home Audience 4 What should you give chinchillas? The feed is dry and rough. What can chinchillas do?

What should you give chinchillas? The feed is dry and rough. What can chinchillas do?

It so happened that the chinchilla cannot choose its fate - either to live a full life. happy life, or in the prime of life, give up your skin for a fur coat. A person decides for her. Yes, due to the harsh climate in its natural habitat, it has very warm, soft and beautiful fur, but let’s still admire it on the animal itself, which will delight you for up to 20 years - that’s how long they live in captivity. Moreover, in our time, these beautiful animals are not in short supply - you can buy chinchillas in our country in various nurseries, for example, the St. Petersburg nursery “Shinchilla Land”.

Rodent of the chinchilla family

Cell preparation

Before purchasing an animal, a cage for the chinchilla should already be prepared. This will be her home, a home and a refuge in which she will sleep, eat, bathe and give birth.

Large cage for chinchilla

Therefore, there are certain requirements for the cage:

The cage should be located in a cool place. Chinchillas cannot tolerate heat; the optimal air temperature for them is 20 degrees. If it is 25 degrees in the cage, then the animal will overheat its body; at 30 degrees it will die;
The size of the cage should be approximately 50x50x100 cm, that is, it must be of a tower type, greater in height than width and depth. This is a very active animal; the cage must have floors with stairs so that it can run a lot;
If possible, try to hang the feeder and water bowl, otherwise the chinchilla may turn them into a toilet;
There should always be a piece of chalk or a special stone in the cage for grinding down teeth. You can buy it at any pet store;
The bottom of the cage should be lined with sawdust. The animal goes to the toilet anywhere, they cannot be tamed to the toilet, so the sawdust will have to be changed often. Although some people succeed in toilet training;
They have fur that is very sensitive to dirt; it even reacts to sweaty human palms. Therefore, the animal often bathes, but not in water, but in special zeolite sand. They do not require water for these purposes.

Taking sand baths

Sand special for swimming

By the way, while taking sand baths, chinchillas are so violent that dust will fly in all directions. It is not advisable to carry out these procedures in a cage so as not to clean up later. The ideal solution is a three-liter jar. We poured sand in a layer of 5 cm, put the animal in there, and left it in a cool place for an hour. Although the duration can be reduced to half an hour, but not less.

Chinchilla bathes in the sand

A chinchilla should be bathed at home a couple of times a week. If your home is hot (i.e. about 25 degrees) and there is high humidity, then you should bathe every other day. The whole point is that the animal does not have sweat glands, and without these procedures you can forget about beautiful, healthy fur.

In the wild, they bathe in volcanic dust, but never in sand. And at home, you also need to follow this rule - only special sand. If you add regular river water, you will get at least two problems:

Skin diseases, fungus;
Ugly, chewed, tousled fur, as if the chinchilla had been in a centrifuge.

A visual technique for a sand bath

For preventive purposes, for example, against lichen, sand is sometimes added antifungal drug fungistop in the proportion of 1 large spoon of the drug per 1 kg of sand.

Animal behavior at home

Chinchillas require much less care than, for example, . The main thing is to keep it cool. If the animal is released from the cage, it will immediately begin to explore every crevice in the room, because... their ancestors lived in endless labyrinths of rock slides that appeared after volcanic activity and earthquakes.

Please note that they try everything to their teeth, this is the instinct of a rodent, so you should not leave them outside the cage unattended. Cases of biting live wires with inevitable death are very common.

Chinchillas don’t really need to communicate with people, they are somewhat cowardly animals, and prefer to play with themselves, simply running around the floors of the cage and gnawing everything in sight (that’s why a spacious cage is needed). Also keep in mind that this is a very shy animal and can die from fright.

Also, you should not pick up a chinchilla by the back, because... she may shed her fur. Here, for example, is a chinchilla, photo below, which did just that:

Chinchilla shed a tuft of fur

This is normal, so they have a chance to escape from the predator's mouth. Even though we are not going to eat them, the instinct remains. But let us warn you again - they die from severe fright! And being grabbed by the scruff of the neck from behind is also frightening.

