A varied diet is important to maintain the health of your chinchilla. Treats also provide a way to build trust. While raisins are clearly favored by our chinchillas, we also try other products to provide variety and balance.
Carrot Cake Treats
These treats currently rank at the top of our list of favorites. Their shape and size allow us to hold on to the treat while allowing our chinchillas to nibble. We can get them to sit on us or stand on their hind legs while eating. Quite entertaining.
Herb Kracker Sticks
These sticks of seeds are messy, but well liked by our chinchillas. Their size makes them good for encouraging our chinchillas to sit or stand in certain positions for photos. However, because the seeds come off easily, our chinchillas often eat and run.
Chinchilla Cocktail
This treat is a blend of dried fruit that seems like it should be appealing to chinchillas. What we found is that our chinchillas do indeed eat it, but they prefer certain items over others. Unlike some other treats that you can hold between your fingers, this mix needs to be served in the palm of your hand which means you can't do things like have your chinchillas stand on their hind legs to reach the treat.
Entries (RSS)
June 27th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
My chinchilla absolutely LOVES raisins too.
July 15th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
I've read on a few websites that giving a chinchilla too many treats can make them real sick. My chin is 4 months old and I was wondering how many raisins a day would be OK and wouldn't do any harm. Thanks.
July 16th, 2007 at 6:35 am
Brittany,
I full grown chinchilla shouldn't get more than a raisin a day. With a young chinchilla like you're we'd probably not give any just to make sure that the proper nutrition is being received from "real" food. That last thing you want is for the raisin to be eaten in place of hay cubes and pellets.
September 1st, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I am just about to buy a pet chinchilla and before I do I would like to do a little research. At the pet shop I go to the only kinds of chinchilla treats that they have are called 'Ultra Bites, Fruit and Nut Chinchilla treats'. Are these appropriate to feed my soon-to-be chinchilla and, if so, how much should I give her a day?
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:31 am
Lauren,
We haven't tried that particular product. We're generally pretty trusting, but remember these things are treats and should be given in moderation. They aren't meal replacements so it's important that your chinchilla continues to eat pellets and hay.
September 26th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I have read that rose hips are a good treat for chins. I have rose hips on my plants outside. Can I feed those to my chin? No pesticides were ever sprayed on the roses.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Jodi,
To be honest, we're not sure about fresh rosehips. One would think they are OK, but we've only used dried ones.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I have two chinchillas one standard female(sweet pea) and one violet male(booger). I am looking for rose hips but cant find any for sale other than already in food or with other treats mixed in. Do you know where to buy dried rose hips by themselves?
August 10th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Steven,
We never found a bricks and mortar store that had rosehips, but Chinworld.com sells them.
September 18th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Rose hips can be purchased at your local whole foods or organic grocery store for about $12/lb.
You can by them whole, or crushed and sifted.
I don't recommend the vitakraft sticks, carrot things, or the cocktail. All of these treats are high in sugar and fat- which chinchillas cannot properly digest. Over feeding these kinds of treats can result in fatty liver, diabetes and sugar od in chins.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
no because you might not know if neighbors been doing things or spraying things around your plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!common sense
November 14th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
is it ok to leave a whole apple in the cage for the chin?
November 15th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Kiara,
Simple answer: no