Diet and nutrition

In the wild Chinchillas eat a variety of leaves, shoots, plants, twigs and plant matter. Depending on what is in season the wild chinchilla diet can include Carbonillo and Rumpiato seeds, Renilla, Maravilla del Campo, Monte negro, Doradilla and Cardon leaves, Pingo pingo stems, Copao fruit and various part of Olivillo del Norte, Pasto rey, Cebellin plants this is all forms a balanced, coarse diet that keeps the chinchillas healthy and their teeth worn down. It is difficult to feed this diet in captivity but there are chinchilla pellets available from some pet shops or on line that are nutritionally balanced and made especially for chinchillas. Feed together with good quality coarse hay the low fat high fibre diet will keep your chinchilla happy and healthy. It is widely considered that Chinchilla pellet are the best food concentrate that can be feed to chinchillas. There are two main brands of pellets available, Charnwoods and Duggins, similar pellets are available in some pet shops although if you need to buy in large quantities it is normally best to get it direct from the manufacturer. As with any food it is important that pellets are stored correctly (in a cool dry place) and are used before their best before date as they soon lose their nutritional value if they are poorly stored or are old. There are a few brands of Chinchilla Mixes that are commonly available from both pet shops and vets which are actually an unsuitable food for Chinchillas. They have various treats in them including dried vegetables, maize, split peas, raisins various pellets and chopped hay. The problem with feeding this diet is that Chinchillas have a knack of eating all the treats and leaving the pellets and coped hay, this can lead to all sorts of problems including constipation, diarrhoea and even malocclusion. This feed can alsobe found in pet shops where they have purchased it in bulk and then packed it themselves. This is a very bad way of purchasing mix (if you insist on feeding it to your chinchilla) as you have no way of knowing if it is within it’s best before date and frequently will lead to trips to the vet to sort out your poorly chinchilla. There are some supplements available from top breeders that are designed especially for chinchillas and can form part of a balanced diet when feed a teaspoon 2 to 3 times a week along with the pellets. The main supplement used is available from Debbie Cave, Azure Chinchillas; I regularly feed it to all my chinchillas. The other supplement that I have found has its ingredients listed on the Etherdale Chinchillas website, although i have not used i myself so can’t comment on it’s effectiveness. Hay is the main source of fibre for captive chinchillas. It is essential that it is good quality, sweet smelling, coarse and free from damp and dust. There are various types of hay or hay replacements available, however, it is widely agreed that good quality Timothy hay should make up the main part of the hay that is feed to chinchillas. Some pet shops sell meadow hay that is intended for bedding material and is completely unsuitable to use for chinchillas as it is often mouldy and nutritional deficient, this can have very bad consequences if feed to a chin. It is accepted that chinchillas can be feed TOP quality meadow hay that is commonly available from horse feed suppliers or hay dealers. It is imperative to ensure that is dust and mould free however, both are common faults in British hay as it often rains between the hay being cut and harvested. There are other hay based or alternatives available on the market however most of these should be feed as part of a hay based diet. Hay cakes, cubes and pellets are all convenient hay supplements that are virtually mess free however they are compressed so lack the coarseness that is needed to wear down chinchilla’s teeth. Readigrass and Super forage excel are both hay alternatives that can be feed along side or instead of timothy hay. There is a popular trend to feed dried vegetables, herbs and (some) fruit leaves along side a hay and pellet diet. It is commonly thought that they can help a chinchilla wear down it’s teeth, although some people have had success with feeding this diet to chinchillas with dental problems I am not aware of any veterinary research that has been done to prove that it can be beneficial. However, I do feed small pieces of dried vegetables and herbs to my chinchillas as treats. There are several chinchilla treats that are on the market however, most of the ones available in pet shops have a high sugar or fat content and, contrary to the packaging, are not suitable for chinchillas. The cheapest and by far the most suitable treats are those that would normally be in your kitchen cupboard or garden. My chinchillas get mini shredded wheat, small pieces of Rivita. I also use dried rose petals (that have not had anything sprayed on them during their growing process), I put them in the oven at a low heat for about 20mins, once cooled they can be feed in moderation to chins. Apple tree twigs and willow sticks once washed, I occasionally give a thumb nails size piece of apple or carrot but it is important to remove it once they lose interest as it would start to rot. Other treats that I give my chins are charcoal cobs (although only rarely and normally only if the chin has diarrhoea), rose hips, and chunks of cuttle-fish. I used to give a whole cuttle fish bone but I found that it was getting weed on so I started breaking it in to bits and then giving about 1/3rd of a bone at a time – I found they were much happier with the smaller size and both played and ate it more that a full size bone. Liquorice root Treats to be avoided are Nuts, seeds, millet, chocolate, fruit or wood from fruits with stones. A cautionary note about raisins – Although raisins are used as treats by a lot of chin owners it is worth noting that raisins and grapes are toxic to dogs. There is no evidence to show that they are toxic to chins but then to my knowledge there have never been tests done to find out. However it is well know that overfeeding raisins will result in a chin getting diarrhea, which coincidentally is a symptom of raisin poisoning in dogs. When introducing anything new into a chinchilla’s diet it is important to do it slowly. If you are introducing a new treat give the chinchilla a small piece and then wait 2 - 3 days before giving another piece to allow for any changes to droppings to occur, if there are any changes to the form of the droppings it is an indication that the treat is not suitable and should be avoided. Changing pellet brand or from one type of a diet to another should also be done slowly. I change food over a month, initially I mix 1/4 of the normal amount of pellets with the normal pellet ration for 1 week, and the following week I reduce the normal pellets by 1/4 for a week. The next week I increase the new pellets by 1/4 and reduce the normal pellets by 1/4, again feed for 1 week. The next week I feed 3/4 of the new food and 1/4 of the old food, the following week I feed only the new food. If at any time there is an adverse reaction I go back by 1 week until the problem is solved and then start again.