There is much debate as to whether to provide extra calcium for our chinchillas - for healthy teeth and bone development - or not. Some owners do decide to suppliment - in the form of cuttlefish, vitamin and mineral supplement, calcium block or mineral water etc etc.

However, many people cannot understand why chinchillas can still get dental problems when they have always received adequate amounts of calcium in their diet - so hopefully this topic may go a little way to explain why (disregarding genetic or hereditary causes).

Chinchillas actually require either 2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus or equal amounts of calcium to phosphorus in their diet for healthy bones and teeth. Lots of extra calcium alone is not as beneficial as we think (may also predispose some chinchillas to calcium deposits in their urinary system).

Hay, Readigrass and Supa Forage Excel (SFE) are all naturally calcium to phosphorus balanced - and most quality chinchilla pellets are too.

So how is calcium absorbed?

The body does not easily absorb calcium. It needs to be ingested in an ionic form and have vitamin D present for it to be fully absorbed. Some sources of calcium are more ionic (absorbable) than others.

Calcium is absorbed through the intestinal wall (duodenum) into the bloodstream. Vitamin D assists with this - and that is why adequate vitamin D is also needed in a chinchilla's diet (generally included in the pellets).

When levels of calcium in the bloodstream become low, various hormones are released and this triggers certain functions that remove and deposit calcium to and from the bones when needed.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates uptake of calcium into the bones - but the absorption of calcium also requires the activity of specialized cells: osteoblasts. These osteoblasts also make the bone-structure, upon which the calcium can be deposited (stored). Removal of calcium from the bones (to where needed) requires the activity of cells called osteoclasts.

Obviously the removed calcium has to be replaced again - via the process described above. If the diet is deficient in calcium then the stores in the bones become depleted.

Daily calcium supplementation confuses this process - and can actually cause similar symptoms to calcium deficiency. Here is why..

If more calcium is absorbed into the bones, from the bloodstream - the production and activity of both osteoblasts and osteoclasts is increased. If lots of calcium is absorbed, then lots of calcium is also removed (as excess is only stored in the bones temporarily) . But 50 to 70% of the composing osteoblasts die during this exchange activity.

The more their activity is stimulated, the more they die.

Because the number of times any cell can reproduce is fixed, the reproduction capacity of that cell will be exhausted sooner if too much calcium is absorbed into the bloodstream and then skeletal structure, on a regular basis.

If the reproduction capacity is exhausted, there will be a lack of new osteoblasts. And since only osteoblasts can make bone-structure, too little new structure will be made. Without this, the calcium cannot be deposited, and new bone cannot be composed, because there is a lack of structure upon which to build and replacement cannot occur.

As with all minerals - the body normally only absorbs just as much calcium from the food and bloodstream as it needs regardless of how much calcium is given.

But if calcium is given too regularly then the body has to do something to prevent the blood-calcium level from rising too high - so, in order to save life, excessive dietary calcium is ONLY TEMPORARILY stored in the bones, prior to excretion.

Since all this extra calcium is absorbed due to the action of osteoblasts, (as already explained) these osteoblasts die sooner, leaving you with too little new bone-structure!!!

After the excess calcium has been absorbed into the bones, two hormones stimulate deportation of calcium from the bones, and the third one stimulates excretion of calcium into urine.

So..... bones CANNOT hold on to extra calcium - so all that calcium eventually gets excreted anyway.

Therefore it is only recommended that calcium supplements are added to the diet once or twice a week (if needed) and NOT DAILY (unless there is medical reason)!

So what is the best way to ensure chinchillas can make the best use of the calcium they get?

1. Only give a calcium supplement once or twice a fortnight and not every
day!!!

2. Make sure the chinchillas diet contains adequate amounts of vitamin D
by feeding fresh chinchilla pellets.

3. Try to ensure that the chinchillas diet is calcium to phosphorus
balanced.(by feeding a simple diet of pellets and hay - and ensuring
any supplements are correctly balanced)

4. Remember Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins D, A and C -
are the nutrients needed TOGETHER - in the RIGHT BALANCE that help
keep bones and teeth healthy!

I hope that this is of interest.

Debbie. smile.gif

Note: Info taken from a website (cannot credit as cannot remember addy). Has been slightly re-written and altered by myself.

