Chinchillas, like most animals and humans, love treats! Treats are not necessary in a chinchilla’s diet if you are feeding it and caring for it properly. If you decide to give your chinchilla treats, please limit the number of treats you are giving to it on a daily to weekly basis. If you are giving your chinchilla a lot of treats, your chin will not want to eat it’s nutritional food. It is also recommended that you break your chin’s treat into small pieces so it feels like you are giving “more than one” treat to your chin. Some of the best treats to be giving, if you feel like you must, are rosehips, cheerios and shredded wheats. A raisin every other week or so is ”okay” but do not give a raisin a day. If you notice constipation, a raisin may help relieve some pressure. Chinchillas have very sensitive digestive tracts, similar to horses, and they should not be given treats that are high in sugar.
Your chinchilla should be provided something to chew on at all times. Since chinchillas are rodents, their teeth are constantly growing. If they are provided with chews, this will help grind their teeth down. Some safe woods are willow, red willow, bamboo, mulberry, ocotillo, apple, pear, yucca, pecan, cottonwood, choya, and kiln-dried pine. They also enjoy chewing on pumice and cuttlebone. Be certain that any wood that you offer your chinchilla is listed as safe and has never been in contact with any pesticides and is both clean and dry.