Question:
Cub already eats spring mix salad & kale. Tonight I will try watercress.


Answer:
I've never fed my chinchillas any greens. I give them a small slice of apple once in a while in the summer when it's very hot, but other than, I stick to pellets, hay, and the occasional treat.
I know that you're feeding greens on vet's advice, Neuro. Is that because Cub wasn't eating hay? What benefits/disadvantages did your vet give you?


Answer:
Neuro, I think you are overfeeding fresh greens to Cub. There is no need for Cub to have greens if she is eating a good quality pellet and hay. Greens have a high water content and it could cause diarrhea and gas. Have you read Randy Jagielo's thread regarding the article in Empress magazine? It isn't good to provide a variety of foods to a chinchilla.


Answer:
Thanks for the comments. I read the piece about bloat with a bit of concern & confusion. The Hopital pour Oiseaux et Animaux Exotiques in Montreal explicitly advised me to feed Cub fruits & vegetables in lieu of the hay she wasn't eating. Recently she is eating more hay but she is in the habit of eating fresh produce & experiencing no detriment. Her last checkup @ the exotic vet was in May & everything but her teeth was fine (& that was hereditary).
I would never give Cub a big handful of vegetables. More typically, she will get an organic grape & a piece of salad on any given night, or a few tiny pieces of organic apple & salad. I scrupulously avoid CRUCIFEROUS (ie. sulfur-containing, gas-promoting) veggies such as cabbage & cauliflower.
I wonder why it is that people will feed 2-3 raisins a night but (not @ POTN but elsewhere) jump all over me for feeding one FRESH grape? Is the water content related to bloat? If that is the case, then why is water offered free choice to most if not all chinchillas?
I am not saying that everyone should do as I do, I am just looking for reasons why what I am doing might be incorrect. The vet in Montreal actually mentioned that many gp/rabbit people are feeding their pets more fresh food these days, & that she expected that this might become more common with chins too, as more becomes known about their g.i. tracts.


Answer:
I don't think that the water content in fresh fruits and veggies causes bloat. So in your case, you were only feeding it for fiber? To replace the fiber in hay? Fiber is very important and in my limited experience, I would think that feeding fresh fruits and veggies for fiber would be better than no fiber at all. I have recently cut back the treats that I give to my chins and have actually noticed a difference in their poops. I used to give one treat a night to each plus supplement. Now, I am a treat 2-3 times a week. I know for a fact that Hazel has a really sensitive stomach and Diego doesn't. Diego could probably eat a dozen treats and show no ill effects but if Hazel ever gets two (ie. stole one from her kids plus the one I give her), I can guarantee that she will have softer poops the next day. I guess a lot of it goes back to what they would eat in the wild...now, I know they are domesticated but it takes decades for any type of broad sweeping evolutionary change to occur so their digestive system should be very similar to chins in the wild. In the wild their diet is very dry with very little fresh fruit. I feel that it is important to replicate this type of diet.


Answer:
Yes the fresh stuff is being fed for fibre, also for extra vitamin C.
The way I see it, Chapman's first experiements with feeding captive chillas a diet supposedly closest to their wild diet failed. And I would challenge anyone to show me proof that the South American cold desert where chillas hail from is filled with fields of died timothy & alfafla.
I think that domestic chinchillas need a diet different from their wild cousins. And from what I have read, the wild chins are a pretty sorry bunch, really small, malnourished & short-lived.


Answer:
i have no experience with fresh greens for chins...........however, i do for bunnies.............and one veggie to avoid is kale as it messes with their thyroid hormones..............i wnder if that can be true for chins as well..............kale for bunnies must be in a very limited amount..............


Answer:
Thank you linus. Cub gets kale rarely. You are right, it contains a lot of iodine which affects their thyroid.


Answer:
Neuro, I agree that the Andes are not filled with wild timmy and alfalfa but I believe that is the reason that some hays (alfalfa in particular) are too rich for chins. I feed grass hay and noticed a difference in poop size and consumption almost immediately. I think there is such thing as too many treats and a too varied diet, but it does sound like Cub is healthy. I guess there is no real answer here. You have been informed by knowledgeable vets, Cub's health is fine and thus far, doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects of her treats. I don't believe that guarantees that it is safe but who can?


Answer:
yes neuro and i did not find that out till lucy had been fed kale every day.................i found that not all site about pet info is correct and it took me some time till i came across that info