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[Chin_Vinny]

I've heard of raisins as the standard treat for chinchillas, and that they like unsweetened shredded wheat, and according to youtube they like unleavened bread Chinchillas and Bread, and was wondering what else do they like? Is any unsweetened cereal good for them? (cheerios, chex, puffed rice?). Also, dad gave my 2 chins half of a frozen grape which they 'shared' half of (more like take a bite, get it stolen by the other, and back again)

[Stacy]

Chins do love raisins, but they only need 1 a day. I don't know about the bread. The only time I have given mine bread was when he had soft poop and that was burnt toast. I have read that unsweetened cheerios are ok. I have never gave my chins grapes. I think it would mess with there stomachs to much, but I am not sure. Before I try anything new I like to ask and see what other people think before I do it. As for youtube I have seen people do a lot of things in those videos that there is no way I would do to my chins. I am sure some one with more experience and knowledge on chins will post to help ya out.

[Joyce]

My chins love to get a regular cheerio for a treat!  They also get an occasional papaya cube or raisin or shredded wheat square.  Sometimes I will give each of them a small pinch of old fashioned (not quick) Quaker Oats in my hand for them to nibble.  Those are my favorite treats of choice to give, but only one treat per day. 

[Megan]

I'm hesitant to give raisins anymore. Grapes and Raisins are proving toxic to more and more animals all the time, so I'm wondering how this would affect a chinchilla over a long period of time. On another board I recently saw where a grape killed a hedgehog. They are also now said to be toxic to dogs.

Personally, I don't do treats often anymore. When I choose to give a treat(maybe once a month anymore if they are lucky) they get a shredded wheat, or a rose hip.. Once in a while a crasin, or dried papaya..

[tinabeana]

Maggie used to love plain cheerios, and she was so cute eating them like it was a mini doughnut but lately she has turned her nose up at them. So occasionally she'll get a piece of a raisin or an oat and apple wood sticks, all of which she loves.

[Summer]

I give a raisin once every few weeks or so they love them. 

[Jo Ann]

Hi Chin Vinny

author=Chin_Vinny link=topic=306.msg2992#msg2992 date=1156950185]
I've heard of raisins as the standard treat for chinchillas, and that they like unsweetened shredded wheat, and according to youtube they like unleavened bread Chinchillas and Bread, and was wondering what else do they like? Is any unsweetened cereal good for them? (cheerios, chex, puffed rice?). Also, dad gave my 2 chins half of a frozen grape which they 'shared' half of (more like take a bite, get it stolen by the other, and back again)

     Chinchillas will eat (and most of the time enjoy) anything they can get their little teeth into ... even if it is NOT good for them.  I had a very sad e-mail from a girl who's parents' friend gave her little chin a BBQ rib ... the chin loved it ... smacked it's lips in appreciation and even begged for more ... it did not get any more and it died the next morning.
    Just because you see it or read it, please do not believe it!
    Safe treats are: rose hips, papaya, raisins, cranraisins, chinchilla cheerios made from alfalfa, apple tree twig (from a tree that has not been sprayed), I have also seen human unsweetened Cheerios and unsweetened mini wheats as treats with no apparent ill effects.  When a chin has diarrhea, burnt wheat toast is good for them.
With my little ones, they will get the same treat once a day for a week to make sure it is not going to affect them badly (diarrhea), if there is no ill effects, I mark it as one they can have and test a new one the next week.  If you see any ill effects, discontinue that treat immediately!
     Watery fruits and veggies (watermelon, grapes, lettuce, etc.) are not good for your chin and will give them diarrhea as a general rule.  This is one of the reasons dehydrated fruit (raisins, cranraisins, papaya) is given to them.

