SUPPLEMENTARY FEED INGREDIENTS
Overcoming Misinformation in the Pet Chinchilla Community on Feed, Part II
In our last discussion on feed, we looked at the five core ingredients in Modesto Mills Organic Chinchilla Food. These core ingredients included Sun-Dried Alfalfa, Oats, Peas, Wheat Millrun and Sesame Meal. We refer to them as the “core ingredients” because these five ingredients account for over 90% of the feed composition. The feed is both corn-free and soy-free. As previously discussed, feed with corn should be avoided as it is difficult to digest, is high in sugars and has been linked to bloat issues in chinchillas.
For those of you that didn’t have the opportunity to read the first article on feed, it should be noted that little scientific research is available on the dietary needs of chinchillas. When making decisions that affect your chinchilla’s health and wellness, take in multiple sources of information. Understand that chinchillas were introduced as pets less than 100 years ago, and there is not a lot of great information out there. Therefore, you will find many differing opinions on what is acceptable. Today, many conclusions reached on what should be included (and avoided), in a chinchilla diet is through scientific studies of animals with similar digestive systems and of similar physiology. Additionally, staying connected with national chinchilla organizations, such as Empress Chinchilla, allows a greater opportunity for knowledge sharing obtained through experience. I have used both research and experience in the below analysis.
In this article, we will look at all the remaining ingredients in the feed that have a contributing factor of 0.5% or more of the overall feed formula. Keep in mind that there are added vitamins and other ingredients, such as Yucca Powder that are included at extremely low percentages. These ingredients can be found at www.chinchillabox.com on the “What’s In the Box?” page. In future discussions, we will look at how all these ingredients feed into the Guaranteed Nutrient Analysis, along with what is considered adequate percentages of Crude Protein, Crude Fat, Crude Fiber Min and Max, Ash, Calcium Min and Max, Phosphorous, Salt and Sodium Min and Max.
What’s in the Other > 10% of the Food? - “Supplementary” Ingredients
Sunflower Seed, Whole: Of all the ingredients we will analyze in this particular feed, sunflower seeds will be the most controversial among the chinchilla industry. It is widely known and accepted that chinchillas should not be fed a base feed with fruits, vegetables and nuts. Many in the pet world argue that sunflower seeds shouldn’t be offered either. Why is that? The answer is simple, sunflower seeds are high in fat and chinchillas do not require much fat in their diets. With that said, this feed utilizes a quality source of unprocessed lipids to meet the fat percentages that are necessary in a chinchillas diet. Considering, it would be completely inappropriate for chinchillas to eat sunflower seeds in large quantities. However, in small quantities that are equally ground into feed, the benefits can be realized as listed below:
· - More palatable than other ingredients with similar benefits, such as flaxseed
- Quality source of unprocessed lipids, as opposed to some other feeds that use soybean oil to meet those percentages
- Powerful antioxidants
· - Increased milk production for lactating females
· - Improved growth efficiency
· - Great source of vitamins and minerals that can support a healthy immune system (such as Vitamin E, Copper, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Manganese, Phosphorous, Magnesium)
· - Overall fur and skin benefits (high in essential fatty acids)
Salt: If you had an opportunity to read the first article on feed, you’ll recall the main driver behind the in-depth discussion was general lack of knowledge on safe chinchilla feeds. It is our goal at ChillaBox, to flood the internet with as much factual information on chinchillas as possible. As discussed in the first article, a most striking statement was made to my ranch manager from a well subscribed Facebook Chinchilla Group, about the organic chinchilla food I use being unsafe. The admin was asked why the food wasn’t safe and the response was the ingredients salt, kelp and peas, with no further discussion permitted. For those of you that frequent these Facebook pages, you are quite familiar with the lack of dialogue permitted and the “because I said so” mentality. The last article discussed peas in great length (remember they are a legume, not a vegetable) and the kelp concern brought up as unsafe by this admin is discussed below. But salt? Why would an admin, meant to be a “trusted” source of information on a popular Facebook page, say salt is bad for chinchillas? Of course I’m speculating, but most likely inexperience, or they “heard it somewhere so it must be true”, or in the chinchilla pet industry, it is well known and discussed on many forums that salt licks should not be provided to chinchillas. I do agree with this statement, as they should not. The reason they should not be provided a salt lick, is because chinchillas are provided the salt needed for survival (yes, ALL animals need salt to survive) in their well-balanced feeds. Considered in well-balanced feed inclusion of the necessary amount of salt needed for transmitting nerve pulses, maintaining proper fluid balances and muscle function for chinchillas. So…is salt bad in your feed? Absolutely not, it’s a must!
