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Home > Guinea Pigs > 10 Best Chinchilla Treats in 2023 – Reviews & Top Picks

10 Best Chinchilla Treats in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Ware ManufacturingChinchillas are herbivorous rodents, so their diet in the wild consists of plants, grass, and roots. Chins rarely come across fats and sugars while in their natural habitat, which means their stomachs have not evolved to digest such ingredients properly.

That said, some pet chinchillas quickly get bored of even good-quality grass hay and pellets, and they might start eating less of the food that you give them.

Treats are ideal for breaking the monotony of healthy foods, though you’ll need to ensure that any treats do not pose a health risk to your chin.

To help you out, we compiled the following reviews of the best chinchilla treats on the market today. Read on to learn more!

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
Oxbow Simple Rewards Freeze-Dried Strawberry Small Animal Treats Oxbow Simple Rewards Freeze-Dried Strawberry Small Animal Treats
  • High vitamin C and antioxidant content
  • No added sugars or preservatives
  • Made from strawberries
  • Best Value
    Second place
    Kaytee Country Harvest Small Animal Treat Blend Kaytee Country Harvest Small Animal Treat Blend
  • Includes timothy hay and alfalfa meal to aid in digestion
  • Relieves boredom and encourages natural behaviors
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    Vitakraft Crunch Sticks Honey Flavor Vitakraft Crunch Sticks Honey Flavor
  • Rich in calcium
  • Crunchy
  • Ware Critter Pops Small Animal Fun Chew Treats Ware Critter Pops Small Animal Fun Chew Treats
  • No added sugars
  • Good for hand feeding
  • Oxbow Animal Health Timothy Club Timothy Twists Oxbow Animal Health Timothy Club Timothy Twists
  • No foreign/harmful substances
  • 100% edible
  • The 10 Best Chinchilla Treats

    1. Oxbow Simple Rewards Freeze-Dried Strawberry Treats — Best Overall

    Oxbow Simple Rewards Strawberry Treats

    These treats from Oxbow are made from 100% freeze-dried strawberries, thereby ensuring that your animal gets to exercise their sweet tooth with one of the best sources of natural sugars in the world. Giving your chin these strawberry treats will not only help break the monotony of regular food but will also provide you with an opportunity to bond with your pet.

    The Oxbow Simple Rewards Freeze-Dried Strawberry Small Animal Treats are laden with vitamin C and natural antioxidants. Vitamin C plays a huge role in the growth, development, and repair of body tissues. Additionally, it supports functions like boosting the immune system, forming collagen, healing wounds, and maintaining bones, cartilage, and teeth. Antioxidants reduce the risk of many diseases, including certain cancers and heart disease. They do these by scavenging free radicals in the body, which cause illnesses by attacking cells.

    These treats contain no artificial colors, preservatives, or added sugars. One to two of these treats per day should be enough for your chin, as treats should not exceed 5% of your chinchilla’s daily food intake.

    Most buyers say that their chins absolutely adore these treats, and seeing as they do not cause any harm to the animals, we believe that they are the best overall chinchilla treats.

    Pros
    • High vitamin C and antioxidant content
    • No added sugars or preservatives
    • Made from strawberries, which chins love
    • Enable you to interact with your chin
    Cons
    • Pricey

    2. Kaytee Country Harvest Small Animal Treat Blend — Best Value

    Kaytee Country Harvest Blend Rabbit, Guinea Pig & Chinchilla Treats

    In the wild, chinchillas eat almost anything that they can lay their little paws on, including roots, grasses, small plants, fruits, leaves, small insects, and bird eggs. It is no wonder that chins get bored when they do not have variety.

    This Kaytee Country Harvest Small Animal Treat Blend enables you to circumvent that problem, as it consists of a delicious, nutritious mix of real fruit, such as raisins, bananas, and papayas, along with savory seeds and nuts, such as peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflowers.

    These treats also contain natural, high-quality chinchilla food, such as sun-cured timothy hay and alfalfa meal, which are both excellent sources of fiber to aid in digestion.

    For being packed with all these beneficial foods while still being affordable, the Kaytee Treat Blend is the best chinchilla treat for the money.