 
Jo Ann

[Linda]

Hi Jo Ann    How do you know if treats are going to have any long term effects even if they don't have any effect at the time?  I got my chins from someone who fed them three raisins and one or two peanuts per day plus one whole apple every three days which in any chin owner's book is really excessive.  Even as a newcomer I knew this was not acceptable .  As you will know from my input in Q & A my Timmy died after an operation but I still have Lucy  .  She has been weaned off her high sugar and fat diet and now has alfalfa or a dried cocktail mix (berries, bark, etc) for treats.  Since I have had her she has had one fingernail sized piece of apple.  She is so much more responsive and I can't help but wonder whether it was her diet that made her sluggish.  When I tried to interact with her initially, she would not do anything unless there was a treat involved.  She is now out of this habit which I managed in about three weeks.  She only gets a treat when she goes back into her cage after her playtime.  She wasn't on good quality pellets either but now I have got her on a high quality brand.  I am still very much in the learning stages of what is good and what is not, and wondered whether some things that might not initially effect them, may not be the best for them long term.   I tend to work on the fact that their natural habitat consists of dried food only. Correct me if I have this wrong - I live in the sub-tropics and could have this completely wrong.  I have also heard of some owners treating their chins to what we call Porky Chews - dried pork ears - really high in fat and used as a dog treat.  Would really appreciate any opionion. 

[chinclub]

Hi Linda,
That is a good point!  Many pet owners feed their chinchillas bad foods because they don't see the immediate effects.  We just have to do our homework and look to the ranchers for that info.  Here in the USA chinchillas have been raised on ranches for years.  Many of our current ranchers have been in chinchilla breeding for 20-40 years!  Over the years they have learned what is best for our chinchillas and we as relative new comers try to learn as much as we can about what has proven safe and we stick to that!!  We know that raisins are safe because chinchillas have been eating them for decades with no ill effects.  We know that nuts, fresh fruits, and veggies are bad because we have seen their ill effects and we (chinchilla breeders as a whole) have researched the life of chinchillas in the wild and know that these things are not part of even a wild chinchilla's diet.

Just as with our own human diets we look to the experts to tell us what the healthy foods are, what foods will kill us over time through high cholesterol, etc, which ones help prevent heart disease...we have to look to the old-timer chinchilla ranchers to show us what is best for our chinchilla friends.

So it comes down to good research and finding a good mentor!!

As for dried pork ears, those are not good.  Keep in mind chinchillas are not meat eaters so their food and treats shouldn't contain meat. 

[Jo Ann]

Thanks Linda & Jamie,
    Again, I need to clarify.  Even with proven treats (ones that have been used for many years with no known ill effects), you have to find out if they may cause a problem with your chin in a more immediate circumstances.  We have found that chinchillas all have unique personalities, no two are exactly alike. Each may have a slightly different metabolic system, that would not be a surprise either. As with humans, chinchillas often react differently to different foods and to the amount given to them that is other than what they are use to.  This is the reason for giving a single treat for a solid week, to make sure it has no immediate ill effects on your chin.  If you are giving it several different ones, it will take longer to find out which one is causing the problem.  During which time your chin has to continue to suffer.

  Some chinchillas do have allergies, like humans.  A mild allergic reaction may be diarrhea, a more severe one can kill a chinchilla.  A severe allergic reaction is called antifalatic shock, in preliminary autopsies it is often diagnosed as irritable/inflamed bowel/stomach and the fact that it was an allergic reaction is often never known.

    Known things that will cause a problem over time are as follows, but not limited to:
meat and/or meat by products, (They will eventually block up the intestines, chinchillas are strict vegetarians and can not digest meat or meat by products properly.),
nuts (They contain an oil that can not be properly digested and as a rule, end up causing a fatty liver which can cost a chin it's life.),
watery fruits and veggies (They can cause diarrhea, diarrhea can dehydrate a chinchilla.)
sugar and sweets(Over a period of time,or given in excess, it is thought it may cause diabetes to surface in chinchillas.)  There are many more things that are NOT safe for them to eat than there is that are safe for them to eat!  Please play it safe and give only the known, tried and trusted, treats to your chinchilla.  As Jamie said, for these we have to turn to the "ole timers" ... the ranchers that have raised chinchillas for decades, not just years.  The researchers that see thousands of chinchillas over many years for the tried and true answers.  "After Forty Years" by Alice Kline and "The Joy of Chinchillas" by Lani Richie are two of the best resources for those who do not know or have a rancher as a mentor.

 
Jo Ann