Caring for your chinchilla

When it comes to properly caring for your pet chinchilla, the internet provides sites, forums, and AI snippets all purporting to give the best, most reliable advice. Let me be honest: there is a lot of good advice out there, but for every good source, there are at least 10 sources that are providing either passively bad, or actually harmful information. My aim with this page is to provide the latest information backed by years of solid husbandry, current studies, and networking with others in the chinchilla community that have worked with these amazing animals for a combined knowledge base that spans the equivalent of a few centuries.

There are two studied species of chinchillas in the wild: Chinchilla chinchilla (formerly Chinchilla brevicaudata), the short-tailed chinchilla, and Chinchilla lanigera, the long-tailed chinchilla. Our pet chinchillas are descended from C. lanigera, who are native to only north-central Chile, and were thought extinct until the late 20th century. C. lanigera remains an endangered species in the wild, alongside C. chinchilla.

I mention where our pets originate in order to provide foundational knowledge on their species adaptations for their environment in the wild, which translates to their needs in captivity. By understanding the wild chinchilla, we can better understand and provide more optimal food, habitat, husbandry, and overall care for them in our homes.

For more information on the status, the history, and the ongoing conservation efforts of the wild chinchillas, I urge you to check out Save the Wild Chinchillas.

Feeding Your Chinchilla

Two main points to keep in mind when feeding your chinchilla:

  1. NEVER LIMIT PELLETS

  2. Food should be pellets only, no extra “bits”

Think of your chinchilla as a toddler: if they can get their mouth/teeth on something, they are going to chew it, which is both a precautionary bit of advice, and a warning. If you offer a child a bowl of Lucky Charms, they are happily going to eat every marshmallow in the bowl, and eschew the plain wheat bits, but if you offer them Honey Nut Cheerios, they will eat the whole bowl without noticing they are missing anything. Pellets are the primary source for appropriate nutrition and necessary tooth wear, and should always be the foundation of your chinchillas diet.

Why do I say to never limit pellets? Many bags of commercially produced chinchilla specific food will have the instruction to provide “2 Tablespoons of food per day”, which is not only bad advice, it is harmful. The GI tract of a chinchilla is constantly in motion, and for healthy function, they “graze” throughout the day, waking up to nibble some pellets multiple times. They do not come to the bowl and ingest a single large amount at a time. By limiting their available pellets, there is a risk of gorging behavior, weight loss, and failure to thrive. A healthy chinchilla that is provided with a full bowl of appropriate pellets will not overeat, will not become overweight, and is at less risk for intestinal stasis.

The following foods are acceptable to use for your pet chinchilla:

  • Blue Seal Bunny 16

  • Oxbow Essentials (red bag only)

  • MannaPro Pro Rabbit

  • Mazuri Chinchilla

  • Supreme Science Selective

  • Nutrena Rabbit Feed 16%

  • MannaPro Sho Rabbit

  • Blue Seal Show Hutch Deluxe 17

  • Kalmbach Feeds 17% Pellets Chinchilla Food (50 pound bags only) - Cygnus Chinchilla and Maine Chinchilla Shelter Food

In addition to pellets, it is a good idea to provide hay for your chinchilla to chew. Hay can be in loose form or compressed cubes, and most hay is safe for chinchillas. When choosing, look for greener as opposed to straw-colored, and always sift through the loose hay you feed to remove any impurities that may have been gathered along with the hay. Remember that this is an agricultural product harvested and baled in fields, so some odds and ends may wind up in with the edible bits. I have found desiccated frogs, rodents, bailing twine, twigs, and leaves.

Safe Hay Types:

  • Timothy

  • Alfalfa/Lucerne (There has been misinformation that chinchillas cannot have this due to the calcium content; this is due to outdated studies done on other rodent species.)

  • Meadow

  • Orchard

When feeding hay, I find it is easiest to place a pile on the cage floor next to the food dish because that is where it is going to wind up. If you choose to attempt to keep it contained, I recommend an external hopper to reduce the risk of injury to your chinchilla.

NEVER USE HANGING HAY FEEDERS! These products have been known to cause serious injury and even death in chinchillas!

If you or someone in your household has a grass allergy, compressed hay cubes are an excellent alternative to loose hay. It reduces hay dust and airborne allergies.

Treats!

Like many animals, chinchillas are absolutely food-driven, and treats can be used for bonding, attention, and training.

