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26
JUN
2014
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Just as people are becoming increasingly aware of how many preservatives, hormones, synthetic dyes and chemicals are present in many conventional food sources, and how detrimental they can be to human health, so are they realizing that synthetic chemicals are not good for their beloved pets, either. The health craze that has been sweeping the modern world hasn’t stopped at human food. Your veterinary technician will agree: high quality pet food is worth the price.
People need healthful, nutrient-rich food with plenty of vitamins and minerals and as few chemicals and “fillers” as possible for long life and an overall sense of well-being. So does your pet. High quality pet food usually costs a bit more because rather than using cheap, empty ingredients, quality pet food is packed with protein-rich nutrition, with natural rather than chemical preservation. If you can afford it, buying high quality types of pet food is altogether worth the money for the benef.. [More]
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Tags :
Avoiding Bad Ingredients In Small Animal Petfood , Dangerous Preservatives in Guinea Pig Food , Bad Ingredients in Chinchilla Food , Ingredients To Avoid In Rabbit Food , Avoiding Bad Pet Food Ingredients
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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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15
JUN
2014
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South Africa is a country with little or no research on small animal feeding much less chinchillas. We pretty much dependent on foreign know-how to care for our chinchillas. Two of the most critical parts of a chinchilla diet are timothy hay and pellets. However, our choice of chinchilla food in South Africa is very limited. Timothy hay should be the main diet of chinchillas. Alfalfa hay can be fed in small amounts to young and undernourished chinchillas.
Why is a good-quality pellet essential?
As mentioned, along with hay, pellets make up the majority of your chinchilla’s diet. Therefore, careful consideration needs to be given to the various brands on offer, and, which is the most suitable. Don’t be misled into believing that rabbit or guinea pig food make good alternatives to chinchilla pellets, as this is not true; they have very specific dietary requirements and need a food that can offer this. There is a fairly substantial amount of choice, so ta.. [More]
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Tags :
Choosing The Right Chinchilla Pellet In South Africa
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15
JUN
2014
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Oats been called the super food of the world from reducing asthma risk, control appetite hormones, part of gluten free diet, improve insulin….etc. In recent case, it is used more frequently as a supplement for small animals – providing necessary fattening agent and nutritional benefits.
Unknown to many, rolled oats are steamed groats that have literally been rolled out and flattened, with the bran (nutritional part) discarded. When most people think of “oats,” they’re thinking of rolled oats.
The main problems with oats are the phytic acid and the avenin, a protein in the prolamine family (along with gluten from wheat, rye, and barley, and zein, from corn). As far as phytic acid (or phytate) goes, oats contain less than corn and brown rice but about the same amount as wheat. Phytate has the tendency to bind minerals and prevent their absorption. So, even if a grain is rich in minerals, the presence of phytate prevents their full absorpt.. [More]
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Tags :
Are Oats Healthy for Small Animals?
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12
JUN
2014
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Hay should form the foundation of a rabbit’s, guinea pig’s and chinchilla’s diet and you need to make sure you are feeding a plentiful supply each and every day. There are a number of different types of hay available and certain things you should look out for before feeding, so in this post we aim to walk you through them…
timothy grass
Pay Close Attention…
Before offering the hay to your pets make sure it is clean, free of dust and smelling fresh. To keep it at its peak you need to store the hay in a sealed bag in an area free from damp because it can quickly spoil. Keep it tightly packed because air helps it to become dry and brittle, which needs to be avoided. Hay retains a wonderful aroma, so have a smell – you should be able to smell the aroma of a grassy meadow.
Be consistent…
Fibrevores have a sensitive digestive system which does not cope well with frequent or rapid change. You should try and stick to a .. [More]
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Tags :
Hay For Health And Happiness , Timothy Hay South Africa , Hay supplier , feeding timothy hay , rabbit food , guinea pig food , chinchilla food
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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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06
JUN
2014
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Fibre facts:
Fibre is the most important ingredient in rabbit food. It is essential for normal wear of teeth. So much so that FEDIAF state “For the health and well-being of a rabbit good quality hay should be fed at all times”.
Daily fibre intake is essential to the rabbit to maintain normal:
gut function
dental wear
fermentation in the caecum.
Fibre comes mainly from plant cell walls.
Plant cell walls containing lignin, cellulose and silicate phytoliths are also important for salivation and dental health.
Plant cell walls consist of polysaccharides associated with;
glycoproteins
phenolic compounds
acetic acid
lignin
Fibre definitions:
Digestible fibre – a young growing plant cell has primary cell walls, which contains fermentable or digestible fibre. This fibre supports caecal fermentation.
Indigestible fibre – older plants develop secondary cell walls, which cons.. [More]
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Tags :
Fibre Facts On Pet Food Labels , Fibre Facts & Definitions , Pet Rabbit Food South Africa , Chinchilla food South Africa , Pet Guinea Pig food South Africa , Timothy Hay South Africa , Teff Hay , Rabbit Hay ,
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01
JUN
2014
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Last April there was a lot of publicity over some joint research by the the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Burgess Pet Care into the effects of diet on rabbit’s health. The paper with the results was just published and I thought I’d summarise some of the findings for you.
What they studied
Thirty two dutch rabbits were neutered, vaccinated and divided into four groups to feed one of the following diets:
Extruded nuggets with hay (EH)
Muesli with hay (MH)
Hay only (HO)
Muesli only (MO)
They were then monitored over an 18 month period to observe the impact of the diets. The researchers measured things like how much food they ate and what came out the other end, and took x-rays of their teeth at regular intervals.
Hay Intake
Unsurprisingly the hay only group had the largest hay intake, but there were also differences between the Muesli-Hay and Nugget-Hay groups, with the Nu.. [More]
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Tags :
Muesli Versus Pellets Research Revealed Into Rabbit and Guinea Pig Food Diets , Pet Rabbit Food South Africa , Pet Guinea Pig Food South Africa , Chinchilla Food
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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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24
MAY
2014
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FANTASTIC NEWS! New research conducted by The University of Edinburgh & Burgess Pet Care has shown that rabbits fed on a muesli diet are more likely to suffer from dental and digestive problems. Pets at Home have taken a HUGE step by announcing the following: “We’re phasing out rabbit muesli in our stores & advising all our rabbit customers to transition onto rabbit nuggets and hay.”
Why are Pets at Home discontinuing rabbit muesli?
Pets at Home the largest pet retailer in the UK with more than 360 stores support the latest thinking in pet welfare standards and this decision has been taken in light of the weight of feeling amongst the veterinary community towards the feeding of muesli based diets, and their potential negative effects on the health of rabbits.
What is selective feeding?
A muesli diet consists of lots of different ingredients that make up the mix. A rabbit fed on muesli may pick out their favourite bi.. [More]
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Tags :
Latest Muesli Research Findings by The University of Edinburgh & Burgess Pet Care , UK Pet Stores Stop Selling Rabbit Muesli
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