What do Chinchillas Eat? #Strawberries #Oranges #Carrots #Grapes #Bananas

If you really love your Chinchillas, it is extremely important to ensure that you feed them what they actually are looking ahead to. Of course, Chinchillas are herbivorous, and they would need a lot of grass and plants.

In case you are purchasing a chinchilla, or you have already purchased one, you should learn how to feed them and what to offer them. So, here are a few excellent options that you would need to focus on and learn how to feed your chinchillas.

Before you learn that, it is essential to understand what fruits and vegetables can Chinchillas eat.

What Does Chinchilla Eat?

Chinchillas are one of the cutest pets ever. Being herbivorous, they would need an extremely fiber-rich diet. They would also need a lot of low fat and moisture-filled diet. Make sure you feed your chinchillas with the food rich in some of the most essential elements.

According to the experts, you should ideally feed the food that is rich in 35% carbohydrates, 15% protein, 30% fiber, 4% sugar and extremely low fat. In fact, eating any food low in fiber content can make your chinchillas overgrow their teeth. This is likely to lead them to chew fur.

Chinchillas tend to eat a lot of plants, but too much lush in the vegetables may cause issues with their digestive system. Make sure that you have regulated it properly.

What Fruits and Vegetables can Chinchillas Eat?

If you are interested in knowing the fruits that chinchillas can eat, a few of the best options would include:

While the fruits can have excellent fiber content, the best source for fiber is through the consumption of vegetables.

Some of the vegetable options that can be a good option for chinchillas can be:

What Should be the Best Basic Diet for Chinchillas?

Well, we have already mentioned that chinchillas are herbivorous. However, that should not mean that they can eat practically any plant produce. There are a few specific areas that you should b focussed on when making the right choice. You would need a piece of particular knowledge and enough understanding about the diet best suited for Chinchillas.

The perfectly balanced diet for chinchillas can include two primary elements – pellets and hay. While commercial chinchilla pellets are available across pet stores, opting for the natural food may be a good option. Do note that fruits and vegetables can be a good option in many cases, but we would recommend limiting the contents to just around percent of the total diet.

A few good options from that perspective can include carrots, kale, parsley, dandelion greens, lettuce, collard greens, and turnip greens. If you are looking for strawberries, peas, bananas, and apples. Ensure that you have chopped the fruits and vegetables into smaller parts. It should be noticed that the leftovers of any of the food left inside the cage. In case the chinchillas are unwell, never ever opt for fruits and other food items that are high in sugar.

Water is yet another essential element that forms part of the chinchilla diet. Keep enough water and ensure that it is fresh. Pure and filtered water without chlorine content would be what can be a great choice. It is also important to refresh the water content at frequent intervals.

What do Chinchillas Eat in The Wild?

The diet of the chinchillas in the wild is entirely different from what you would observe in the cage. Entirely herbivorous, they do feast on a wide range of food such as bark, foliage, seeds, cactus fruit, flowers, and grass.

However, that should not mean you should feed them the same food that they consume while in the wild. Doing so can get them ill. In the wild, the chinchillas tend to have a very active lifestyle. This is not the case while in captivity.

While they can be quite herbivorous in many cases, you would also find that they tend to eat a few small insects and bird eggs. In addition, the chinchillas in the wild do eat grasses, seeds, fruits, small plants, and plant leaves.

Here are a few items that chinchillas eat in the wild:

Please note that these are the scientific names of the plants that wild chinchillas eat. During the monsoons and similar colder climates, the chinchillas in the wild eat shrubs and bushes.

The chinchillas in the wild do not consume much water. Since the wild has plenty of succulent plants, you would find them eating these plants to meet their water requirements.

Can Chinchillas Eat Rabbit Food?

Well, that would be something that would need a thorough understanding of the food habits of both rabbits and chinchillas. That would mean you should never give rabbit food to the chinchillas.

A few of the experts suggest that offering high-quality rabbit food can be suitable enough for the chinchillas. However, how would you be able to ascertain the quality of the food? No rabbit food would be labeled to be safe for the chinchillas. Just make sure that you are feeding your chinchillas with the right quality of rabbit food. If you are in doubt, do ensure that you DO NOT feed rabbit food to your pet chinchillas.

What Human Food Can Chinchillas Eat?

Well, chinchillas do not eat human food. In fact, even if you make them eat such food, it may be a strictly bad idea. We would not recommend feeding your chinchillas with human food.

Of course, there may be a few food items that your Chinchilla may like to have, but you do not necessarily know whether it is good enough for the chinchillas as well. Just like with the rabbit food, we would definitely recommend you opt for the best possible advice from the experts, or choose not to feed human food at all.

What Food Should You Avoid?

Chinchillas do have a seriously delicate digestive system. You should NEVER feed the following food to your pet chinchillas:

Always keep the right amount of water and hay in the cage. Hay should be changed quite frequently as it can get moldy. If you are looking to improve the diet of your chinchillas, do not change it suddenly. Abrupt dietary changes can be a considerable risk, and your Chinchilla may not be able to adjust.

And yes, chinchillas do eat their own droppings. There is nothing wrong with it. They do it for absorbing the essential nutrients. If you find your Chinchilla doing it, do not discourage it. The food rich in fats and sugar, such as nuts and seeds, should be avoided.

A Few Questions – The Diet habits of Chinchillas

Let us check out a few dietary habits of chinchillas so that you would understand what your pet is looking ahead to.

The Closing Remarks

Well, chinchillas can be one of the strange and unique pet animals and can be your best companions. However, understanding their diet habits can be a key to ensuring better care for the pet. We assume the tips offered here should ideally go a long way in helping you get access to the best possible access to an enhanced experience of pet keeping.