Domestic chinchillas behave for the most part night look life, so get used to the nightly rustling, squeaking, stomping, which can last half the night.

Chinchilla nutrition

What does a chinchilla prefer for lunch? In this matter, it’s just a gift for the pet owner - they are herbivores, they need very little for food:

They eat only once a day, a couple of tablespoons of food. They also don’t drink a lot of water, but it needs to be changed regularly, at least once a day.

Chinchilla's meal

Do not forget to place a special stone for the teeth in a timely manner, otherwise the incisors will grow so large that the animal will not be able to eat, and you will have to go to the veterinary hospital to have them ground down.

Chinchilla and its colors

Not everyone knows that chinchilla is a whole family of rodents. There are both chinchilla breeds and interbreed mixtures. There are more than 14 of the former, 12 of the latter.

In principle, they are no different except for color. Their fur color is very diverse:

Purple color of chinchilla

If you cross chinchillas of the same color, then this color is passed on to all the babies, so for experiments it is better to choose multi-colored mom and dad. But there are cases, although rarely, when the color of the children is neither mother nor father. This happens when they pass on the color gene from their grandparents.

Animal Reproduction

A pregnant female carries children for about 120 days, during which time she gains weight well. There can be from 1 to 6 children in a litter.

An interesting fact is that after giving birth on the same day, the female begins to demand a male for the next fertilization. It’s up to you to decide whether to add a male or not, but you need to adhere to the rule: no more than two births per year. Large quantity gives heavy load on the female's body.

Chinchilla babies

During the first days after birth, children only eat mother's milk. But in a female, not all mammary glands work, but only the first pair, very rarely - two pairs. More strong children They push away the weak, and there are often fights between them. In such cases, you must either ensure that all children receive milk and control this process, or feed artificial mixtures from a bottle.

Feeding the baby

Breastfeeding can last up to two months, then the grown offspring completely switch to the adult diet.

Benefits of chinchillas

If you are still in doubt about choosing a pet, we will give you common list benefits of chinchillas:

Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a chinchilla, the price of which starts from 1000 rubles, which is very inexpensive;
Always neat appearance(with regular swimming in the sand);
Due to the absence of sweat glands, there is virtually no odor;
Absence seasonal molts classifies this animal as hypoallergenic;
Chinchillas do not bite or scratch.

And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!

Caring for a chinchilla at home

Content:

The chinchilla is a pure phytophage, that is, it feeds only on plants. Moreover, all their parts are edible - from roots to fruits. But not all of them are equally useful and necessary for him. And if wild animals avoid food that is harmful and dangerous for them, domestic animals will not. They have lost this instinct. However, like people who, instead of not eating sweet and salty foods, load up on buns and smoked meats. As a result, the duration and quality of life of both chinchillas and humans is sharply reduced.

Let's feel sorry, if not for ourselves, then at least for our pets and not spoil them. And to do this, you need to arm yourself with knowledge and understand the basic principles characteristic of their nutrition.

Important Principles

The basis of any food is its good quality. That is, he cannot be

moldy,
musty,
stale,
rancid.

Do not harvest green fodder in contaminated areas:

on the sides of the roads,
in industrial areas,
on fields that have undergone chemical treatment against pests.

You can feed only washed and dried vegetables, fruits and herbs. Green leaves should be dried. Do not feed wet greens, only dry ones.

You need to gradually get used to new, especially green food. After each increase in serving size, monitor the condition of your pets.

Follow the feeding schedule.

Daily.
One-time.
Regular.
Late evening.

Evening feeding is explained by the fact that these animals are active at night. This is written in detail in the article (Farm 27, “Chinchilla at home”).

In the morning you can feed only when everything from yesterday has been eaten. The main evening food should only be poured into an empty and clean feeder.

The chinchilla's body is designed for unfavorable ascetic living conditions. They have a very long intestine designed to remove maximum benefit from meager food, for which they still have to run. This is what happens in nature. Therefore, creating such close to natural conditions, you will save your pet from premature death. And to do this, you need to pamper him less, feeding him all sorts of goodies.

