Why I Created Niblee™: Nutrition With Integrity
After years immersed in animal care and working directly with chinchillas, I kept running into the same problem. Nearly every feed I picked up had wheat, soy, or other low-cost filler ingredients listed at or near the top of the label. These formulas were not built for chinchillas. They were built from what was left over in larger livestock systems, where efficiency matters more than precision.
And I watched my own animals struggle because of it.
Not all at once. Not dramatically. But slowly. Subtle digestive issues. Inconsistent stool. Coats that never quite looked right. Unexplainable deaths. And sometimes outcomes that were much harder to explain. Unexplained illnesses. Unexpected losses. Animals that should have been stable, but were not.
At the same time, I was opening bags and seeing things I could not ignore. Inconsistent quality. Signs of poor storage. Feed that simply did not feel like it was built with care. On paper, everything looked acceptable. In reality, it was not holding up.
I was doing everything I thought was right. Feeding what was available. Trusting what the label said. Following what was considered standard.
But something was off.
Over time it became clear that chinchillas were being asked to adapt to feed that was never truly designed for them. Calcium and phosphorus ratios were often misaligned. Fiber structure was inconsistent. And most importantly, it felt like no one was truly building around how hindgut fermenters actually process and depend on their nutrition.
These animals were being fed to just survive, not to thrive.
So I set out to do something different.
I did not set out to create a product for the market. I set out to create the very best feed I could for my own animals, without cutting corners and without considering cost as a limiting factor. Every decision was made based on one question: does this benefit the animal?
My chinchillas and rabbits deserved the very best. A feed actually developed for them. I prioritize what I put into my own body. It should be no different for them.
Every ingredient had to have a purpose. Every decision had to hold up in the real world, not just on paper.
And when I was done, the difference was clear.
Health stabilized. Digestion became consistent. Coats improved. Random deaths stopped. The animals that had been struggling started to truly thrive.
At that point, it did not feel right to keep it to myself.