COMMENTS
I fed Mazuri to my chin for 8 years and she just died today of cancer of her digestive tract. I am suspicious of the genetically modified soy they use in Mazuri. GMO soy basically has a pesticide inserted into it so any insect eating it would die. Well unfortunately those who eat the food with it may also get ill or die. I don't think Kaytee is the only chin food with potential health risks. I am waiting for Oxbow to put out an organic chin food which would not have GMOs or any harmful preservatives.
Hey Suzy,
I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of your chin :( My heart goes out to you!
Where did you read that the soy in Mazuri is genetically modified and that it contains pesticide? Some of the other animal feeds have BHA listed in their ingredients (like for bears) but not the pellets for chinchillas - I'm looking at the nutritional info right now. Can you tell me where you got that information so I can investigate further?
Thanks. I agree - I would totally buy an organic feed if one becomes available, but some of the stuff us humans put in our bodies is worse than what we feed our animals! I wish I could afford to eat all organic too :(
Thank you so much Amanda. It is so hard to lose a beloved furkid and I miss Chloe so much my heart just aches.
I found out about the GMO soy from Mazuri's own nutritionist. She emailed me last year about it. I told her many of us chin owners would happily pay more if they could produce a safe, organic chin food without any GMOs. I am sorry they haven't done so. My hopes are now with Oxbow to create an organic chin food of high quality and nutrition. The exotics specialist vet I saw yesterday said she used to be on the board at Oxbow and she knows they have very high standards and really care about the health of the small animals. I live near Oxbow farm so I'm contacting them today to find out if their current chin food has any GMOs and when the organic version will be available. I will switch my remaining 4 chins onto the healthier food. I am hoping never to see another one get cancer if I can help it.
To be honest I switched from Kaytee to Oxbow when I found out that Kaytee was not very good nutritionally. I recently heard that an alfalfa farm in my area started creating organic chinchilla feed. I am going to check it out this weekend! It's also so much cheaper than buying feed at the pet store. I will let you know how it goes.
Just wanted to post that I'm still looking into this - I haven't forgotten, just contacting a few people to get more info!
I wanted to update you to let you know how wonderful Oxbow was. They sent me a sympathy card and I spoke to their nutritionist who said they are discussing the organic chin food but it won't likely be available this year. I sure hope it is next year. Since they already have the rabbit & guinea pig organics I hope the chins get their organic food asap. They do have organic hays/grasses that are new.
I had purchased once an organic food called Piccolo by Green Earth Goods online and fed a tiny bit of it mixed in with the Mazuri they were eating at the time, but being picky about details I tried emailing them about their food, how and where it is made, etc. to be sure it's nutritionally adequate and everything. I never got a reply. Now their website no longer lets you order the food online. They mention a retail store. I am going to call the phone number on there and see what I can find out.
If Oxbow comes out with the organic food I will know it's trustworthy and balanced nutritionally. Keep your fingers crossed!
does anyone know anything about the Zupreem chinchilla food http://www.zupreem.com/our-food/small-animals/natures-promise%E2%84%A2-premium-chinchilla-food ?
They are a good company in general, but I don't like the chin food since it has corn which is an ingredient likely to be genetically modified, have been sprayed with pesticides, and chins have trouble digesting it and can get bloat from corn. At this time I believe Oxbow and Mazuri have the best chinchilla foods available. When they come out with organic versions they will be much better.
So just wanted to let everyone know that all the Kaytee chin products i have all have that preservative it it even their hay cubes!!! pretty upset about that cuz my boys like the hay cubes... I'll have to see where i can get other types... the only store we have in my area is Pet co which i have a horrible time every time i go there... NOT that I'm putting them down!! but I never have good luck there!
The Oxbow food... can you order that online?
please let me know
Thanks!!
So I recently changed my chinchillas diet to Mazuri food. The minute she smelled that food she came runnign to get cage door attacking the cage bars lol. I put some in (mixed with her other food) and she started picking out the Mazuri food. She is in LOVE with these little things. I'm not too crazy about the smell though. But then again. DOesn't all animal food smell? I highly recommend it for chinchilla owners but make sure you gradually change their food.
Hey Angela,
Thanks for your posts! I'm looking at the packaging of some Kaytee Hay Cubes right now and it says "Contains no artificial color or preservatives." Where did you learn about this and which preservative are you referring to? I definitely would like to look into it. Thanks!