    Pros
    • Real fruits and savory seeds and nuts
    • Include natural chin food, such as timothy hay and alfalfa meal, to aid in digestion
    • Add variety to chin’s diet
    • Provide opportunity for interaction and bonding
    • Satisfy chins’ need to chew, preventing destructive behavior
    • Relieve boredom while encouraging natural behaviors like foraging and food-hoarding
    • Fortified with essential vitamins
    Cons
    • Sugar content not suitable for baby chinchillas

    3. Vitakraft Crunch Sticks Honey Flavor With Added Calcium Chinchilla Treat — Premium Choice

    Vitakraft Crunch Sticks Honey Flavor with Added Calcium Chinchilla Treat

    Treats should not just be about giving your chin a “cheat meal.” A good treat should be beneficial to your chinchilla, and this is what Vitakraft Crunch Sticks Honey Flavor with Added Calcium Chinchilla Treat are all about.

    These treats are calcium fortified, which means they help strengthen your chin’s teeth, so they can safely wear them down without fear of breakage. The teeth of a chin are always growing, and overgrown teeth can lead to a host of health issues and even death.

    In addition to strengthening chins’ teeth, these treats are quite tasty because they consist of crunchy foods that chinchillas love, such as buckwheat, barley, and rice. Moreover, they are triple-baked onto a natural wood that your chin can gnaw on or play with.

    These treats also come in a variety of flavors to ensure that you can switch things up once in a while.

    Pros
    • Rich in calcium to promote the healthy development of teeth
    • Chewable stick underneath treat for gnawing and playing purposes
    • Healthy grains
    • Crunchy
    • Ready to feed
    Cons
    • Pricey

    4. Ware Critter Pops Small Animal Fun Chew Treats

    Ware Manufacturing Rice Pops Small Animal Chew Treat

    Ware Critter Pops Small Animal Fun Chew Treats are crunchy combinations of rice and corn. This means you will essentially be switching up your chin’s diet while giving them a treat.

    Even though these treats are made for small animals in general, chinchillas seem to love them immensely. You can be assured that your tiny friend will be looking forward to these treats. They also help in maintaining the strength and health of your chin’s teeth, as they wear down the incisors as the animal chews. These treats have a design that makes them ideal for hand feeding, thereby enabling you to interact and bond with your pet as you give them the treats.

    Ware Critter Pops do not contain any added sugars or preservatives, which means that they will not negatively affect your pet’s health.

    Pros
    • Crunchy
    • Full of flavor
    • Safe
    • No added sugars
    • Enable hand feeding
    Cons
    • Susceptible to crushing if mishandled

    5. Oxbow Animal Health Timothy Club Timothy Twists

    Oxbow Timothy Club Twists Small Animal Treats

    The Oxbow Animal Health Timothy Club Timothy Twists are both treats and toys. They come in the form of fun twists of hay that you can hang anywhere in your animals’ enclosure.

    Unlike other chin toys that you can hang, these twists do not contain any wire, chemicals, or thread, which means they are 100% edible. Additionally, they are made out of hay, which is one of a chinchilla’s favorite foods. Hay is great at aiding in a chin’s digestion process and helping them trim their teeth.

    For mental and physical stimulation, chins can paw and bat at the hanged twists as they attempt to reach and eat them. These treats are definitely ones that you should consider getting for your fur baby.

    Pros
    • No foreign/harmful substances
    • 100% edible
    • Enable mental and physical stimulation through play
    Cons
    • Some pets might get bored with the hay

    6. Brown’s Tropical Carnival Fruit & Nut Small Animal Treats

    Brown's Tropical Carnival Fruit & Nut Small Animal Treats

    One of the biggest hindrances to healthy eating is the palatability of food. Generally speaking, many people think that “healthy” foods are not always the best-tasting dishes. The same goes for your tiny chin; they also prefer eating things that taste nice. However, great-tasting foods should not always be bad for you, and that is the whole idea behind Brown’s Tropical Carnival Fruit & Nut Small Animal Treats.

    These treats are a tasteful blend of real fruits, seeds, nuts, and veggies that work to indulge your chin’s taste buds and improve their health. They also provide mental and physical stimulation by providing a platform for the chinchilla to forage for food, as they would in the wild.

    There’s a good chance that your chin will love these treats!

    Pros
    • Variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds
    • Promote natural behavior by encouraging chins to forage
    • Natural and balanced ingredients
    Cons
    • Might contain too many raisins

    7. Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Healthy Bits

    Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Healthy Bits

    These Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Healthy Bits are more than just tasty alternatives to your chin’s diet; they can also improve your chinchilla’s health immensely. These healthy bites are crunchy, honey-laced treats that your animal will appreciate. Their design allows for hand feeding, thereby giving you the opportunity to teach your animal tricks as they beg for more.

