What do chinchillas eat?
A chinchilla eats hay, a small measured amount of chinchilla pellets, and very little else. Their digestive systems are adapted to a dry, high fibre, low sugar diet, and they cope badly with the fresh fruit and vegetables that suit a rabbit or a guinea pig. Treats are where most chinchillas come unstuck.
Hay, constantly
Good quality hay should be available at all times and makes up the overwhelming bulk of the diet. As with rabbits, chinchilla teeth grow continuously and the long chewing action of eating hay is what keeps them worn down properly.
A chinchilla that goes off its hay is worth taking seriously. Dental problems and gut slowdown are both common in the species and both show up first as a change in eating.
Pellets in measured amounts
A specific chinchilla pellet is the right supplement, given as a small measured daily portion rather than topped up freely. Rabbit or guinea pig food is not an adequate substitute because the vitamin requirements differ.
Measuring matters more here than with most pets. A chinchilla filled up on pellets will eat less hay, and less hay is the start of most chinchilla health problems.
Treats, sugar and moisture
Chinchillas are very sensitive to sugar and to moisture in food. Fresh fruit, and most fresh vegetables, are best avoided rather than merely limited, and the dried fruit sold as small pet treats is on the same list.
A small piece of plain dried herb, or a few rose hips, is the kind of treat that suits them. A gnawing block is also worth having, though that is about teeth rather than nutrition.
What these need
Things we stock that owners commonly reach for here. Nothing on this page depends on you buying one.
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Common questions
- Can chinchillas eat fruit?
- It is best avoided. Chinchillas are adapted to a dry, low sugar diet and both the sugar and the moisture in fresh fruit commonly cause digestive upset. Dried fruit treats are the same problem in concentrated form.
- Can I feed my chinchilla rabbit food?
- No, not as a regular diet. The vitamin and mineral balance is formulated for a different animal. A chinchilla-specific pellet alongside unlimited hay is what they need.
- How much pellet food does a chinchilla need?
- A small measured daily portion, which is typically around one to two tablespoons for an adult, rather than a permanently full bowl. The hay is the meal; the pellets fill in the gaps.
- What treats are safe for chinchillas?
- Plain dried herbs, a few rose hips, or a small piece of their usual hay in a different form. Anything sweet, fatty or moist is best left out, which rules out most of what is marketed as a small pet treat.
Related
Sources
Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.