Power structure

The nutritional structure of chinchillas should be formed as follows:

granulate, main feed - 70%,
complementary foods - 20%,
treats - 10%.

Granulate

Basically, the chinchilla is fed granulate - a special dry food. Many breeders recommend Vitakraft series food. For one chinchilla, a pack of 400 grams is enough for a month. Its cost in online pet stores is 54 rubles, and in regular pet stores about 80 rubles.

It is better to pour the opened pack into an airtight container. This way it won't erode.

This food is granular. In its composition, it corresponds to the diet of chinchillas living on the tops of the South American Andes. It is easily digestible, as it contains ballast, which has a low nutrient content. For one feeding, two tablespoons of food are enough for one animal.

Plus it's hard. It is important. Since when eating it, the chinchilla's constantly growing teeth are ground down.

Granulates are made up of herbs, vegetables, cereals and are enriched with vitamins and minerals. It should not contain proteins, fats or carbohydrates.

Try to buy the same food over and over again. If you change them, get used to the new ones gradually (at least a week). Otherwise, chinchillas may have upset digestion.

There must be hay in the cage or display case in which your pets live. A special canopy is installed for it. They put it in little by little, but change it daily. Contaminated hay must be removed immediately.

Signs of good hay:

Not stale.
Dry.
No mold.
Light green color.
Smells nice.

The principles of self-harvesting hay were written above. Find suitable places for this event it is problematic for city residents. Therefore, it is easier to purchase it in a store. Just buy unpressed briquettes and sort it before use. Otherwise you can find sharp roots and thorns there.

The best hay for chinchillas is legume hay

alfalfa,
wiki,
clover.

It is beneficial due to the presence of large amounts of calcium, phosphorus and digestible protein. It should be mowed when buds appear or when initial stage flowering.

If legume hay is not available, you can use cereal hay. That is, cooked

from timothy grass,
meadow fescue,
meadow bluegrass,
team hedgehogs.

But in their own way nutritional value it is inferior to legumes.

Forbs are also useful. Especially if it consists of legumes, cereal grasses with a small admixture of bird buckwheat and meadow salsify. It must only be prepared before the first flowering of these herbs. Late grasses do not have those useful qualities, which are characteristic of the early ones.

When making hay, avoid the following grasses:

fern,
Datura,
henbane,
cornflower,
milkweed

In general, everyone poisonous plants.

The chinchilla also drinks a little. For drinking you need to use filtered or bottled, but not carbonated or mineral water. Its temperature is 18-20 degrees.

Lure

This extra food. Its amount in the chinchilla's total diet should not exceed twenty percent. If the weight of the animal begins to increase, then it means that you are overdoing it with complementary foods.

It is also sold in stores in the form of granules. But it looks different from the main food. Its granules are softer and, as a rule, colored.

For example, complementary food Beaphar Care+, satisfying nutritional needs chinchilla, low in sugar, moisture and fat. It is enriched with vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. It contains polyunsaturated fatty acid Omega-3 and Omega-6, which strengthen the heart and improve blood circulation. In addition, this complementary food strengthens immune system, which increases resistance to disease. It reduces unpleasant fecal odor.

You can collect complementary food yourself. It consists

from cereals (you can take cereals),
from dried berries, plantain leaves, roots,
from apples, carrots, Jerusalem artichoke, rose hips.

All this must be in dry form and in very small quantities. Because a lot of this is both a delicacy for them and not very healthy for them.

Treats

There are also healthy treats. You can collect them yourself and make stocks from them. And constantly make your chinchilla happy. The following is useful

Kalina. Improves digestion. You can give one piece no more than twice a week.
Corn. Contains potassium, calcium, magnesium. Dosage - no more than three grains per day.
Carrot. Good for the heart, improves appetite and fur condition. Dosage - one circle no more than three times a week.
Calamus roots. Antispasmodic. Dosage - no more than one centimeter of root once a week.
Hibiscus. Protects the liver, improves metabolism. Dosage: once a week, no more than one teaspoon.
Red clover. Anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial agent. Dosage - once a week, no more than two pieces.
Plantain leaves. Regulates the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Dosage: one medium-sized leaf twice a week.
Chicory. Soothing, diuretic. Dosage - once a week, one flower or stem.
Weeping willow. Lots of vitamin C. Supports the immune system. Dosage: once a week, one medium branch.
Rose hip. General strengthening agent. Dosage - once a week, one piece.

