Alfalfa
   • Alfalfa History
   • Nutrition Breakdown


Timothy
   • Timothy History
   • Nutrition Breakdown


Oat, Wheat &
Barley
   • Oat, Wheat & Barley
      History
   • Nutrition Breakdown


Hay Compression


Pets & Nutrition
   • Hamsters
   • Rabbits
   • Guinea Pigs (Cavies)
   • Chinchillas

Your Small Animals Diet

Hamster's Diet

Feeding your hamster a basic staple diet of commercial dry seeds or pellets will provide the main part of its diet. Hamsters enjoy a variety of greens, meal worms, raw lean meat, fresh vegetables (not canned or frozen), cottage cheese, and yogurt drops to provide some variety.

However, these fresh foods should be fed as occasional treats since the hamster mix provides all the nutritional requirements needed. An excess of vegetables and fruits could cause diarrhea.

Alfalfa should also be added to a hamster's diet. Not only does it help the digestive process by supplying roughage, but hamsters will also use it as a good healthy nesting material. Alfalfa also contains a good source of calcium for your pet to insure healthy bones and bone growth.

Don't let your hamster's empty food bowl fool you. Only give enough food that can be eaten at once. Why? Because hamsters are hoarders. They don't actually eat all the food and when they stuff it in their mouth, they simply do that to transport it to a hiding place where they can eat it later if they want. Be observant of your hamster's hoarding habits and feed accordingly. You will probably need to clean there food stashes regularly to prevent rotting.

Rabbits Diet

A rabbit's diet should be made up of good quality pellets, fresh hay, (Alfalfa, Timothy or Oat, Wheat & Barley), water and fresh vegetables. Anything beyond that is a "treat" and should be given in limited quantities.

Pellets should be fresh, and should be relatively high in fiber (18% minimum fiber). Do not purchase more than 6 weeks worth of feed at a time, as it will become spoiled. Pellets should make up less of a rabbit's diet as he or she grows older, and hay should be available 24 hours a day.

When shopping for vegetables, look for a selection of different veggies. Look for both dark leafy veggies and root vegetables, and try to get different colors. Stay away from beans, corn and rhubarb.

Veggies to Give Occasionally
kale	mustard greens
spinach	Swiss chard

Special Treats
apple	bananas	blueberries	cranberries (dried)
grapes	melon	orange	papaya
peach	pear	pineapple	plums
raspberries	strawberries

Click Here for more information from The Sacemento House Rabbit Society web site.

Guinea pigs (or Cavies)

According to Dr. Curt Nakamura, an exotic vet specialist at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos, California, grass hay is an important part of a cavy's diet:

"One of the most important items in the guinea pig diet is grass hay, which should be fed in unlimited quantities to both adults and baby guinea pigs. It is important to provide an unlimited source of hay because pellets do not provide enough long fiber to keep their intestines in good working order. The long fibers stimulate muscle contraction of the intestines to improve and maintain gut motility (to prevent gastrointestinal obstruction).

Chewing hay is also important. Like rabbits, the molars in guinea pigs are constantly growing and must be ground down by chewing. Constant chewing on hay promotes healthy and normal wear on their molars. Treats and chew sticks are not efficient at wearing the teeth.

Alfalfa hay is rich in protein and calcium, but when combined with pellets it doesn’t have the proper ratio of calcium and phosphorus. This can lead to improper gastrointestinal motility, such as diarrhea. It also may predispose certain guinea pigs to calcium oxalate bladder or kidney stones. Timothy hay is a better choice and is becoming more readily available. It’s important to keep your guinea pig sleek, so cut down on the amount of protein and calorie-rich pellets while feeding timothy hay."

The Chinchilla Diet

A Chinchilla's diet consists of hay, chinchilla pellets and water. Timothy hay is perhaps the best kind. Always make sure the hay has no weeds or anything that could possibly kill your chin. Alfalfa is also another alternative but due to it's high protein content it needs to be alternated with Oat, Wheat & Barley Hay or another low protein high fiber grass hay.

The best kind of water you can give to your chinchilla is bottled water. It has no chlorine in it, and no parasites that can be found in tap water(please make sure it is spring water.). If you do use tap water, always boil it the night before giving it to your chinchilla. That is just as good as getting bottled water. Filtered water is a good preference as well, since it filters 99% giardia out of the water.

For pregnant females, give them a some cranberry juice after they give birth to their babies. Some females don't have milk for their babies because of lack of calcium in their diet. As well calcium deficiency leads to other problems, such as hunchbacks, teeth problems, etc... Calcium can be found in Alfalfa and calf manna and many people use this product and their chins like it. Also give vitamin C to your pregnant chins or chins that are not pregnant.

Treats for chinchillas can be dried fruit or yogurt. Never give them fresh cranberries, fresh fruits or nuts of any kind, unless in small amounts. Never give too much green food, like leafs of lettuce, because this can constipate your chinchilla and make it very unhealthy. Raisins are also a very big thing for treats for chinchillas as well as dried banana. Apricots, papaya, and pineapples are also good (dried of course). Papaya and pineapple are good sources to help prevent hair balls in chinchillas. Never give too many treats to your chinchilla in one day, this can make the chin sick, but it is good if your chinchilla has constipation it is good to give them raisins to loosen stool.

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Rabbits Diet

Guinea Pigs Diet

Chinchillas Diet