Just adding a section on working out nutritional ratios - as this links in with the calcium topic ........

Chinchillas require calcium to phosphorous in the ratio of around 2:1 respectively (or at least 1:1) to ensure healthy skeletal and dental development (in conjunction with vitamins A, C and D) - as discussed!!

It is very likely that chinchillas can tolerate calcium ratios well in excess of the suggested 2:1, but more importantly, it is wise to ensure that the chinchilla is NOT eating a diet that has an inverted calcium:phosphorus ratio, as this (over time) may result in a decrease in bone density.

Most pellets are calcium to phosphorus balanced - here are a few examples……

Calcium/Phosphorus
Mazuri (Nutrazu) 0.9%/0.25%
Oxbow 1%/0.25%


N.B. I have only mentioned these particular brands of pellets, as they declare their calcium and phosphorus percentages, this is not necessarily an indication of quality.

Most hays are naturally calcium to phosphorus balanced too. (This also includes Readigrass (Justgrass) and Supa Forage Excel, which are dried grass products)

Some examples:

Calcium/Phosphorus

Meadow Hay 0.29%/0.23%
Timothy Hay 0.43%/0.20%

Alfalfa hay (a lucerne not a grass) is high in calcium, and is a high energy food.
Alfalfa 1.24%/0.22%

Many of use also feed grains/cereals (oats/wheatgerm) in addition to pellets and hay - and I have borne this in mind…….

Cereals contain an inverted calcium to phosphorus ratio. Here are some average values.
Oats 0.05%/0.34%
Wheatbran/germ 0.13%/1.13%
Barley 0.05%/0.34%

It is worth bearing in mind that hays and grains are natural products and their mineral content may vary somewhat, depending on where and how they are grown, how and when they are harvested and how they are stored.

N.B.

At the risk of boring you all, there is a way of calculating what ratio of calcium of phosphorus your chinchillas get in their diet…….

1. Weigh what you would feed one chinchilla in a day (these are examples only)……

Pellets 40g
Timothy Hay 40g
Oats 1.75g
Wheatgerm 1.75g


2. Multiply the weights by both the calcium and the phosphorus % content

Timothy Hay Calcium = 0.43 x 0.40 = 0.172g
Timothy Hay Phosphorus = 0.20 x 0.40 = 0.08g

Pellets Calcium = 1 x 0.40 = 0.4g
Pellets Phosphorus = 0.25 x 0.40 = 0.1g

Oats Calcium = 0.05 x 0.175 = 0.00875g
Oats Phosphorus = 0.34 x 0.175 = 0.0595g

Wheatgerm Calcium = 0.13 x 0.175 = 0.02275g
Wheatgerm Phosphorus = 1.13 x 0.175 = 0.19775g

3. Add all the calcium totals together = 0.6035g
Add all the phosphorus totals together = 0.43725g

4. Divide the total calcium by the total phosphorus.
0.6035 divided by 0.43725 = 1.45

So - this diet is 1.45:1 calcium to phosphorus

All of the above ratios are adequate and are not inverted.

Alfalfa given as an occasional treat will bump up the calcium levels slightly.

This is why a diet of pellets and hay is recommended - as it takes the guesswork out of balancing vitamin and mineral requirements!!

I hope that this is of interest.

Sie schädigen einfach bei diesen Tieren die Transporter in der Dünndarmwand für Calcium derartig nachhaltig, daß kaum mehr Calcium aufgenommen werden kann

- Frage: Ist es denkbar, daß durch Kurzhalten der Inscisivi mittels Ytong der Kontakt der Backenzähne zueinander verbessert werden kann?

- Frage: Ist es denkbar, daß durch Kurzhalten der Inscisivi mittels Ytong der Kontakt der Backenzähne zueinander verbessert werden kann? Somit also Spitzen vermieden werden können, weil die Kaufläche wieder benutzt wird und nicht Spitzen in den ggf. durch überlange Frontzähne entstandenen Spalt wachsen? Oder bade ich da gerade in Lötzinn?!
Und wo wir gerade dabgei sind - wie ist eigentlich die Härte von Ytong?

Jep, machen meine auch. Wenn der Stein neu ist, ab dann ist er uninteressant....