Hi,
I'm getting 2 chinchillas in about a month! I'm very excited. I've done a lot of researching on all their needs, and I think (I hope!) I'm ready to take care of them. (:
The only thing I wanted to be sure of was treats. There are a lot of conflicting opinions on treats. I know you should only feed them 1 or 2 small treats a day. Here's a list of what I'm planning on feeding my chinchilla for treats. Are they all safe?
Raisins (only occasionally, maybe once a week. I know they're high sugar.)
Oats (old-fashioned, not quick oats)
Rose hips
Cheerios? (I know some people say not to feed these, but other people do. Are they okay?)
Alfalfa hay (given small amounts like a treat with their regular timothy hay) or alfafa hay cubes
salt licks
Sunflower seeds (only about once a month since they are high fat)
Dried papaya
Craisins (instead of a raisin, not in addition to)
Dried pineapple
I've also heard they like toast, and cuttle bone (like for birds). Are these okay?
Thanks so much for your time! Do you know of any safe treats that I'm missing, too? (I know you can feed them dried herbs, but there's so many kinds you can give them and a bunch you can't so I find it a bit confusing!)