In addition, from berries and fruits you can give

Herbal plants are good to use

parsley,
chamomile,
alfalfa,
calendula,
blooming Sally,
nettle and mint (not for pregnant women),
sorrel,
oregano.

From the trees

Oak cannot be given. It is very strong. If only with diarrhea in small quantities. The pear also strengthens. Therefore, it is given with caution.

Forbidden foods

The chinchilla eats and chews everything, even these forbidden foods. Therefore, your task is to prevent them from getting into it. Otherwise, its lifespan will be greatly reduced.

Here is a list of these products. And it's not complete yet.

Store-bought treats
- cereal sticks,
- dried fruits,
- fruit mixtures,
- waffles.

Anything that contains sugar, honey, artificial additives. Since these products make it difficult for the intestines to function. Causes constipation and diarrhea

Raw fruits and vegetables
- cabbage,
- cucumbers,
- watermelon,
- dates,
- melon,
- dried apricots,
- peaches,
- prunes,
- raisin,
- cherries.

All this leads to strong fermentation in the intestines. And, as a result, to diarrhea and bloating, which can cause chinchillas to die.

Tropical fruits
- citrus,
- pineapples,
- coconuts,
- bananas,
- mango.

They cause chinchillas to go bald, and their branches are toxic to them.

Seeds and nuts. A hit to the liver, as this is too fatty food for chinchillas. It would seem that nothing happened from one time, but fat accumulates gradually until fatty liver occurs and fur begins to grow. Then it's too late.
Mushrooms. The protein they contain is dangerous for chinchillas’ intestines.
Human food. Our food contains a lot of artificial additives. Including sugar, large quantities salt, yeast, fats. All this is not useful for us, not to mention the chinchilla.

Therefore, if you love your animal, then do not give it forbidden foods. Don't overfeed him. Let him actively run around the cage in search of food, and not having eaten enough, lie in the corner. Feed him correctly and then your cute and funny chinchilla will live a long and happy life.

A chinchilla is an animal that can make you fall in love at first sight. You can endlessly admire such delicate and soft fur, large expressive eyes, and gorgeous mustaches that are in constant motion. But let's talk about what chinchillas eat.

What do chinchillas eat?

Despite the fact that the chinchilla is a rather exotic animal, creating a “menu” for them is not difficult. Unlike most rodents, they are exclusively herbivores, but some individuals can independently catch and kill an insect. The easiest way is to buy food for chinchillas at a pet store. The special food contains a mix of grains, pressed grass granules, dried vegetables, fruits and even popcorn. Sometimes the composition includes some sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

List of foods that chinchillas can eat:

What not to give to chinchillas

List of foods that you should not feed your chinchilla:

Cabbage, beets, potatoes, rye. They have a bad effect on the chinchilla’s digestion and can lead to fatal consequences.
Citrus fruits (tangerines, oranges, grapefruits, lemons and various citrus hybrids). Their branches and leaves can cause allergic reactions.
The branches and leaves of stone fruit trees contain hydrocyanic acid, which is poisonous to animals.
Branches of coniferous resinous trees. They are also poisonous.
Food for rats, mice, hamsters. These mixtures have a different composition, individually balanced for other rodents, which are mostly partially carnivorous.
It is prohibited to feed unwashed fruits, vegetables, herbs, branches and leaves.
It is prohibited to collect fruits, berries, nuts, herbs, greens, branches and leaves from environmentally contaminated areas. Feeding them to an animal is dangerous; the pet may get sick.
Animal protein(meat, dairy products) are contraindicated. Chinchillas are vegetarians.
Stale hay, alfalfa and other chinchilla foods can cause various diseases.
Fresh bread and other baked goods are not suitable for chinchillas to eat. The bread is too hard for digestion, the composition is different bakery products unknown and may harm the animal.
Roasted sunflower seeds and nuts are also dangerous, they can cause irreparable harm liver.
Confectionery and sugar are contraindicated for chinchillas; the consequences are difficult to predict.
Tap water may contain harmful substances or bacteria and can harm the health of the chinchilla.

