What is Fibre?

There are two types of fibre found in feeds/forages etc ....

ADF's (acid detergent fibre) - are the least digestible - and found in the stems and stalks.

NDF's (neutral detergent fibre) is more digestible - and found in the leaves of grasses.

Chinchillas seem to do better (gut and tooth - wise) on a type of diet higher in ADF (acid detergent fibre).

For example .... Timothy hay contains a minimum of 32% fibre of which @ 25.10% is ADF.

Fibre is made up of different components: cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin - the lignin bit is the least digestible ADF.

Fibre benefits chinchillas in two main ways .....

1.  It requires plenty of chewing using the molars (with a characteristic side-to-side chewing motion).  This helps with correct dental wear.

Fibrous sources such as hay are digested in the hind gut or caecum, utilising probiotic microbes.

For enzymatic and microbial action to digest fibre efficiently, the chinchilla needs healthy teeth to grind feed and allow enzymes and bacteria to attack the plant cell walls.

2.  Fibre also provides plenty of undigestable "bulk" that assists the transit of food through the digestive tract.

Analysis reproduced from this website .............

http://www.equiworld.net/uk/horsecare/feeding/articles/a/HayTypesforPerformanceHorses.htm

• Choose hay that is fine-stemmed - not too sun-bleached and leafy.
• Avoid hay that smells mouldy, musty, dusty or over-fermented.  (Mould spores will appear like very fine smoke if the hay is shaken under a strong light-source)
• Avoid hay that contains significant amounts of weeds, dirt, rubbish and other debris.
• Examine hay for any signs of disease. 
• If you by hay by the bale - reject any that seem excessively heavy for their size or feel warm to the touch - try to feel the centre of the bale when checking. (Excess moisture that could cause mould - usually in the centre of the bale first).
• When possible - buy and feed hay within a year of harvest to preserve its nutritional content.
• Store hay in a dry, cool and well-ventillated area - out of the elements. 
• Do not store hay in plastic bags - as it will sweat and become mouldy.  Store in containers with a good air-flow.
• Do not feed "young" hay - as this can cause bloat.  After harvesting hay should be allowed to cure for around 5 months before being fed.
• Machine-dried or fast-dried hay products will be much greener than usual (but still feel dry to the touch).  Machine drying improves the nutritional content of the product.  It should not be confused with "young" green hay.

Well this is where things drop into the realms of personal choice.

Provided the hay/grass product that has been purchased is of good quality and is palatable to the chinchilla, then the final decision rests with the individual owner ultimately.

There are many types of hay and forage products on the market, it is almost impossible to list them all here. 

They range from baled hay from a horse feed supplier, country store or pet shop (for a few pounds) to top quality imported hay (which can cost more than £50 a bale) from a specialist supplier (contact me for supplier details if interested).

I usually feed one good handful of hay, per chinchilla, daily.  If they are wasting too much of it, then this is reduced slightly (bearing in mind they get 1 tablespoon of pellets per chinchilla daily, as their concentrate staple).

Alfalfa should be fed as a treat only and not on a daily basis as a hay-replacement, as it is a rich feed very high in calcium and oxalates, which can adversely affect adult chinchillas.

However, one thing that has not been mentioned in this article (although it has been mentioned elsewhere), is that hay can also be a useful tool in improving environmental enrichment.

Many breeders prefer to feed a convenient, quick, low-mess hay product (i.e. hay pellets, etc) - simply because it is easier for them.  While I can fully understand this if a breeder has hundreds of chinchillas in their care, if relatively smaller numbers of chinchillas are kept, then I can see no reason why an owner/breeder cannot feed a hay product that they can also derive mental stimulation from too.

Chinchillas love to play with long stalks and stems, pulling them from their hayracks and throwing them around the cage, making quite a mess. 

This does no harm to the chinchilla, but improved consumption can be encouraged by feeding a better quality, more palatable hay that the chinchillas really enjoy eating.   Feeding less treats and a measured amount of pellets daily, also helps reduce hay-wastage too.

If you feed a good basic diet of pellets and a daily handful of a top quality hay, you wont go far wrong in my opinion.