Feeding Information:

Pellets

Pellets are a very important part of a chinchilla's diet. Pellets supply the necessary nutrients that keep your pet happy and healthy. When looking for a proper pellet, it is best advised to stay away from pet store foods (such as L&M, Hartz, Charlie Chinchilla, Sunseed, etc). These do not supply the proper nutrients that chinchillas require. Some better foods that are consistently suggested are: Oxbow Chinchilla Deluxe, Mazuri Chinchilla, Tradition, and the Kline Diet. Please keep in mind that these are just a few examples and that there are other foods that are still good as well.

Hay

Chinchillas, like most rodents, have teeth that continue to grow throughout their life. This means that they constantly need roughage as part of their diet, which helps keep their teeth from overgrowing. Grass hays, such as Timothy, Bluegrass, Sweet Meadow, and Oat Hay are musts for your chinchilla. It helps add necessary fiber to their diet, and supplies roughage that keeps their teeth worn down. Timothy hay is one of the more common grass hays to be fed. When choosing hay, you want to make sure it is fresh, green, not too dusty, and is safe for horses. Feeding Alfafa and other Legume hays can be used, but should be fed in moderation as they can lead to diarrhea. Each variety of hay forces a chinchilla to chew using different surfaces of their teeth, which helps keep them evenly worn down.

Treats

We all know that our chinchillas love their treats. As hard as it is to resist, however, we can't give them too many. Treats should be given only a couple times a week, and when given you should only give one treat. There are several things that are good for chinchillas such as : Cheerios, dried apples, dried pineapple, Rose hips, rolled oats, and raisins. I try to give healthier treats, such as Rose hips and their oat mix more often then the other treats, as they are healthier. Remember, chinchillas don't necessarily know what constitutes as a "treat.” Chinchillas even think that apple branches and new toys are treats; it doesn't always have to be a snack!