Boiled water is “dead”, it is devoid of useful substances and microelements, use exclusively boiled water can cause their deficiency in the animal’s body.
You can't feed a chinchilla for a long time food, rich in protein, as this may cause poisoning. Excess fatty foods may damage the liver, this also applies to fat-soluble vitamins. Excess carbohydrates can cause obesity in an animal.

How to feed a chinchilla correctly

As we have already found out, the chinchilla feeds exclusively on plants. The diet can be very varied, and for this there is no need to rack your brains about what to feed your favorite animal, fortunately, all the components in the chinchilla “menu” are available.

But still, feeding rules exist, and if you love your animal, you need to know how to feed a chinchilla correctly.

Advice from a chinchilla breeder on what the food composition should be:

carbohydrates should be approximately 50%;
protein - 16-20%;
fiber - about 13%;
fat - 2-6%

When purchasing a chinchilla, ask what it was fed before. If you decide to feed the animal differently, it is not possible to feed it the same, switch to another food gradually. When you first give food that is unusual for an animal, give it a little at first, gradually increasing the portion. If new foods cause diarrhea, give some oak bark as a medicine (you can’t have too much of it either) or a little dry black tea.

Chinchilla breeders feed them rabbit feed and guinea pigs— feed No. 122 or feed No. 90 intended for feeding young rabbits. Finding it on sale is not a problem, it is certified and tested by experienced chinchilla breeders. By purchasing this food, make sure it is of appropriate quality, with good timing suitability. As previously said, you should start giving it with small doses, and if there is no disorder, the animal feels well, you can continue feeding it with this food. By the way, please note: this food should not contain fishmeal.

Fur-bearing animals, such as chinchillas, have not yet been fully studied by scientists. If an animal is sick, not every veterinarian can determine the cause of the disease and cure it. It is known that the weakest point of chinchillas is their gastrointestinal tract. When they start to have diarrhea, it is necessary to take urgent measures, the minutes count. If the animal is not treated in time, it will most likely die.

A little about caring for chinchillas

Based on the above, it becomes clear that feeding chinchillas is of great importance in caring for the animals. IN in general terms Keeping them at home is not difficult, the main thing is to create the proper conditions and feed them correctly, taking into account the age, gender and health status of these beautiful creatures.

Before getting down to the issue of feeding chinchillas at home, let’s consider what care the furry animals need and what conditions are needed after they appear in your home. The list of care rules is in front of you:

For one individual you need a room of 100x50x50cm;
The cage should have different shelves and ladders. These nimble fluffies need gymnastics;
When keeping at home, it is necessary to equip a place for bathing for fur-bearing beauties. It is better to use zeolite as a filler for such baths. Such “bath” procedures help animals maintain their “coats” in excellent condition;
For bathing you will need a container that is not small;
It is better to make the bedding in the cage from sawdust. At the same time, the owner of the furry beauty must ensure that the pet does not injure its paws on the bars of the cage.

The main thing in caring for chinchillas is to do everything to make them comfortable, so that improper maintenance does not lead to poor health or injury. Particular attention should be paid to females during pregnancy and after childbirth, when they are feeding babies.

What is the most important thing in feeding chinchillas?

In their natural environment, in the wild, chinchillas consume very little food, and even less water. This is due to the high calorie content of the products. Animals in the wild can choose for themselves everything they need for life. When kept at home, these rodents can get sick due to an improperly selected diet and even die. Let's take a closer look at the main points regarding feeding beautiful critters when kept in captivity:

Balanced diet;
Availability of minerals and vitamins;
High calorie foods;
A minimum of 5 components that provide a variety of food for pets kept at home.

