.. [More]
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Tags :
Muesli Can Kill Rabbits , Guinea Pigs and Chinchillas
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