Safe and harmful foods for chinchillas

[on:]

There are many differing opinions on safe and harmful foods that can be given to chinchillas as a treat. In my opinion it's better to be safe than sorry. It is said that we get more pleasure giving treats than the chinchilla gets from being rewarded with one. When giving your chinchilla treats please do so in moderation. Most chinchilla owners suggest only one or two small treats a week. Any chinchilla under six months of age should not be fed any treats at all.


Safe treats for chinchillas:

• Cheerios - Only the plain kind. Honey nut and other kinds are not good for chinchillas
• Old Fashioned Oats - Just a small pinch.
• Rosehips - Usually a chin favorite.
• Shredded Wheat - A small piece of the plain spoon sized kind. The ones with frosting are no good for chinchillas.

Harmful treats for chinchillas:

• Bay Leaves
• Fruit - No fruits of any kind weather they are fresh or dried they can cause GI problems such as diarrhea and bloating.
• Nuts - Any type of nut should be avoided, they contain high levels of fat.
• Raisins - There is a lot of debate on weather or not raisins are okay for chinchillas. If fed there is no immediate health issues associated with raisins. The reason I put raisins on the harmful list is because raisins contain high levels of fructose. Excess fructose consumption may contribute to obesity. In rats high fructose levels caused hypertension and also is associated with too high of levels of blood fat.
  
• Salt Lick - Chinchillas do not need a salt supplement.
• Sunflower Seeds - They contain high levels of fat.
• Vegetables - No vegetable of any kind weather they are fresh or dried they can cause GI problems such as diarrhea and bloating.
• Yogurt Drops - Contain high levels of sugar.

[Reply #1 on:]

My chinchillas eat just about everything you have on your unsafe list and I would have to say, they are pretty healthy.  At least the breeder I bought them from says they are.  I have had them for close to two years now and have had no problems excepts for hair rings and that has nothing to do with their treats.  I think it has alot to do how much they are interacted with and how much you give them.  My chins are given lots of time to exercise outside of their cage each day and have a pretty big cage for the three of them. I also limit the amount of treats they get.  I also know a lot of chin owners through my breeder who feed their chins much of the same stuff or even worse (potato chips?) and they are living to ripe old ages of 8, 9 or even 12 years old. I agree that it is a preference thing and that everything should be gven in moderations, though.  It is much the same as people.  Eat too much of the bad stuff and don't exercise, problems will occur.     

[Reply #2 on:]

I think I will have to update this article a little bit more. There is a lot of personal preference so I should try to make things a little bit clearer. I totally agree that some things if fed in moderation are acceptable.

[Reply #3 on:]

Talon - I had to do something similar with my sugar glider list. A lot of the items are OK only in moderation. It's kind of tough choosing which category to put certain foods in.