Remember that the life and health of pets depends on what they eat and what food they receive from your hands. Take the issue of chinchilla nutrition seriously so that you don’t have to regret your mistakes later.

What is the most important part of the diet?

Concentrated food is undoubtedly considered the most important component in the menu of fur-bearing animals, after which your pets are active and cheerful. Such foods have two undeniable advantages, which is why they are added to the diet: nutritional value and ease of digestibility. Let's figure out why it's valuable this food for fluffies, what useful things does it contain:

Grain feed (corn, wheat, etc.) contains: vitamins, starch, minerals, fats, lipids;
Legumes (peas, beans, etc.) store: carbohydrates, proteins, potassium, calcium, vitamins;
Not roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds: nutritional value, “sea” of vitamins.

Many people, of course, buy ready-made food. If food is purchased from reliable, trusted outlets and has not expired, it contains all the substances necessary for the body, so balanced diet guaranteed for your pets. It is especially important to observe this condition of care during the female’s pregnancy and after childbirth.

Vegetable part of the menu

The list of rodent menus should include hay and greens. Let us now consider what kind of greens are allowed to pamper toothy pets and in what form they can be placed in feeders:

Young dandelion greens, oat and wheat sprouts. Such food “gives” the animals precious fiber and other benefits for the body;
Herbs: plantain, nettle, strawberry leaves, burdock, etc.

Freshly picked green plants cannot be given to fur-bearing animals; they are fed only after they have been thoroughly dried. Damp or waterlogged grass will cause an upset stomach for your chinchilla. It is recommended that females be given completely dried grass before giving birth during pregnancy; you should also be careful with green food after childbirth. At this time animals are very susceptible to poor nutrition and may react to green grass with miscarriage or diarrhea. It is very difficult to save an animal that has weakened while carrying babies.

The presence of hay in the cells is vital for these animals (at least 25g per day), it takes part in the process of assimilation of nutrients. Now let's talk about what kind of hay is suitable for rodents:

Hay from legumes and meadow grasses;
Hay from cereal plants.

If these animals do not receive every day daily norm hay, they may die. But when feeding this part of the diet, you need to take into account the fact that moldy or wet hay also leads to the death of a chinchilla. It must be of high quality, well dried; only after careful inspection is this food allowed into the feeders.

Nuts and vegetables

We have already discussed the main menu, now we can talk about useful additions to the chinchilla’s diet. The following products rank first in this category:

Vegetables: potatoes, beets, carrots. It is recommended to add a small piece to the main food 1-2 times a week, no more often and no more. The stomach of fur-bearing animals is not able to digest many vegetables at one time;
Nuts: hazelnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts. It is strictly forbidden to treat chinchillas with pine nuts. In animals, due to the fat content of these nuts, stomach function may be disrupted.

Both vegetables and nuts are best given to rodents in dried form; raw foods have a negative effect on digestion.

Do chinchillas eat animal food?

Plant food is inherent and familiar to all rodents; it is the main part of the chinchilla’s entire diet. But we must not forget about the variety of menus for cute toothies, because they happily eat animal products. The owner of a handsome furry cat should know that his pet needs the following supplements: meat and bone meal, fish meal, and milk powder.

“Candy” for a furry pet

Each Living being loves different goodies, chinchillas are no exception. Their favorite delicacies are:

Fruits: apple, melon, pear, banana;
Dried fruits: dried apricots, prunes, dried cherries, dried apples, raisins, pears;
Fruit medicinal plants: hawthorn, rose hips.

You can’t overdo it with treats; you need to treat the animals according to the following schedule:

3 times every 7-8 days 1 fruit, for example, one fresh or dried apple;
2 times every 7-8 days 1 rosehip or hawthorn berry.

Naturally, your furry pet will beg for more and more treats, but you should not follow his lead, so as not to harm the voracious animal.

Necessary additions

A very important addition to rodent food is vitamin supplements. They are recommended to be given to fur-bearing pets for normal height and development.

