How to choose food for chinchillas?

Chinchilla is a friendly animal, it has a fairly high intelligence. This animal needs to provide good living conditions and properly feed it. Therefore, the owner of the pet, coming to the pet store, must acquire good food for his pet. And yet, before choosing a food, you need to take into account the characteristics of your animal.

Under natural conditions, chinchillas do not have a huge selection of food, but she wants to try sweet products. If she is offered an assortment of food, then she will choose sweet foods. These animals like fruits and berries, they can eat fresh fruits or raisins. If you keep a chinchilla at home, it will be difficult to feed her. But still, animals need to eat such food, which will contain many useful trace elements. The main thing is that the pet ate at once all its portion and did not leave any residues.

A feature of these animals is a weak intestine. According to physiological data, the intestine has a long size, because of this, the time from digesting food and releasing the intestine increases. The intestine perceives plant-based foods, so any other food can cause constipation. For this reason, pets are not allowed to give food waste, meat products, mushrooms, potatoes, sweets, dairy products, and fried nuts. All of these foods are fatty and will be difficult to digest in the intestines of animals.

The pet should not eat too much food at a time, it needs to be given a small portion. No need to overfeed it too much. If the pet is poorly fed, it will lose hair.If chinchillas are given sweet foods, then the rodent's teeth will go bad because of them. Food must be given dry. If the owner of the animal wants to make the feed himself, then all the products need to be dried and cut into small pieces.

Animals love foods such as carrots, rose hips, apples, Jerusalem artichoke and carob. These ingredients must be given to the pet only 2 times in 7 days. If a new food is purchased, then it must be given slowly, otherwise the animal will have an allergy. If any new, forbidden food is given to the chinchilla, then you need to follow the reaction of the animal. If the rodent feels good, then the portion of this food should be increased slowly.

Since the chinchilla is a herbivore, you can collect grass for it yourself, only away from the track. It is worth paying attention to the fact that pets that were born in the winter are hard to switch to grass in the summer. There is fiber in the grass, which can be badly digested by winter pets. But if fiber is not present, the chinchilla will develop inferiorly. Thanks to fiber, nutrients enter the body of the rodent. For this reason, grass for animals must be offered carefully so as not to cause an upset stomach for the pet. These animals always like to chew something.

You need to carefully choose food for your pet, since the digestive system of the pet is vulnerable.

If you choose a factory feed, then it will consist of the elements necessary for the normal functioning of the body of the animal. Factory feed is represented by the following varieties:

• concentrated - has cereals, beans, nuts, dried fruits, nuts;
• hay - dried stalks of cereal crops;
• green feed - sprouts of plants.

The main food is concentrated, and hay and green fodder are used as additives. The main thing is to know that food that is intended for other rodents should never be given to chinchillas. Such foods will contain ingredients that are not suitable for chinchillas.

Cereal food - feed, which includes crops, which contain the nutritional properties necessary for the pet's body. These substances are perfectly absorbed in the digestive system of the animal. The main ingredients are cereals and beans. Dried grass may serve as an additive. Bran, wheat, oilcake, Pancake week crops, fish and meat and bone meal may also be present in such feeds.

When a sharp and stale smell comes from the feed, it is better not to get it. Such food will cause serious digestive diseases.

There are two types of grains - whole and granular. The difference between these two types is their shape. To save on feed, you need to use a granular view. Chinchilla likes to select only certain elements and leaves some of the food uneaten; because of this, food debris will be scattered throughout the pet's dwelling. The animal will eat the whole granular feed. But some chinchillas are finicky and do not eat granular food, so you need to purchase a grain mixture.

If the shelf life exceeds 90 days, then this food contains preservative elements to add shelf life. Such elements can lead to disease of the animal. The food elements contained in the granule can diversify the nutrition of chinchillas. And also the animal receives various vitamins that its body needs. Food for a rodent needs to be purchased in special stores or made independently at home.

Feed manufacturers can compress grass in granules. They need to be given to the pet 3 times in 7 days.If the supplements are made on their own, then you need to carefully collect the grass so that the pet could not be poisoned. It is necessary to collect herbs in a clean space, away from the transport road. After the grass has been collected, it must be thoroughly cleaned and dried. A moisture-containing product should not be given.

