Overview:
The diet is one of the most important things that affect how your chinchilla lives and drastically affects their health. There are 2 main components in the chinchilla's diet: hay and pellets. Hay provides plenty of protein and fiber, while the pellets fill in the rest of the nutrients that hay does not cover. Treats can also be given to chinchillas just as a fun little snack for them, however; it is not required to give it to them. The recommended nutrition for chinchillas is: 30% fiber, 14-16% protein, 35% carbs, 3.5% fat/oil, 4% sugar, 6% minerals, 10% moisture, 32.4 Vitamin D, 14 Vitamin A, and 80 Vitamin E (Poli).
Hay
According to the vet I interviewed at the Hendersonville Exotic Animal Clinic, out of all the different types of chinchilla hay (Alfalfa, alpine, timothy, etc.); Western Timothy Hay is the most recommended to feed your chinchilla (he also advised against providing Alfalfa hay). The brand of hay that I use is Oxbow Western Timothy hay, as it good in nutrition and is not too expensive. Chinchillas should have their hay supply constantly filled every day, as they chew on hay to wear their teeth down to prevent overgrowth of teeth (McLeod).
Pellets
While pellets are essential, chinchillas only need 2 tablespoons of pellets per day (Poli). Pellets are meant to provide the nutrients that hay does not provide, but do not just give chinchillas pellets without providing hay; as pellets do not wear down chinchillas' teeth at all. I recommend feeding Oxbow Essentials as it has a great balance of nutrients a chinchilla needs.
Treats
Treats should be given to chinchillas very rarely, as too much treats leads to too much sugar then eventually death. Some treats that are recommended are dried rose hips, 3-4 tiny slices of raisins per week, and 3-4 tiny dried papaya slices per week (McLeod). 2-3 mountain ash berries per day is also a good choice as well (Poli).
FORBIDDEN FOODS!
Do not feed these to chinchillas as they are extremely unhealthy: anything with meat in it, chocolate, corn/maize, nuts/seeds, excess protein (more than 20%), vegetables and greens (causes bloat), pellet mixes, and tree bark (Poli).
Poli, Miranda. "Chinchilla Nutrition." TIP OF THE MONTH! Chinchilla Chronicles, 2008. Web. 04 May 2016. http://www.chinchillachronicles.com/chinchilla_nutrition_food_and_diet.html
McLeod, Lianne, DVM. "Feeding Chinchillas." About.com. About Home, 2016. Web. 04 May 2016.
Research skills look great. This is a really accomplished blog. have you gotten a lot of views?
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ReplyDeleteNice article! Chinchilla’s eat different types of vegetation but plants that are too lush might upset their tummies, so quantities need to be carefully regulated. Commercial Chinchilla Hay, made especially for chinchillas and produced in pellet form which you can buy from myperkypet- who love those little critters and want to give them the best possible life.
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