What is the Best Food for Pet Chinchillas? Top Chinchilla Food Brands for 2020
There was a time when people only thought about cats and dogs as their house pets. Although these animals are still quite popular as pets, many people also opt for small sized animals as their pets. Animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, and rats are popular small animals that can be kept as pets at home.
Talking about chinchillas, these are rather good as pets. However, taking good care of these animals may be a problem as these are sensitive creatures. It is also true that finding the right sort of food for your chinchillas may be challenging as you have to keep certain factors in mind while choosing the best food. The quality of the food and the quantity of the product are your primary concerns.
Top 5 Chinchilla Food Brands
Types of Food Chinchillas Can Have
Talking about chinchillas, these are basically herbivorous animals. They just have plant-based food items. However, there are some specific types of foods that chinchillas can also have in order to remain happy and healthy. At the same time, there are also some types of foods that should be avoided at all costs when it comes to your pet chinchilla’s diet.
- Loose Feed Mixture: You will find several types of chinchilla foods in the market that are available in the form of a loose mixture. Always opt for those loose mixture foods that are especially made for chinchillas. However, you can certainly feed pet loose mixture feeds to your pet occasionally as treats. Your pet chinchilla will invariably pick the tastiest of the lot and leave the rest. Thus, they will not get the proper nutrition it requires.
- Hay: When you talk about hay, it is basically obtained from dried grass and also happens to be one of the most essential meals for your pet’s proper diet. This is why it will be a good idea to provide a variety of hay to your chinchillas on a daily basis. Talking about varieties of hay, there are several types in the market. It includes Timothy hay, Oat hay, Orchard grass, and Alfalfa hay. Timothy hay is considered to be the best and is generally green in color. It is available in 3 types of cuts depending upon the type of eater your pet actually is. Oat hay happens to be a great source of fiber and contains pretty low amount of protein. Orchard grass is generally leafy hay and is pretty high on fiber. Alfalfa hay is generally good for sick, young, nursing or pregnant chinchillas as it is pretty nutritious and tastes sweet.
- Pellets: These are basically commercially made foods for chinchillas. They are made in the form of pellets and come packed with multiple nutrients that are necessary for chinchillas. These types of pellets are readily available from online and physical stores. It is always recommended to feed pellets to your pet chinchillas as this will ensure that your pet gets the necessary nutrients it needs to stay healthy and happy.
- Water: It is important that you always provide fresh and clean water to your pets, since hay and pellets do not contain enough water. You will find several types of water bottles in the market that are especially designed for chinchillas. It is mandatory for you to ensure that the bottle is clean and you change the water on a daily basis to prevent the growth of algae. This may give rise to the growth of bacteria that may prove to be harmful for your pets.
What Type Of Treats Should You Give Your Pets?
When it comes to begging for treats, chinchillas are masters in this act. However, you, as the owner of the pet, should be stern enough with the animal, since overeating may lead to health complications. Always make sure that you give treats to your pet chinchillas only after it has eaten its daily food. It is also important for you to ensure that you do not provide too many treats to your chinchillas as this may make the animal to refuse its regular healthy food.
Some of the treats that are normally given to chinchillas include dried rose hips, hibiscus, as well as, dandelion leaves. These animals love to have seeds, nuts, and dried fruits. However, it is always recommended to feed them these treats to a bare minimum. This is simply because these animals have a tendency of gaining weight very easily. The high sugar content in these types of treats may also give rise to various digestive problems.
Greens and Fruits
It is also a good idea to feed your pet chinchillas with fresh vegetables and fruits. These provide the necessary nutrients to your pets and also help to boost the water intake. It is always important to cut the vegetables and fruits into fine pieces. Always make sure that you feed your chinchillas with fruits and vegetables occasionally. It should also comprise approximately 10% of the entire diet. However, do not feed them with fruits and vegetables if they are sick. Also, make sure to get rid of these food items from the cage once they lose their freshness.
It is needless to say that you should pay special attention to their droppings. If your chinchilla is healthy and eats properly every day, it will pass plenty of dry droppings. However, if your pet does not produce much or any droppings may indicate that the animal is ill and requires proper medical attention.
Never make the mistake of making sudden changes to your pet’s daily diet. Instead, it will be a good idea to introduce new foods slowly and gradually. This can help your pet stay away from diarrhea and also stay healthy. Chinchillas can easily fall ill due to a shock to their digestive system. Do not forget to consult a vet if you notice some strange behavior from your pet after the introduction of a new food.
Best Chinchilla Food List
If you take a look at a local pet store, you will be surprised to notice the large array of foods that are especially made for chinchillas. Choosing from an ocean full of options may not be a simple task, especially if you are a first time chinchilla owner. Thus, we have come up with a list of some of the best chinchilla foods in the market that you may feed your beloved pet.
① Oxbow Essential Chinchilla Deluxe Chinchilla Food
This food product is basically an alfalfa-based pellet food that is especially made for chinchillas. It contains all the essential nutrients that are needed by these small animals. Some of these nutrients include vitamin B12, vitamin E, and vitamin C.
