Pet Habitat South Africa

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29 Jun 2014

Chinchillas And Hay

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Nutrition | Chinchillas

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 tough plant material. Their digestive system works more like a horse than like that of other pets. Therefore, it is not surprising that one key food in chinchillas’ diets should be hay!

When a happy new chinchilla owner goes to the pet store to buy all the necessities for their new pet, often times they are not given detailed information on diet. Many chinchillas are put on rabbit pellets or some dry mixture food as their main source of nutrition. Chinchillas need hay! In fact, about 95% of your adult chinchilla’s diet should be hay. The remaining 5% should be split between veggies, which are good treats and a source of water, and pellets.

Pellets are essential in diets of chinchillas, for example growing, pregnant, or lactating chinchillas. This is because alfalfa-based pellets are high in calcium and calories. Calcium is needed for bone development in growing chinchillas, and for milk production in pregnant and lactating chinchillas. A higher calorie diet is useful for these chinchillas that have higher energy demands.

However, the same reasons that make pellets ideal for some chinchillas also make them less ideal for the average adult chinchilla. As herbivores, chinchillas rarely have trouble getting enough calcium in their diet. In fact, they tend to be prone to getting too much calcium. One of the major problems with excess calcium in the body is that it may cause the formation of bladder stones, which can block the passage of urine out of the body. This is a life-threatening condition.

For the same reason that you wouldn’t feed someone cheesecake all the time, you should not feed your adult chinchilla just pellets or dry mixture foods. On the other hand, hay is equivalent to a balanced meal, rather than a desert. So, given the choice between pellets and hay, your chinchilla will most likely not eat enough hay. Pellets should be given in limited amounts. For example, only a heaped tablespoon of pellets (25g) should be given. A diet too concentrated in pellets or any dry mixture foods can cause your chinchilla to become obese, and also keeps it from getting the other benefits that it needs from a diet of mainly hay. As in humans, obesity is not a healthy state for our pets. In chinchillas, obesity can be related to the development of arthritis. It is not easy to tell the body fat of a chinchilla without touching it; the fur coat conceals body shape very well.

Hay has many benefits for chinchillas, because, as mentioned before, their digestive system is built to gain the most benefits from a hay-based diet. A chinchilla can generally get all the nutrients it needs from good hay. Also, hay is necessary for proper functioning of the digestive system. Hay acts as ‘roughage’, which means it behaves similar to fibre in the human diet. Roughage is essential to keep the digestive system moving properly. Without proper movement of the digestive system, your chinchilla can develop ‘gastrointestinal stasis’.

Gastrointestinal stasis is one of the most common reasons for euthanasia of chinchillas. Lack of roughage is not the only cause for stasis, but it is one common cause. In gastrointestinal stasis, the digestive system begins to have trouble functioning and moving properly. This causes discomfort for the chinchilla, who then does not want to eat. Not eating makes the stasis worse, and the problem just builds up on itself. Roughage aids movement of the digestive system, while sugars and carbohydrates (for example pellets, and dry food) slow it down.

Hay is also good for your chinchilla’s teeth. Like horses, chinchillas’ teeth are continuously growing. Chewing on hay helps wear down the teeth to keep them at a proper length. Owners do not often look in a chinchilla’s mouth, especially not at the back teeth, which means that many times teeth problems go unnoticed. Overgrowth of teeth causes discomfort and can eventually cause infections and wounds in the mouth.

Feeding an adult chinchilla is not much more complicated than any of the other needs that your chinchilla has. Understanding what your chinchilla needs from its food will help you make the proper decisions on what kind of food to give it.

Timothy hay and other grass hays are excellent sources of roughage, and should make up the bulk of the hay fed to adult chinchillas. Don't feed any hay that is damp, smells musty, or is discoloured.

Excel Feeding Plan for Chinchillas

Just ensure that you always have plenty of timothy hay on hand, provide fresh water regularly, and supplement with the right vegetables and treats and you should have a happy, healthy pet. The Burgess Excel Feeding Plan is an easy to follow 5-a-day guide to ensure your chinchilla gets the right balance of fibre, nutrients, vitamins and minerals for their all round health.

The Excel Feeding Plan provides the nutrients your chinchilla needs and variety in your pet’s diet to stimulate his mind, avoid boredom and to make sure he gets all the goodies he needs. Burgess Excel Chinchilla nuggets may cost a little more than other chinchilla foods, but it’s well worth it for the health and happiness of your pet.