Glad your chins like the Mazuri. I have heard other people say the exact same thing about the chins picking out the Mazuri pellets from the bowl, hehe :P I have to say I've never noticed the smell, but I've never fed Tango anything else to compare it with. As long as I'm not the one who has to eat it, I guess I don't care if it smells appetizing, lol! Great tip on gradually changing the food when transitioning to a new one.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Hey folks!
Just saw that Lonestar Chinchilla is selling Mazuri Chinchilla Feed ON SALE today for 0.89/lb TODAY ONLY. Check it out! http://www.lonestarchinchilla.com/store/index.php?cPath=1&osCsid=a810315251dbd08f71a38390b5a225c8
The cheapest and freshest source is to buy direct from Mazuri themselves. (Cheaper than lonestar). I have 6 chins and get the 25 lb bag.
http://shop.mazuri.com/
I forgot to mention that the normal price from Mazuri is 75 cents per pound. Shipping is less than Lonestar as well. They sometimes have sales in addition.
I'm still hoping one day they will have an organic chin food but in the meantime Mazuri or Oxbow are the best you can buy for chins. My chins love the taste of Mazuri too!
Hi Angela,
You can order from Oxbow if you like. I've been to their farm many times and the staff are sooo caring and nice!
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/contact;jsessionid=3D18AC55D2FF84937B8111BCF2A423A4.vipa-08b
You can call and order over the phone or email them. The info on their products is on their site also and they're always happy to answer questions.
Well, I just mentioned it for those who don't have room to store 25 pounds of food in their freezers :)
As a vegan strongly against GMO and soy beans in general I am shocked to hear this. I guess I should have read the information. Would people be willing to help me and contact Mazuri about this? Chinchillas shouldn't eat soy, nor should any other animals, same as corn and other grains. If we all team up we might be able to change this, eh?
what about carefresh chin food? I have been feeding my chin that since we got him under a year ago. I know it is healthy for guinea pigs but how about chins?
I just checked the bag of my Kaytee Fiesta Diet, and no ethoxyquin is listed. I'd love to switch to Mazuri and order the 25 lb bags but the shipping is more than the cost of the bag! I'm going to check with my local Feed store and see if they have it or can get it. I have some Mazuri that a friend gave me, and the chins like it...but they also like the little "goodies" in the Fiesta mix, and eat those first! (just like kids, I guess...eat the goodies first!)
The Kaytee fiesta KILLED my 9 month old chin. She got very bad diarrhea which we where able to stop. But she still wasn't right. We changed her food to Oxbow but she never perked up. She died of a perforated bowel from intestinal irritation and diarrha due to the CRAP that Kaytee puts in there food. Do Not feed your chins it. Feed them either Hubbard Traditions or Oxbow. They are the best and are highly recommended. RIP Tanky.
I'm so glad to read others are supportive of finding healthier chin foods without GMOs or toxic ingredients. I am the one who wrote previously about my female chin dying of cancer in 2009. Today I lost her male companion who was also age 8 and I really am wondering what is going on with the food. I still feed Oxbow and Mazuri as they are the best available but neither has an organic option. He was doing so well up until 3 days ago. Suddenly not eating and the vet couldn't help him and this morning he died peacefully in my arms. My heart is just aching from losing chins by age 8 who could live to be 18 if they had better non-toxic foods. :(
My 2 chins went through 3-4 different foods. Of course as a first time owner you wanna stick to a food your chins will love and that's highly nutritious. I first started with Kaytee as it was available at a local petco/petsmart. But I realized kaytee puts a lot of treats in their food, my chins only dug out the treats to eat. This is bad because treats give your chins diarrhea/very soft stool. Rule of thumb! Give your treat only one a day! Anyways, I then went for a different brand with just pellets. But they didn't even touch it. I went to an exotic vet specialist for chinchillas and he was giving me oxbow. I think vets are recommending oxbow but that doesn't mean mazuri isn't good. My chins LOVE mazuri! They eat it more than when I gave oxbow. I've been a chinchilla owner for 6 yrs. Do not keep chganing your chinchillas feed, make sure u stick to one . I recommend mazuri or oxbow. Whichever your chin loves. :)
P/s: one of my chins I got from a highly known breeder for 30+ years.. Breeding 5,000 chins and has her own estate, won competitions.. Sells to petco only. She says she NEVER sells to petsmart. (for reasons I would not discuss here). She knows chins like the back of her hand! She makes her own chinchilla food but says she recommends mazuri or oxbow! Hope this helps for many of you!