Chinchillas are rodents and therefore, are herbivorous by nature. Their natural diet, while in the wild, consists of plants, grass, and roots. As a result, chins rarely come across fats and sugars while in their natural habitat. As such, their stomachs have not evolved to digest such foods properly.
Nonetheless, pet chinchillas can quickly get bored of even good quality grass hay and pellets. As such, they might start eating less of the food that you give them.
Treats are a great way of breaking the monotony of healthy foods; however, it is important to ensure that those treats do not pose a health risk to your chin.
We know that you might not know the best treats for your pet. This is why we have compiled the following reviews of the best chinchilla treats on the market today. Read on.
These treats from Oxbow are made from 100% freeze-dried strawberries, thereby ensuring that your animal gets to exercise their sweet tooth using some 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 Strawberry Treats are also 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 such as boosting the immune system, forming collagen, healing wounds, and maintaining bones, cartilage, and teeth.
Antioxidants, on the other hand, 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.
You will also love the fact that 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 that they do not cause any harm to the animals, we believe that they are some of the best treats that you can offer your chin.
Pros
Have a high vitamin C and antioxidant content
Contain no added sugars or preservatives
Made from strawberries, which chins love
Allow you to interact with your chin
Cons
Some customers find them to be pricey
2. Kaytee Fiesta Awesome Country Harvest Treat Blends for Small Animals — Best Value
Chins love variety. In the wild, these rodents 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, therefore, that chins get bored easily when they do not have variety.
These treat blends for small animals by Kaytee allow you to circumvent that problem, as they consist of a delicious, nutritious mix of real fruit such as raisins, bananas, and papayas, as well as savory seeds and nuts such as peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflowers.
What’s more, 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 Blends for Small Animals are the best treats you can purchase without denting your pocket.
Pros
Consist of real fruits and savory seeds and nuts
Have natural chin food such as timothy hay and alfalfa meal to aid in digestion
Add variety to your chin’s diet
Provide an opportunity for interacting and bonding with your pet
Satisfy chins’ need to chew, thereby preventing destructive behavior
Relieve boredom while encouraging natural behaviors such as foraging and food-hoarding
Fortified with essential vitamins
Cons
Sugar content might not be suitable for baby chinchillas
Treats should not just be about giving your chin a “cheat meal”; a good treat should be beneficial to your chinchilla as well, and this is what the crunch sticks from Vitakraft are all about.
These treats are calcium-fortified, which means that they help in strengthening your chin’s teeth. The teeth of a chin are always growing, and therefore, you need to trim them regularly to avoid having overgrown teeth, which can lead to a host of health issues and even death.
In addition to strengthening their 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 them up once in a while.
Pros
Are rich in calcium to promote the healthy development of teeth
Chewable stick underneath the treat for gnawing and playing purposes
Consist of healthy grains
Crunchy
Ready to feed
Cons
A bit pricey
4. Ware Manufacturing Rice Pops Small Animal Chew Treat
These chew treats by Ware Manufacturing are a crunchy combination of rice and corn. This means that you will essentially be switching your chin’s diet while calling it 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 chin chews. These treats also feature a design that makes them ideal for hand feeding, thereby allowing you to interact and bond with your pet as you give them the treats.
It will also please you to know that they do not contain any added sugars or preservatives, which means that they do not negatively affect your pet’s health.
The Timothy Twists by Oxbow are treats, as well as a toy. 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 that they are 100% edible. Additionally, they are made out of hay, which is one of the chinchillas’ favorite foods. Moreover, hay is great at aiding in chins’ digestion process, in addition to 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
Do not contain any foreign/harmful substances
Are 100% edible
Allow for mental and physical stimulation through play
Cons
Some pets might get bored with the hay
6. F.M. Brown’s Tropical Carnival Fruit & Nut Small Animal Treat with Real Fruits, Nuts, and Veggies
One of the biggest hindrances to healthy eating is the palatability of food. Generally, “healthy” foods are not always the best-tasting dishes. Therefore, regardless of how good you know certain types of foods can be for you, if you cannot bring yourself to eat them, it will be incredibly difficult to sustain such a diet.
The same goes for your tiny chin; they also love 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 & Small Animal Treats.
These treats are a tasteful blend of real fruits, seeds, nuts, and veggies that work to not only indulge your chin’s taste buds but also improve their health.
Additionally, they provide mental and physical stimulation by providing a platform for the chinchilla to forage for foods, as they would in the wild.
There’s a good chance that your chin will love these treats.
Pros
Feature a variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds
Promote natural behavior by encouraging chins to forage for treats
The ingredients in the blend are natural and balanced
Cons
Might contain too many raisins
7. Kaytee Healthy Bits Rabbit, Guinea Pig And Chinchilla Treat
These treats by Kaytee are referred to as “healthy bits,” as they are more than just tasty alternatives to your chin’s diet; they can improve your chinchilla’s health immensely as well.
These healthy bites are crunchy, honey-laced treats that your animal will appreciate immensely. 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, sunflower, carrots, and more.
You will be pleased to learn that these treats also contain DHA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that helps reduce inflammation, as well as 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.
Peter’s Nature Treats are excellent treats, as they are crunchy and sweet without containing any additional sugar, flavoring, or preservatives. They are made 100% natural fruit by dehydrating premium-grade apples.
As such, they fit the ideal definition of a treat, meaning sweet and healthy, but cannot replace the everyday diet. Your chinchilla is bound to love these apple-sourced treats, thereby allowing you to use them as a teaching aid when looking to teach your little bubby new tricks.
Their crunchy nature helps in keeping your chin’s teeth strong and healthy.
Pros
Do not contain unnatural flavors or sugars
Can be used as teaching aids
Promote teeth health
Cons
Can be more crunchy
9. Vitakraft Chinchilla Drops With Dandelion Treat
These treats from Vitakraft are some of the best treats that you can give to your chin. In the wild, chinchillas often snack on dandelions. As such, all chins love dandelions by default, and this is what this treat delivers.
The Vitakraft Chinchilla Drops 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, as well as denser muscles.
The dandelions also allow the chins to satisfy their need to chew.
Pros
Mimic a chinchilla’s natural diet
Contain real dandelions
Satisfy need to chew
Enhances bone and muscle health
Cons
Picky chins might not like them
10. Higgins Sunburst Freeze Dried Fruit Pineapple Banana Small Animal Treats
This treat consists of two primary ingredients: banana and pineapple that have been harvested when they are 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
Buyer’s Guide
Take note of the following when buying treats for your chinchilla:
Most chin 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.
Treats containing fruits with high water content, such as watermelon, should be given sparingly, as they can give chinchillas diarrhea.
Consider avoiding 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 chins’ digestive systems.
Conclusion
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. This is why you must read reviews about a product before you get it for your chin.
The products contained in these reviews are some of the best treats that you can give your chin, as most chin parents have not observed any ill effects after giving them to their babies.
Nicole is the proud mom of 3 rescue fur babies, Baby, a Burmese cat; Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; and Mac, a Lab/Mastiff. A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. She has a strong love for all animals of all shapes and sizes (and particularly loves a good interspecies friendship) and wants to share her animal knowledge and other experts' knowledge with pet lovers across the globe....Read more
