Chinchilla Food

Chinchillas have sensitive digestive systems, but the good news is this means their dietary needs are actually very simple. Adult chinchillas only require four things; a high quality alfalfa based pellet, good quality timothy hay, water and safe chews to wear down their teeth.

Chinchillas must never be fed fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds or raisins

Chinchillas should be fed unlimited quantities of pellets and hay. It is rare for chinchillas to become overweight on quality pellets, whereas limiting these can cause a fatal condition called GI statis (bloat). Chinchillas have typically become bigger over the years through selective breeding programmes, so please don't be concerned if your chinchilla is heavier than the average weight guide from online search engine results. Anything from 400 - 1000+ grams is a nice, healthy weight.

Should you be concerned your chinchilla is overweight, please refer to the section below.

1. Chinchilla Pellets

In the UK, the best brand of chinchilla pellets is Science Selective Chinchilla Pellets. In the US, the best are Oxbox Essentials Chinchilla Food or Mazuri Chinchilla Diet. Science Selective is also available in the US, but as the other brands mentioned are better you should one of these instead.

Providing you are feeding a safe pellet, generally you should feed this freely to your chinchilla and not limit their intake. Please note other variations of Oxbow Chinchilla Food, such as Garden Select, are not safe so stick to the essentials chinchilla food only if using Oxbow. These chinchilla pellets can be purchased from most pet shops in your respective county. If you struggle to find these in store, then you can order online from sites such as Amazon or Chewy.

NEVER feed any chinchilla food containing different coloured pieces. These "muesli" style mixes are too high in sugar, can include unsafe items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds and encourage selective feeding. They result in shorter lifespans, as well as serious health issues whilst the chinchilla is alive, such as seizures and fatty liver disease.

Some of these unsafe chinchilla pellets include Charlie Chinchilla, Nature's Touch Chinchilla Food, Mr Johnson's Chinchilla Food, Higgins Sunburst Gourmet Chinchilla Food, Kaytee Fiesta Chinchilla Food, VitaNature Chinchilla Food, All Living Things Chinchilla Food, Brown's Tropical Carnival Chinchilla Food and Verse Laga Chinchilla Nature.

Unfortunately these are just some examples - sadly there are too many to list them all.

Changing to a safe pellet

If your chinchilla has previously been fed one of the unsafe pellets listed above, or any other pellet with different pieces that contains vegetables, fruits, nuts, raisins or seeds, then you must change them to one of the safe pellets mentioned in section 1 instead.

Throw away all of the old unhealthy pellets and replace with the new safe food. At first your chinchilla will protest and not eat much, if any, of the new pellets. This is perfectly normal, they are just missing their old unhealthy pellet. If your chinchilla will not try any of the new pellets, then you can feed timothy hay only for 3 days and then re-introduce the new pellets. Persevere with it and your chinchilla will start eating the new, safe pellets in time.

Charlie Chinchilla - one of the unhealthiest chinchilla foods

Chinchillas typically eat a lot less pellets and hay than other rodents such as guinea pigs, so don’t be worried if they don’t seem to be eating lots. A healthy chinchilla will not starve themselves when there is food available, you just have to be stick with it and wait it out. If a child had never been fed anything other than chocolate, they too would refuse a balanced diet at first. However as an adult, you know that they simply cannot sustain a healthy lifestyle on only chocolate alone. Unfortunately for chinchillas the situation’s even worse than this as unlike chocolate for humans - fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds etc are not safe for chinchillas in any quantity!

So remember you are making this change solely for your chinchilla’s best interests - ultimately these unsafe pellets shorten lives and unfortunately the effects only become apparent when it’s too late. So don’t delay - buy those replacement safe pellets today!

2. High quality hay

For an adult chinchilla, high quality Timothy hay should be provided in unlimited quantities. Chinchillas under 6 months and pregnant chinchillas should be fed both alfalfa and Timothy hay. You may be surprised to know that there are a variety of few types of hay available - however Timothy hay, which is a kind of hay not a brand, is the best type for adult chinchillas. If you choose, you can also feed a couple combination of other types as well, such as meadow, orchard or alfalfa (the latter should only be fed sparingly to adult chinchillas). Timothy hay, should however, make up the majority of an adult chinchilla's intake, due to the high fibre found in this type of hay helping to wear down teeth. You can place your chinchilla's hay in a separate food bowl, or just leave a pile on their shelves for them to eat.