    These snack-size morsels are a blend of natural foods, such as papaya, field peas, corn, apples, peanuts, sunflowers, and carrots. These treats contain DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that helps reduce inflammation and the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease. DHA also works to support brain function and eye health.

    Another essential ingredient in these treats is sun-cured alfalfa meal, which is an excellent source of fiber, probiotics, and natural prebiotics, which boost digestive health.

    Pros
    • Healthy, fortified ingredients
    • Contain DHA for heart, brain, and eye health
    • Improve digestive processes
    • Add variety to your chin’s diet
    Cons
    • Some pets might not like them

    8. Peter’s Apple Slices Small Animal Nature Treats

    Peter's Apple Slices Small Animal Nature Treats

    Peter’s Apple Slices Small Animal Nature Treats are excellent because they are crunchy and sweet without containing any additional sugar, flavoring, or preservatives. They are made of 100% natural fruit: dehydrated premium-grade apples. As such, they fit the ideal definition of a chinchilla treat, meaning it’s sweet and healthy but cannot replace the everyday diet.

    Your chinchilla is bound to love these apple-sourced treats, thereby enabling you to use them as an aid when looking to teach new tricks to your little pet. Their crunchy nature also helps in keeping your chin’s teeth strong and healthy.

    Pros
    • No unnatural flavors or sugars
    • Can be used as teaching aids
    • Promote teeth health
    Cons
    • Could be crunchier

    9. Vitakraft Drops With Dandelion Chinchilla Treats

    Vitakraft Drops with Dandelion Chinchilla Treats

    These treats from Vitakraft Drops With Dandelion Chinchilla Treats are among the best treats that you can give to your chin. In the wild, chinchillas often snack on dandelions. These treats consist of real dandelions that have been immersed in creamy yogurt, natural whey protein, essential lecithin, and various vitamins. These additional ingredients help the chin have stronger teeth and jaws and denser muscles.

    The dandelions also enable chins to satisfy their instinctive need to chew.

    Pros
    • Mimic a chinchilla’s natural diet
    • Contain real dandelions
    • Satisfy need to chew
    • Enhance bone and muscle health
    Cons
    • Picky chins might not like them

    10. Higgins Sunburst Freeze Dried Fruit Pineapple Banana Small Animal Treats

    Higgins Sunburst Freeze Dried Fruit Pineapple Banana Small Animal Treats

    If you are looking for the ultimate treat for a sweet-toothed chinchilla, look no further than the Higgins Sunburst Freeze Dried Fruit Pineapple Banana Small Animal Treats.

    These consist of two primary ingredients, banana and pineapple, that have been harvested when most ripe and then freeze dried to ensure that the flavors and nutrients are not lost. The best part is that these treats do not contain any additional flavors, sugars, or preservatives.

    Pros
    • All-natural
    • Freeze dried to lock in nutrients
    • Resalable package for easy storage
    Cons
    • Some chins do not like them

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    Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Chinchilla Treats

    Take note of the following when buying treats for your chinchilla:

    • Most chinchilla treats in pet stores have high sugar and fat content, so research a product before purchasing it.
    • Treats that have lemons, oranges, and grapefruits should be avoided, as chinchillas have problems with high-acidity foods.
    • Treats containing fruits with high water content, such as watermelon, should be given sparingly, as these can give chinchillas diarrhea.
    • Avoid treats with chocolate, as it is high in fat and sugar.
    • Treats that contain animal ingredients, such as milk and cheese, should be avoided, as they can upset a chin’s digestive system.

    divider-chinchillaConclusion

    Even though chins love begging for treats, you should limit the number of treats that you give them, as their digestive systems are extremely sensitive and have a low tolerance for fats and sugars. Unfortunately, most of the treats that you will come across online or in pet stores are saturated with ingredients that can pose a health risk to your chinchilla.

    The products on this reviews list are the best treats that you can give your chin, as most owners have not observed any ill effects after giving them to their fur babies.

    If you are at a loss about which one to go for, consider the Oxbow Strawberry Small Animal Treats, as they can improve your chin’s health and be healthy alternatives to their typical diets. If you are looking for a cost-effective, tasty, and nutritious treat, you can’t go wrong with the Kaytee Country Harvest Treat Blend.

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