Some of the ingredients in this organic high-protein chinchilla food product include alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, soybean oil, soybean meal, lignin sulfonate, limestone, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, and folic acid, to name a few. Pros Cons
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② Kaytee Fiesta Gourmet Variety Diet Chinchilla Food
This chinchilla food product has been designed with the perfect blend of seeds, grains, vegetables, and fruits. The pellets are shaped and colored differently and are also available in different textures. This will keep your pets interested while foraging for food. The Kaytee Fiesta Gourmet Variety Diet Chinchilla Food comes packed with a large array of ingredients and essential nutrients such as omega-3 and DHA for brain, eye, and heart health. There are also prebiotics and probiotics in the food that help to support digestion.
Some of the ingredients in the food product include whole oats, sun-cured alfalfa meal, raisins, dried papaya, ground corn, dried banana, peanuts, salt, dehydrated Sweet potato, calcium carbonate, algae meal, soy oil, sunflower, barley, citric acid, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc oxide, vitamin A supplement, and cobalt carbonate.
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③ Brown’s Tropical Carnival Biscuits Chinchilla Food
This chinchilla food is basically a combination of chinchilla food and treat. This food product has been designed keeping the dietary needs of chinchillas in mind. The food is in the shape of tiny bites that these animals will find pretty simple to grasp and chew. It contains a wide array of nourishing ingredients along with some special ingredients such as baked Zoo-Vital biscuits and rose petals.
Some of the natural ingredients in this food product include ground Timothy hay, dehydrated alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, ground oats, corn gluten meal, ground corn, wheat flour, cane molasses, calcium carbonate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin E supplement, dehydrated ground strawberry, peach, apple, pineapple, carrot, banana, and sweet potato, to name a few.
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④ Higgins Sunburst Gourmet Blend Chinchilla Food
This food product is rather helpful in helping your pet chinchillas remain fit and healthy all the time. It is formulated with special species appropriate sun-cured hay, dried mixed fruits, pre-cooked legumes, and flaked vegetables. It is designed to help encourage the natural foraging nature of your pet and also boost its natural appetite.
It contains omega-3 fatty acids that help to promote a healthy overall well-being and probiotics that support your pet’s tummy and immunity. Some of the other ingredients in this product include vitamin A supplement, papaya, wheat, dried beet pulp, barley, vitamin D3 supplement, potassium chloride, vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, and much more.
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⑤ Mazuri Chinchilla Food
This food for chinchillas is basically a nutritionally complete food product available in the form of pellets. This food is designed for chinchillas of all age groups. It contains multiple fiber content that also includes Timothy hay and flaxseeds, which is the primary source of omega-3 fatty acids in the product. Omega-3 helps to keep the coat and skin healthy and shiny for the animal. The inclusion of probiotics is also important to boost natural digestion.
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⑥ Kaytee Timothy Complete Fiber Diet Chinchilla Food
This is a fiber-rich all-natural food product that is especially made for chinchillas. The fiber content in this product will take care of the natural digestive process and will also help to keep their teeth and gums trim and healthy while they chew the food. The Kaytee Timothy Complete Fiber Diet Chinchilla Food contains sun-cured Timothy hay along with several fiber-rich ingredients such as oats, wheat, and alfalfa meal.
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⑦ Tiny Friends Farm Charlie Chinchilla Food
This chinchilla food is both delicious and nutritious. It contains a high-fiber recipe that is designed to encourage natural foraging in chinchillas and also provides a complete nutrition along with a balanced diet. Suitable for all age groups, this food product does not contain any added sugar. It includes a variety of ingredients such as Timothy hay, wheat, carrot, and alfalfa hay to name a few.
Some of the other ingredients include sunflower oil, soya bean meal, soya bean hulls, linseeds, flaked peas, and calcium carbonate amongst many more.
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⑧ Vitakraft VitaNature Natural Chinchilla Food
This chinchilla food product is made with diverse ingredients that makes it rich in nutrition. The food pellets are available in different colors that also help the natural foraging behavior of your pet. It is a perfect blend of herbs, greens, natural flowers, grains, berries, and vegetables. It is also rich in fiber and is suitable for chinchillas of all age groups.
Some of the ingredients in this product include ground oats, wheat middlings, dehydrated alfalfa meal, chopped Timothy hay, calcium carbonate, dried yeast, vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, potassium sulfate, magnesium oxide, salt, vegetable oil, ground beets, dried raspberry leaves, dried dandelion leaves, and much more.
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Conclusion & What is the Best Chinchilla Food
By now you must have some knowledge about the type of food you need to buy for your chinchillas to lead a healthy and happy life. All the food products discussed here in the list are of good quality and your pets will get all the necessary nutrients from them. However, the best of the lot was the Oxbow Essentials Chinchilla Deluxe Chinchilla Food (CHECK BEST PRICE HERE).
It contains a nice blend of stabilized nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin B12, and vitamin C. it also contains a great supple of alfalfa hay and grass that should naturally comprise of a majority of their daily diet. The food product is especially designed for young chinchillas. This product will boost the natural immunity system and the overall health of your pet.
It is not a good habit to be in a hurry to buy the right food product for your pet chinchillas. These are rather sensitive creatures and any sort of harmful ingredient in their food can lead to various health issues. Thus, it is always better to do proper research and then choose the best food product for your pet. It will also be a good idea to read through the various user reviews. This will help you decide whether you should opt for a specific product or keep on looking for something better.
