First of all, chinchillas belong to herbivorous rodents. But unlike their close relatives, guinea pigs, these little animals eat very little. At the same time, irrepressible energy and chic fur require a large expenditure of nutrients. The food for them should be high in calories, contain a lot of protein and carbohydrates. It so happened that in their natural habitats the vegetation is meager, it is not easy to get food, but at the same time it is nutritious and varied. Therefore, in captivity the ration of chinchillas should contain a sufficient amount of grain forage, as sources of high-grade proteins and carbohydrates, grass and hay should also be present. They, so-called, semi-concentrated type of feeding (about what concentrates can be read in the article “What to feed a rabbit?”).
Chinchillas, it happens, are distinguished by their fastidiousness in eating fodder, the new food is tasted with caution, and the old one is often bored by them. Therefore, it is desirable that the diet for them is not only nutritious, but also as diverse as possible. It’s good to have a large selection of products on the menu. It is rare to see that the chinchilla greedily attacks the food. Most often: will eat a grain, come up to you, look thoughtfully, eat a nut, jump around the cage, eat a grain … It is important that there is always a food in the cage not corroding: grain, hay, delicious granules. If you provide the animal with a good spacious cage so that it can actively move, let go of the walk, do not give a lot of fatty foods and treats, then it will not have obesity. Chinchillas are very energetic animals!
To ensure that the population of bacteria does not decrease, it is necessary that the diet contains a lot of fiber and easily digestible carbohydrates. The last animal can receive from grain forages. As for fiber, it should be remembered that if for us vegetables, fruits, herbs are good sources of it, then herbivorous animals have slightly different criteria. Therefore, in order to provide the animal with fiber, in winter and summer in the cage there must be a bunch of good hay.