Monocalcium Phosphate: Monocalcium Phosphate provides a source of highly available phosphorus and calcium, needed for chinchillas to meet essential nutrient requirements. Calcium and phosphorus work in concert to provide key nutrients needed for dental health, muscle health, tissue and bone development. Calcium and phosphorus imbalances can cause an array of health issues in chinchillas; therefore, once again ensuring you are using a well-balanced food is incredibly important.
Kelp:
The kelp used in Modesto Mills Organic Chinchilla Food is an innovative, natural, organic, marine plant-based prebiotic made from brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. It has been proven to be an effective nutritional tool to improve and protect animal health by promoting improved GI tract health status. It has bioactive components and antioxidant properties that help improve the chinchilla’s overall health, immune response, productivity and resistance to environmental stressors. Sulfated polysaccharides, which are found in marine macroalgea (kelp) is immune modulating. Sulfated polysaccharides have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-tumoral and anti-thrombotic activities. Studies have shown that sulfated polysaccharides in brown algae activate Toll-like receptors (TLR’s) providing early immune response by detecting pathogens and initiating responses to clear them out of the body. These processes are achieved by binding to recognition receptors known as Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRR’s), that identify molecules typical for pathogens and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). DAMPs are released from damaged or dying cells and will activate the innate immune system.
Marine macroalgea has been proven as a valuable and trusted supplement in various animal feeds for many years. We switched our chinchilla herd over to Modesto Mills Organic Chinchilla about six years ago and have seen an increase in life span and noticeable decrease in illness. I attribute that to the chinchillas being on a well-balanced feed, along with all the immune stimulation benefits of kelp.
In addition to the overall health benefits kelp provides to chinchillas, a scientific study conducted in 2011, showed that Ascophyllum nodosum has the ability to protect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, a fatal infectious disease that is seen from time to time in the chinchilla world.
Ground Limestone: Limestone is a common, natural source of calcium used in animal feeds. As discussed above under Monocalcium Phosphate, calcium is a critical nutrient for chinchilla wellness.
Diatomaceous Earth: 100% organic and naturally occurring. Documented benefits of using food grade Diatomaceous Earth are as follows:
· - Accelerated growth and development.
· - Improved weight gain and feed conversion by stimulating the metabolism of minerals, also aiding with protein digestion.
· - Helps improve milk production in lactating females.
· - External parasite control – Organically assists in keeping bugs out of your feed.
Zeolite: A naturally occurring, negatively charged mineral with numerous benefits. According to KMI Zeolite, "the introduction of zeolite as an animal feed additive provides the following rewards:
· - Improved animal growth and weight gain by increased food conversion rate efficiencies,
· - Strong affinity for ammonium provides superior odor control and a healthier environment. Also protects the penetration of ammonia into the bloodstream,
· - Reduction of GI diseases,
· - Better phosphate utilization,
· - Reduces acidosis,
· - Improved bone growth,
· - Reduced mortality,
· - And most importantly for chinchillas, it is a Mycotoxin binder. Mycotoxin is a mold that finds its way in animal feed, especially those feeds containing corn, and is fatal to your chinchilla.
· - Helps control aflatoxins in animal feed which lowers mortality rates from digestive stress.
After reviewing the ingredients of Modesto Mills Organic Chinchilla feed, I can reach a sound conclusion that the feed is not only safe for your chinchilla but was formulated with precision. I reached out to a representative at Modesto Mills and learned that in developing this feed formula, they worked with a very well-known and respected chinchilla breeder with over 50 years of experience. The mill and the breeder worked in concert to ensure that the feed was well-balanced, contained the appropriate mineral and nutrients and promoted the immune system to assist chinchillas in fighting off illnesses and diseases. In our next article, we will discuss understanding the Guaranteed Nutrient Analysis and how your chinchilla processes the food into energy.