As a general rule people either feed chinchillas with a mixed food (e.g. something like Charlie Chinchilla), or they feed them on chinchilla pellets. Fresh water and fresh hay should be available at all times, e.g. Timothy hay and Alfalfa - giving hay is important as it helps wear down the teeth and keep them in trim. It is also a good idea to provide a cuttlefish bone to chew on as this provides calcium which is essential for healthy teeth.
Although both mix foods and pellets are formulated to provide a good balanced diet many chin owners and breeders prefer to use a good quality chinchilla pellet rather then the mixed food. Problems that become apparent when feeding a mix food are:
Pellets and hay are all that are necessary however treats can be given. All treats offered should be low in salt, sugar, fats and oils, therefore commercial foods, e.g. biscuits, crisps, crackers etc. should be avoided. Nuts and seeds should also be avoided or given only occasionally as they are high in fats and oils, for example pecan nuts contain approx. 70g of fat per 100g. All treats should be given in small quantities, and only one or two each day as too much fresh fruit, veg, and grains can cause digestive problems.
Treats which can be given are:
|
fruit, try fruits with seeds, not stones or pits, e.g. raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried rose hips, a banana chip, or a piece of apple, pear, grape, or kiwi. My chins also like dried strawberries and dried pineapple. |
|
veg, e.g. piece of carrot, flaked peas, parsley, chard, romaine, a dandelion leaf (small and washed). Avoid anything gas forming, e.g. broccoli, cabbage. |
|
dried herbs, if available you can pick herbs, then after washing them, hang them upside down (in bunches) in a warm area until they have completely dried out. Herbs suitable for chinchillas include: oregano, comfrey, mint, nettle, dandelion, and raspberry leaves. |
|
grain, e.g. rolled oats, oat grouts, healthy cereals low in sugar like Shredded Wheat or Cornflakes. |
|
nuts and seeds, very sparingly - e.g. almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds. |
|
commercially prepared, e.g. chinchilla crackers (produced for chinchillas and available in the UK), a small piece of dry toast, or an alfalfa-based animal treat. |
The table below is provided for information only to allow a comparison of different nuts and seeds. The fat/oil content is expressed as a percentage, e.g. sunflower seeds contain 47.5g oil per 100g. I know sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds can be fed to chinchillas - I can not guarantee that all the items listed below are safe for chinchillas to eat!
| Nut or seed type | Fat/oil content (%) |
| Pumpkin | 45.6 |
| Peanut | 46.1 |
| Sunflower | 47.5 |
| Cashews | 48.2 |
| Pistachios | 53.7 |
| Almonds | 55.8 |
| Hazel | 63.5 |
| Brazil | 68.2 |
| Walnuts | 68.5 |
| Pine nuts | 68.6 |
| Pecans | 70.1 |
| Macadamia | 76.9 |
Your chinchilla will benefit from some essential fatty acids provided by nuts and seeds. However it is believed that too much fat in a chinchillas diet may make them prone to hepatic lipidosis. Hepatic lipidosis tends to occur in animals which cannot metabolise fat well. It is literally fat infiltration into liver cells - fat globules build up in the cells until they are unable to perform their natural function. Severe hepatic lipidosis can cause major problems and even death.
Peanuts may also be a source of aflatoxins. This carcinogenic mysotoxin is produced by a certain fungi and is a potent poison. It remained undiscovered until 1960 when 100,000 young turkeys died after eating contaminated feed. Aflatoxins appear to work by modifying the structure of DNA in the liver cells resulting in highly corroded livers. It is thought that there is a link between primary hepatocellular carcinoma and the consumption of aflatoxins. Foods most likely to be contaminated are corn, peanuts, and cottonseed, although it has also been detected on other foods.
While many chinchillas are given peanuts as a treat with no apparent ill effects, it is considered better to avoid peanuts, give seeds as a treat instead, and reserve other nuts as a 'special' treat.
This information is included because a few owners have reported tooth cavities in their pets. While the diet of those animals is not known, it seems sensible to limit the amount of sugar your chinchilla eats.
Dried fruit is often high in sugar because the sugar that is naturally present in the fruit becomes more concentrated by the drying process. It is therefore best to avoid feeding fruit with added sugar to your chinchilla.
Information in the table below is based on dried fruits to which no sugar was added. Once again this table is provided for information only to allow a comparison of different dried fruits. The sugar/fibre content of each fruit is expressed as a percentage, e.g. raisins contain 71.4% sugar, and 5.8% fibre per 100g. All these fruits can be fed to chinchillas - in small quantities, e.g. one or two raisin sized pieces.
| Fruit | Sugar content (%) | Fibre content (%) |
| Banana | 29.6 | 6.0 |
| Cranberry | 57.1 | 28.6 |
| Mango | 62.0 | ? |
| Strawberry | 71.4 | 7.1 |
| Raisin | 71.4 | 5.8 |
| Blueberry | 81.8 | 9.1 |
| Apple | 84.6 | 11.5 |
| Pineapple | 86.4 | 4.5 |
Changing your chinchillas diet should be done slowly in order to decrease the risk of digestive problems. Start by mixing in a little of the new food into the existing food, then over the course of a one or two weeks (approx.) gradually increase the quantity of new food, and decrease that of the old food.
When introducing a new treat, again do it slowly - introduce one treat at a time, and when first feeding it to your chinchilla only give a small piece. If you have just bought a chinchilla and are not sure if they have been given fruit before then start by only give one small piece at first.
