How to Care for a Chinchilla

1 How to Care for a Chinchilla

1. How to feed a chinchilla

Feeding young chinchillas:

1. Under 8 months, feed mainly pellets, alfalfa, and timothy; alfalfa is the staple for nutrition, with timothy twice a week to ease the gut.

2. In youth, provide ample food in small, frequent meals to meet nutritional needs without causing obesity.

Feeding adult chinchillas:

1. Adults eat mainly pellets and timothy; stop feeding alfalfa.

2. Besides staples, give occasional chinchilla treats. They are easy to make: small diced pieces of fresh apple, carrot, or hawthorn, 1 to 2 pieces every other day.

3. Adults need 20 to 40 ml of water daily; keep it clean, such as boiled or purified water, never cold or dirty.

2. Precautions

1. Avoid watery fresh vegetables and fruit to prevent diarrhea; apple is acceptable.

2. No peanuts or soybeans: peanuts are oily and soybeans swell in the gut, risking blockage and death.

3. Discard leftover pellets and hay; chinchillas reject what they find unpalatable or low in nutrients, and spoiled leftovers can cause serious harm if eaten.

4. Control alfalfa despite its nutrition; it is a young chinchilla staple, but for adults limit it to twice weekly as their needs drop.

5. Keep the cage in a cool, airy spot, but not in a draft that could cause a chill.

6. In hot, stuffy summer, cool the chinchilla to prevent heatstroke.