Feeding Chinchillas.?

Chinchillas are vegetarians, primarily grass and seed eaters. They will eat alfalfa or hay. I find that alfalfa is the best as it has more leaf and less stem, and is richer than Timothy hay which is a favorite of breeders. Feed fresh pellets, and if the only really fresh is guinea pig or rabbit, then that is ok. Some people will tell you that rabbit pellets have hormones in them and are bad for chinchillas. That is a myth, and the reverse is true.

They generally love dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, etc. - but should be given these in moderation. Some also love fresh vegetables like steamed corn on the cob. Each one has specific likes and dislikes, so offer small tidbits to see what they like. Be careful however, they have a tender digestive system and can get diarrhea from too many treats.

Give them a little salt block and a few pressed alfalfa blocks. Since their teeth keep growing, they need lots of good gnawing material. A pumice stone is great, if you can find one. Various woods are also good, such as pine, apple and manzanita. Avoid woods like fir, spruce, plum or redwood. Give some other supplements which you will find under health/supplements. Treat the chewable vitamins as daily treats, and they will eat Vitamin C and enjoy it as much as they do other sweets. You can give each of you types of pellets separately.

However, whatever you give should be fresh and not stale or spoiled. Smell your pellets periodically to be sure they are still fresh.

The chinchilla diet consists of 4 components:

1. Fresh water daily

2. Chinchilla Pellets

3. Hay/Alfalfa

4. Supplement Feed

Rabbit food is cheaper and is an excellent form of pellets for chinchillas. A chinchilla should have a handful of fresh hay daily and alfalfa a couple times a week. Alfalfa cubes give them something to naw on to keep their teeth trimmed down. You can give them small amounts of apples, raisins, carrots, dried cranberries, and yogurt bites. They also like to chew on things so I recommend apple wood, pear wood, and pine wood. A pumice stone is excellent for keeping their teeth trimmed down as well. A salt block is not necessary, but you can place one in the cage. Pine ledges are a favorite for chinchillas to chew on and they also get them off of wire flooring, if you have a wire flooring cage. You may visit my web site to read more information on them if you wish http://www.geocities.com/softfurrycritters/index.h...

Hope this helps and if you need any more info. or have any questions my email address is listed on my web site. I'd be happy to help you. :)

Make sure you give them raisins to keep their kidneys healthy. I had a chinchilla that got very ill and the vet told me to feed him raisins.

I think that they have answered the questions you need... I had to give my chinchilla epsom salt before cause she was constipated. :/

i've had mine for 5 years and I feed mine sunaturals foraging food brand sunseed.