Just like with any animal, treats should be just that: treats. Given rarely and never to the detriment of the nutrition provided by pellets and hay.

Daily Treats:

Treats that can be given daily are predominantly chews. Items that assist with dental health and the need to chew, but not necessarily ingest.

Wooden Sticks:

  • Apple

  • Aspen

  • Bamboo

  • Cholla

  • Elm

  • Grapevine

  • Hazelnut

  • Kiwi

  • Magnolia

  • Pine - kiln-dried only

  • Pear

  • Pecan

  • Rose

  • Sycamore

  • Willow (except white)

  • Yucca

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start!

Chews:

  • Pumice stones

  • Dried loofah

Bi-Weekly Treats

Treats that should be given sparingly, no more than twice per week as too many can override the nutritious food your chinchilla should be eating.

  • 1 spoon-sized, plain mini-shredded wheat

  • 2 plain Cheerios

  • 1/4 teaspoon whole rolled oats

Traveling With Your Chinchilla

Something I am asked with relative regularity: is it safe to travel/move with my chinchilla, and if so, how?

Chinchilla breeders have been traveling the country with their show animals for more than half a century, we still do! My record so far is a little over 7,000 miles (11,256km) in a 30-day span of 2024.

All of these trips involved chinchillas in my car. So the answer is: yes! You can travel/relocate with your chinchilla(s).

Some things to consider:

  1. Where are you heading?

  2. Intracontinental movement is generally less restrictive and needs the least amount of documentation.

    • International movement can be easy, difficult, or impossible with your chinchilla(s) depending on the laws and documentation required. As of now: chinchillas cannot be imported into Australia or New Zealand (NZ allows chinchillas from the UK, with a lot of hoops).

      1. Verify document/veterinary requirements in your country of origin, and the entry requirements in the terminal country - you don’t want to lose your chinchilla due to a missing form!

  3. What time of year?

    • Chinchillas can be safely transported via a reliable vehicle year-round. If traveling in warmer months, ensure you have a safety plan in place in case of vehicle failure or unplanned stops, and even for planned stops.

    • Chinchillas can be transported via plane, only during cooler months. Remember: delays and mistakes happen, you don’t want your chinchilla baking on the tarmac.

      • Many airlines stopped animal transport during Covid, and have not started back up. Chinchillas are generally only allowed in cargo, and each airline will have its requirements for caging, documentation, arrival times, etc.

        • As of now, the only two domestic airlines I am aware of that will transport are Alaska and Delta.

        • As noted above: each airline will have requirements surrounding carrier type, availability of food and water, labeling on the carrier, etc.

  4. If the travel is not for moving purposes: how long will you be gone? What cage will your chinchilla(s) be in for the duration??

How to Successfully Travel:

  • Have a plan: if your trip will extend beyond a day’s travel, know generally where you will stop. If you stop for food or fuel during warm weather and/or sunny days, make sure the vehicle is parked in the shade, with adequate air flow. If the air temperature outside is above 65*F, it may be necessary to leave your vehicle running with the air conditioner on.

  • Prior to travel (I generally start a week out), I provide increased Vitamin C in the form of rose hips, usually one per day for the week before, during, and one per day for the week after travel.

  • I do not provide water while the vehicle is in motion if the water bottle is the traditional metal ball version, as the vibration causes significant water leaks and you will wind up with a sodden cage and soaked chinchilla. There are water bottles with stem/nozzle/nipple valves that will only dispense water when the stem is depressed. These are what I provide during travel, and what I would recommend for airline travel as well. If your chinchilla is not used to this type of bottle, it should be introduced at least a month prior to travel so your chin can become proficient in its use.

  • I do provide hay or hay cubes, some food, a few sticks, and some other items to chew on, but for the most part, your chinchilla will sleep while you are in motion.

  • Ensure you have a small, secure cage for transportation. Ideally the carrier should be metal, with the ability to cover the top and adequate ventilation. Carriers should be small in order to reduce the risk of injury due to sudden stops, maneuvers, or accidents (the more empty air space in the carrier, the further your pet can be thrown inside the carrier, and the higher the risk is for severe injury).

    • All Things Bunnies has all-metal carriers, as does VanHouten Cages (FB). I prefer VanHouten, as they are made to order, and collapsible, so they are easy to store when not needed.

    • Ideally, the carrier should be on a rear seat, and strapped in with a seatbelt. Placing on the floorboard can increase the temperature in the cage, and front seats can have deadly airbags.