A chinchilla is a rodent, which means that by its nature it must grind its incisors down on something. To do this, you need to place twigs in the animal's cage. different types trees. Just under no circumstances should chinchillas chew coniferous tree branches. This is because they contain toxic resins. The easiest way is to buy a whetstone designed for rodents.

Feeding a pregnant female

Special attention must be given to a pregnant female. Regarding her feeding there are certain rules and practical advice:

Enhanced feeding and excess weight unacceptable;
It is necessary to increase the volume of mineral and vitamin supplements;
Calendula flowers and flax seeds help preserve the fruit;
It is recommended to add sweet clover, alfalfa and vetch to the food; these plants have sufficient protein content, which is necessary during pregnancy;
You can increase the daily amount of hay; expectant mothers - chinchillas are partial to dry grass;
After a month and a half of pregnancy, the female needs a mineral salt stone. From now on you need to add it to the menu more calcium. If the future parent is not provided with calcium, the babies in the womb will “take” it from the mother’s teeth and bones, this can lead to eclampsia;
In order for the female to have sufficient milk, shortly before giving birth she needs to be fed nettles (leaves);
When bearing offspring, a chinchilla drinks a lot of water, so there should be clean, cool water in the drinking bowl at all times;
Before giving birth, it is recommended to treat the animal with a raisin, sugar maintains strength and prevents complicated childbirth;
After giving birth, it is advisable to treat the new chinchilla mother with almonds or hazelnuts. This delicacy contributes to the nutritional value of milk.

If you are the happy owner of a pair of chinchillas and want your furry pets to give you full-fledged, healthy offspring, take the above recommendations into account.

Feeding newborn puppies

A chinchilla has only 3 pairs of nipples, but the fact is that the third pair is rarely and weakly filled with milk. If more than 2 puppies are born, then most likely there will not be enough milk for full feeding. For the first time after birth, babies feed exclusively on mother's milk.

8-11 days after birth, small chinchillas leave the nest and actively explore the entire cage, trying out what is intended for adult rodents. Therefore in this period It is necessary to exclude fresh grass and legumes from the menu of the animal family, and ensure a sufficient amount of vitamins and nutritional value of food.

The female has a lactation period of 40-60 days; after this period, the babies must be taken away from the mother and placed separately. By this time, the puppies are already eating regular food, but they must be introduced to new food carefully and gradually.

Artificial feeding

Newborn critters must be closely monitored. It often happens that a chinchilla does not have enough milk, especially if there are more than two puppies in the litter. You can tell that babies are malnourished by their behavior. Hungry animals are inactive, react poorly to their surroundings, and their tails are lowered to the bottom.

If you notice such symptoms, you need to take immediate action. The easiest way is to place the hungry puppies with another lactating female, who, for example, only has one cub of her own, or to feed the poor puppies yourself. Options artificial feeding newborn chinchillas in front of you:

Fresh cow or goat milk. Stir 2 tablespoons of oatmeal broth in one glass of milk;
Condensed milk mixed with water (proportion 1:2).

When feeding your baby for the first time, half a pipette of milk formula is enough. After a few days, the puppy will happily drink several droppers. Gradually, he needs to be taught to drink the mixture on his own from a cup.

What should you not feed chinchillas?

Chinchilla owners should definitely know what not to feed their furry pets. See the list of prohibited products below:

Poisonous plants: spurge, buttercup, horsetail, St. John's wort, datura, etc.;
Nuts: Brazil, pine;
Raw cabbage and potatoes;
Meat fish;
Dairy products.

If you feed chinchillas according to all the rules, carefully select foods, and avoid overeating and poisoning, the animals will delight you with their healthy looking and a beautiful soft fur coat.

Today, chinchillas are becoming increasingly popular among rodent lovers. They are purchased not only by Hollywood stars or famous persons of our country, but also by ordinary people.

And this is not surprising, because chinchillas are very good-natured, lively and very cute creatures. Their unique silver-gray, thick and fluffy fur, very soft to the touch, will not leave anyone indifferent.

