At some point during your care of your chinchilla you'll probably wonder whether it's safe to feed your chinchilla a particular food. We've been in that situation. Here's a list of food items that we know to be safe and unsafe based on extensive use by fellow pet owners.
Known to Be Safe
Although these foods are considered safe, they should be fed in moderation. They shouldn't be used in place of a proper diet of chinchilla pellets and hay. Also, as with people, some chinchillas may not react well to all foods so give new items in small amounts.
- Fresh Apple
- Plain Cheerios
- Dried Cranberries
- Plain Shredded Wheat
- Raisins
- Organic Cranberry Juice
- Prunes
- Fresh Grapes
- Bran Flakes Cereal
- Dried Apples
- Frozen Grapes
- Banana
- Uncooked Elbow Noodle
- Wheat Germ
- Peanuts (unsalted in the shell)
- Chamomile Flowers
- Dried Dandelion leaves
- Dandelion Flowers
- Nasturtium flowers
- Red Clover Flowers
- Dried Clover
- Oats
- Dried Olive Leaves
Known to Be Unsafe or Unhealthy
Many foods are unsafe for chinchillas because of certain chemicals they contain. Others are simply unhealthy. These should be avoided.
- Rabbit Pellets
Not Sure Whether Safe
As you can imagine the list of possible things to feed a chinchilla are endless. Here are items we've heard people feed their chinchillas or have been asked about. We don't know whether these foods are safe or healthy.
Cactus
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November 11th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Hi Chinchilla Planet. . .
I was letting my chinchilla out one day to play around, and I saw him chewing on something. A few minutes later, I found an apple seed lying around. So if he ate one seed, would it be enough to severely harm him? Thanks in advance =)
August 19th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Chin's produce two kinds of droppings: a soft kind loaded with protien which your chin will often eat , and then the hard droppings wich are strictly waste. depending on which type is being left in your chin's food dish you will want to use your own judgement and what you feel is safest for your pet.
July 13th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
i was wondering if your chinchilla poops in the pellet bowl do you just dump out the food because i have seen that since there stomachs are really senstitive will this make them sick
June 20th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Caroline,
Leaving pellets and hay cubes available at all times is fine. But you need to restrict treats and grains.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I leave a bowl of food avalible for my chinchilla at all times, Should I be doing this? If not how do i get her out of the habbit of eating when ever she wants?