Diet and Nutrition
Chinchillas have very temperamental digestive systems and can very quickly become seriously ill if fed the wrong kinds of food.
Now you’d assume that being descendants from the wild that chins would avoid foods that could be harmful or poisonous to them, but I can tell you from experience that this is not the case. In the wild, a chinchillas dam would teach it which foods to eat and avoid, but in captivity this phase of learning never got passed on. Because of this grown chins will quite happily eat foods that can cause them serious harm, in fact they seem to go out of their way to find things they shouldn’t be eating! For instance our old male Dusty was obsessed with a fern plant we used to keep in the playroom which we had to remove after discovering it could be toxic to chinchillas, he actively sought out the plant no matter where we moved it or what else we offered him instead. I have no doubt that some of these dangerous snacks probably smell or taste appealing to our little critters, and never having learned to avoid them it’s no wonder they try to eat them, so it’s up to owners to learn what our chinchillas should and shouldn’t be eating.
Chinchillas are prone to gastrointestinal distress if their diets are changed too quickly or often and so any changes should be made by slowly mixing their old and new foods together over a couple of weeks and slowly removing the old food from their diet.
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Water
Chinchillas require a constant source of water and it should be offered fresh daily. Water should be provided in a plastic or glass bottle rather than a dish as chins can become ill if their fur becomes too wet.
Water straight from the tap contains harmful chemicals which, over time, can cause a build-up in the chinchilla's system and can shorten your pets lifespan. The safest option is to provide water that has been boiled in the kettle and left to cool.
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Hay
In the wild chins eat grass, leaves, twigs and bark. They need a good deal of fibre in their diets to keep their digestive systems working. Our chins require a basic diet of good quality hay and different types or brands of hay have different fibre content. I would recommend any labelled as either alfalfa, timothy or meadow hay. Alfalfa is high in calcium and fibre which is good but should not be fed exclusively or daily as it is also high in protein which can cause urinary problems. Alfalfa is especially good for young or breeding chinchillas.
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Pellet
In addition to hay chins can be offered a small daily handful of grass based pellet foods. These encourage good dental health and add nutritional supplement to their diets. Many owners use pellet foods as the main diet and offer little hay but in my experience chinchillas will often show less interest in pellets when hay is offered and do not mind being without pellets for a couple of days. A good diet consists of a balance of both. I personally give mine a mix of 'supreme science selective chinchilla' and 'burgess' pellets
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Treats
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the idea of giving chinchillas ‘treats’ and about which food items make good or bad treats. In fact many commercially bought ‘chinchilla treats’ such as stick seed treats and yogurt drops contain food items quite harmful to your pets and you must always make sure to read the ingredients list before giving your pet anything, even if it has been made for chinchillas.
As mentioned before, chinchillas have very sensitive digestive systems and they cannot handle fats, oils or sugars.
However, since we are human and we love our pets it can be hard for us not to give our chinchillas a treat now and then, with that in mind I’ve compiled a list of safe and unsafe food items that can be given as treats --->
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Teeth
Chinchillas are rodents which means that their teeth are constantly growing and need to be worn down by the foods they eat. We can aid this process by offering safe, chewable toys specifically made for rodents but their diet plays the most important role. Without the correct diet chinchillas are prone to dental issues which make it painful for the chinchillas to eat and drink.
If a chinchilla is experiencing dental problems and stops eating it can loose its health and weight rapidly and can die if left unattended. Dental issues can also be expensive if left too long before treatment.
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Muesli
Many pet shops sell mixed foods for chinchillas which may seem more interesting and appealing to owners but these are not a healthy option and should be avoided. These bags often have a large quantity of seeds and nuts which are too fatty for chinchilla digestive systems to handle and can make the animals sick, I have even seen unsafe and toxic foods included in these mixes before and would never recommend them for chinchillas.
With mixed foods is that chinchillas will often pick and choose which items they prefer to eat and leave half the mix as waste. You might not be surprised to discover that the items the chins do eat tend to be the least healthy options and as such chins on this diet can become overweight and tend to have shorter lifespans.