All children love chinchillas very much, because... These animals very quickly get used to people and become tame. Caring for chinchillas does not require much time and effort. The main thing is to maintain suitable indoor conditions for chinchillas, change water and food daily. You can use regular rabbit feed as feed, adding good hay. To keep it at home, you need to purchase a cage that can be placed in any cool and slightly dark place in your apartment.

At the same time, the more spacious the cage, the better. These funny animals love to “swim” in the sand. The sand cleanses their beautiful fur and also relieves tension, if there may be any. It is enough to place a sand bath in the cage once a day - and your pet will be fine.

When purchasing a chinchilla, make sure that the breeder provides you with the food that he has already accustomed the animal to, because the chinchilla may not survive a sharp and radical change in diet.

It must be remembered that there is no absolute treat for a chinchilla. What one animal really likes can easily leave another indifferent.

Whatever food, herbs, or plants you use to feed your pet, be sure to make sure that the food is clean and free of impurities or pests. If you have stored dried fruits for her, be sure to wash them and dry them thoroughly!

The basic rule when choosing food for a chinchilla: if you have any suspicion about the declared quality of food for the animal, do not buy it under any circumstances.

Do not suddenly switch the animal from kicking hay to eating grass, otherwise it will most likely develop an upset stomach.

You should always have a supply of grain mixture on hand; your diet should contain: cellulose, vegetable fiber, alimentary fiber. You should not ignore concentrated feeds; many of them can form the main diet of an animal. And be sure to buy oilseed seeds!

What to feed Chinchillas

The process of feeding chinchillas is a very difficult, but important matter. If you feed the animal incorrectly, then there is a very high probability that the animals will begin to get sick and eventually die.

If the cause of death is precisely improper feeding, then this most often happens with novice breeders, with people who do not yet understand that this animal, like any living creature, very much depends on the means and methods of its maintenance, regularity in feeding and properly selected diet.

But in fact, it’s quite difficult to call a chinchilla fussy. By nature, chinchillas are herbivores and they eat all parts of plants. In captivity, from the first day they get used to eating specific foods.

As plant food For chinchillas grown at home, “local” greens growing in the garden or at the dacha are also suitable.

The best grain foods for chinchillas include oats and corn. Oats can be given to animals, both whole and crushed. Oats certainly will not harm the animal, but on the contrary will improve its digestion. Corn will be coarser than oats. It should be given in mixtures. Before feeding, grains must either be crushed or soaked in water.

How to feed chinchillas correctly?

A healthy adult chinchilla should receive no more than 25-30 g of combined food and plenty of hay per day. But since this average value and each animal has its own norm, it is possible that your chinchilla will eat less.

You will determine this yourself as a result of nutrition monitoring, when, counting the volumes of the nutritional mixture consumed, you will see that your animal eats exactly as much as it needs, but not less than 12 g per day.

Ideally, you fill the bowl only once a day, but with the amount of food that one chinchilla eats in exactly one day. This little trick will ensure that the next time you feed, an empty feeder will be waiting for you.

If, at the next feeding, some food still remains from the previous meal, then it is better not to reuse it, but simply add less new food next time.

"Kitchen" dishes for chinchillas

I would like to say a few words in passing about “kitchen” utensils for chinchillas. Feeders designed for these animals are divided into two types - floor-mounted and hanging.

It is better to place floor-standing ones on the bottom of the cage, since the chinchilla will simply throw it off the shelf. Moreover, the heavier the floor feeder, the better.

The animal will not be able to use its “dinner plate” as a toy, chasing it like a hockey player from corner to corner. Floor feeders are easy to wash and change the food in them, and this is their big advantage. But their disadvantages include the fact that a lot of debris from the floor of the cage flies into them. Floor bowls are made from ceramics, glass, metal, and plastic.

Honestly, if such a miracle lived in my house, I would give it my cup, spoon and plate :) I want to dedicate an entire issue of articles to this animal, so I will try not to miss any details. I will be glad if you become my regular reader.