Your chinchilla's diet will consist of three things: a quality pellet, good timothy hay, and water. Chinchilla food is not regulated by the FDA, and we do not advise using store brands. We recommend using either Mazuri Chinchilla by Purina or Oxbow's Deluxe Chinchilla. Both carry dates the pellets were milled so you know how fresh they are. If kept in a good container, you should have about a 7 month shelf life. Mazuri is economical at around $10-12 for a 25# bag, and can be ordered from any feed dealer that carries Purina. Oxbow can be ordered online. Fill the bowl about half full until you learn how much your chinchilla eats. Toss the contents if they are soiled. Offer as much timothy hay as your chinchilla will eat. We like Oxbow because it is fresh and contains no dyes. You can find their hay in most pet stores. You can use Orchard grass also, but be careful with alfalfa, it is a richer type of hay. Be sure to offer fresh water daily. Use treats in moderation, only giving them once a day. Some treats include raisins; dried fruits such as banana, pineapple, apple, and papaya; or a fresh bite of apple or grape. Hard chew treats to wear down front teeth can be givenmore often. Our chins enjoy Manna Pro's Apple Wafers or an oatmeat/raisin cookie treat. Both are made for horses and can be purchased at farm stores such as TSC.
Supplies
You will need to have a watter bottle and food cup for your cage. If you use a plastic water bottle, get a metal guard so the chin won't chew the bottle. We like to use 'coop cups' for our food. They are made for birds and bolt onto the wire making them harder to dump. We use a wire hayfeeder, use of one is optional. Chins like to have a place to hide. A pine box works well, or you can get plastic igloos at pet stores. If you want a wheel, please get a safe one such as a solid surface side mount wheel, or a flying saucer type. Wire wheels can catch legs and tails causing injury. You can buy wooden toys, or just give your chin small pieces of untreated pine sticks. Some also enjoy chewing on lava blocks.
Cages
Chinchillas are active, so make sure your cage has room for your chin to move around. A good size would be at least 36"w x 24"h x 18"d. Our pairs are in 36" x 36" x 18" cages with three shelves. We prefer solid bottom pan cages so that the chins have a place to dig, and get off the wire. If you plan to have babies, you will need wire that is 1/2" x 2" or 1" square, otherwise the 1" x 2" wire is ok. Wire shelves work better that solid so that droppings can fall through rather than roll out of the cage. Aquairums do not make good cages for chinchillas because they hold in too much heat and don't circulate air well.
We make our own cages, and would be happy to make one for you if you live near enough to pick it up. (They don't fold for shipping) We have to order our supplies, so please check with us if you would like one made. If we need to order any supplies to make it, prepayment may be necessary. They take about 5 days to make.
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