Please don't use wire hay balls, racks or similar to feed your chinchillas hay. Although they may seem harmless, many chinchillas have accidentally strangled themselves in hanging hay balls or had a limb amputated after getting them caught in wire hay racks, feeders and balls.

3. Safe chews

Chinchillas must be allowed to gnaw on safe chews constantly to prevent their teeth overgrowing, which causes serious health problems. Sticks made from safe woods, such as apple or willow, provide a great treat and source of entertainment for your chinchilla, as well as helping to keep their teeth healthy. You can buy these in packs from many pet shops or prepare your own, however be sure to check these are from chinchilla safe wood list here. If you are preparing your own, never give your chinchilla fresh wood, you must prepare it first. Make sure you know the wood is free from pesticides and chemicals, then first scrub down the pieces with a brush to clean them. Next boil your wood for 10-30 minutes, then bake in the oven for approximately 20-40 minutes at a temperature between 90-130 degrees (200-270 Fahrenheit). Larger sections of wood may take considerably longer, you can tell that your wood is ready when it stops steaming.

Lava ledges are also great for chinchillas to wear their teeth down on and can always be bought from the majority of pet shops.

4. Water

Chinchillas should always have a glass water bottle unless their cage bars are so small there is no way they could reach a plastic water bottle. Remember chinchillas can fit their entire body through a 1 inch gap, so they can easily push their nose through a space much smaller than this to chew a plastic water bottle! In America and other countries, it is important not to feed tap water. Despite being suitable for humans, tap water often contains fluoride and chloride as well as other minerals, chemicals and even parasites that can make you chinchilla very ill over time. Instead use filtered or bottled natural spring water. In the UK, tap water is generally believed to be safe for chinchillas, however you may also like to use filtered or bottled spring water if you choose. Ensure you regularly clean the water bottle thoroughly to prevent germs and bacteria building up.

Always check your water bottle is working!

There have been devastating cases of chinchillas who’ve died, simply because their owner didn't realise their water bottle had stopped working. It can be easy to forget how long ago you filled the bottle up, or you may just assume another family member has re-filled the bottle, rather than realising it isn't working. Get into a habit of checking the water bottle is working each day when you feed your chinchillas, by lightly running your finger over the roller ball. It's a good idea to have 2 water bottles attached to your cage, as unfortunately them stopping working is relatively common.

Monitor what your chinchilla eats!

It's important to monitor how much your chinchilla eats, so you know what's normal for them and you'll be alerted early should your chinchilla stop eating at any point.

If a chinchilla stops eating or reduces their intake, they can quickly develop a fatal condition called GI Statis. Therefore you want to be alerted to any change in food intake as soon as possible to prevent this. If you're struggling to judge how much food is being eaten then try weighing out the food in the bowl and the weigh what's left the following day to determine how much is being consumed. If you find there's lots of Timothy hay left that's now soiled, try giving smaller quantities more regularly.

It's also important to weigh your chinchilla regularly, you can place them in a bowl on regular kitchen scales to do this. Any weight loss is a cause for concern and may be due to malocclusion, GI Statis or other serious conditions. Please take your chinchilla to the vet urgently if they have lost weight or have stopped eating as much - delaying in doing so can quickly become fatal for your pet. You may also need to hand feed them critical care in these circumstances.

Is my chinchilla overweight?

Overweight chinchillas fed a healthy diet are rare, however like anything in life there always a few exceptions to the the norm.

Signs your chinchilla could be overweight include a bulge on the head that extends the skull, bald fleshy patches on their underbelly and a stomach that feels loose and flabby.

If your chinchilla has all these symptoms then cut out any treats, encourage them to exercise with a wheel in their cage, as well as playtime, and limit pellets to 2 tablespoons per day. Timothy hay should always be fed in unlimited quantities.

As mentioned, overweight chinchillas are not common and unfortunately far more owners wrongly believe their chinchilla is fat based on outdated information, ill vets advice and mistaking a healthy, round furry chinchilla for fat.

Chinchillas weigh anything from 400 - 1000 plus grams and there is no need to cut back on their pellets unless your chinchilla is also exhibiting the symptoms as mentioned above.