There is a huge range of feeds with different compositions. To understand which brand is the best, you need to get acquainted with the rating of the best feed mixtures. This rating is based on reviews from the owners of these animals.

Beaphar XtraVital Chinchilla is made in the Netherlands. He is the best food, therefore, ranks first among the rest. The mixture contains protein, fiber, proteins and carbohydrates. These substances provide the animal with energy, chinchilla is active. Pellets of the correct shape and texture allow rodents to grind their teeth well. This food can be used for all chinchillas.

The manufacturer of this food is Italy. The composition of the food includes granules, grains, dried fruits, vitamin C, substances that support the body in good condition. The mixture is the main diet, and it can also be served with hay.

Manufacturer - Belgium. Granules are compacted and dense, they provide normal grinding of teeth in the chinchilla. The feed contains prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, which provide good functionality of the body. It also contains carbohydrates and fiber, with the help of which food is well absorbed in the pet’s stomach. With the help of fatty acids, the coat becomes smooth and bright.

This food is produced in Germany. If the owner opens the bag, then in the future this food needs to be stored in a darkened cold place, as the rays of the sun can ruin the composition of the ingredients. Products include substances such as dried herbs, fruits, vegetables. And also the product contains inulin, which contributes to the normal digestion of the animal.

The manufacturer of this food is Belgium. The product was developed according to the needs of the chinchilla. The composition of this product includes cereals, a variety of herbs, vegetables, fruits, amino acids, vitamins. All these substances help the animal to keep fit. Food can be both a basic diet and an additive mixture.

The producer of this feed is Germany. Granular mixture is used as the main food. Granules have the necessary vitamins and fiber, they have no sugar, they support the good functionality of the animal’s body. The food is suitable for chinchillas of different ages.

This is domestic feed. It consists of cereals, vegetables, peas, carrots, corn flakes, oats, apples, barley, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruits. This feed should be given to chinchilla as a supplement, it is not the main food. The product is organic, as it does not contain artificial substances. The main thing is that this food should be given little by little.

This product is also produced by a domestic manufacturer. The product is of high quality and affordable price. The composition includes granules, pieces of vegetables and fruits. Thanks to such a balanced diet, the animal feels good. This option is suitable for both small and large chinchillas as the main food. Cereals, dried vegetables, fruits and herbs can serve as components. But this food has a minus - chinchilla can eat those ingredients that she likes: fruits and vegetables.

The manufacturer is Russia. If you buy one box, then it is enough for 30 days. Packages come in various volumes. The food has a specific smell, but it does not harm the animal, just the owner needs to get used to this smell. Such food is suitable for young and old animals.The composition includes cereals, herbs, vegetables, vitamins, minerals. This food can become the main diet. Dense granules have a small amount of fiber, which does not harm digestion.

This feed is the most budget, produced it in the domestic market. The box is small, so it will not last long. Food is inexpensive, it includes a set of nutrients. This feed mixture is the basis of the diet, it contains products such as corn kernels, oatmeal flakes, carrots, dogrose, dried apple, dried grass granules. The ingredients are natural. Chinchillas will eat such food with pleasure, while this feed mixture can be mixed with another. It’s important to calculate fats and carbohydrates well so that the digestion of the animal works well. On a chinchilla day you need to give 42 grams of this mixture.

It is worth paying attention to the following recommendations:

• well, if the feed consists of granules, because they have all the necessary elements;
• the package should contain recommendations for use, but still need to take into account the characteristics of the animal itself;
• if the feed is cheap, and it includes corn, sunflower, peanut grains, then the pet may have diseases with the digestive system;
• carbohydrates - 51%, proteins - 24%, fiber - 21%, fats - 4% should be included in the diet;
• the basis of the feed includes cereals and crushed dry herbs, and vitamins and minerals must also be present;
• in the manufacture of feed, you need to use herbal flour or cereals of corn and millet; you can mix them with milk powder, and add berries on top;
• in winter, you need to add ground, dried rosehip to the feed; this ingredient strengthens chinchilla immunity.

For an overview of chinchillas feed, see the next video.