We all know that good quality Chinchilla pellets and fresh, green hay are the main diet required to keep a Chinchilla healthy. But nowadays, so many new products are being brought out by pet distributors , that it is sometimes hard to choose which treat would be a benefically addition to your Chinchillas diet and which are types of treats that are either not good for your pet, or are something that your Chinchilla will not enjoy and therefore is a waste of money in buying it in the first place.

Pellets should always be bought fresh and if you have kept them for more than a few months, they should be discarded, as after this time they become stale. Your Chinchilla will still eat them, but will not be getting any goodness out of them.  Pellets alone are not enough, but should be complimented by a hardful of fresh hay each day. You should in particular look for hay that still has some green left in it. The hay should also be well dried, no dampness to it, as this can lead to mould growing and then when your Chinchilla eats it, it also eats the bacteria; which can make him very ill. Ofcourse, then on top of these two, is accessability to fresh drinking water. Some people use tap water, some bottled water. It really depends on the quality of the water in your area. If your water is very hard, ie with a lot of calcium in the water, giving it a misty appearance, then it is worthwhile filtering the water first. Many reasonably priced water filters are available these days. You should also be aware of any new reservoirs that may the source of your tap water. Sometimes, when new reservoirs are opened, such as when a new housing estate is build and supplied the treatments on the water can be harsher than that of an established reservoir. These changes in the water from the cheimcals are harmless to human, but when they water company flushes out the system, a large amount of chemicals can go into the drinking water, which can sometimes be the reason behind your Chinchilla getting diarrhrea.

OK so it seems that everything is moving along nicely, your Chinchilla is fit and healthy, but you want to spoil him? Want to give him something extra? The obvious choice is a raisin or two, your Chinchilla will absolutely love this, but obviously be careful as to how many he gets! Even dried fruit, but not with added sugar. Make sure you limit the amounts to avoid any problems with soft droppings arising.

A nice healthy mix that you can make up at home, to help with animals that need to gain weight, or those who are pregnant, or even recovering from an illness is to go to the health food store and purchase a few items. Buy a packet of bran, one of rolled oats, one of barley and last of all wheatgerm. Then buy a pack of half fat milk powder. Take all of your ingredients and mix two dessert spooons of each together, other than the milk powder, just add one dessert spoon full of that. This makes a nice healthy mix, full of fibre, you can even add a raisin or sunflower seed or two to the mix, your Chinchillas will love it.

Another wholesome treat that will not do any harm to your Chinchilla is cereal. But please remember only to use the kinds that do not contain added sugar, regular cornflakes are a favourite or a pack of muesli, which just a spoon ful of each day, is a tasty treat and your Chinchilla will definately appreciate.

So many different treats exist in the pet shops today, that sometimes it is hard to choose. But your best bet is to try and stick to the types that are natural products. Rather than such items as biscuits and so on, that look more like something suitable for a dog than a Chinchilla. Natural dried grasses, herbs, fruit etc.. are usually the best products to use. You cannot guarantee that your Chinchilla will actually like them though, so do not be tempted to buy huge packets until you have tried them out on your pets.

Quite often a good idea is to get your pet accustomed to treats of various types from an early age, this is usually the time when young Chinchillas will try various different feeds and if they like it, then they usually will continue to like it throughout their lives. Do also remember however, that Chinchillas are herbivores, so make sure that any treats or extra supplements and feed types are specifically designed for the herbivore, otherwise you will find your Chinchilla having digestive problems.

Not only are their treats for your Chinchillas, but also many different products for nutritional purposes. Such as when a Chinchilla is pregnant and needs exta supplements, such as calcium. This can be seen if her teeth become white, either when she is pregnant or nursing the young. Calcium tablets are the easiest solution here. Some Chinchillas will take a tablet and eat it straight off, with others you may find it necessary to grind the tablet and sprinkle it over her pellets in the feed bowl.  As well as Calcium you can also buy liquid vitamins to add to your Chinchillas water, do not have these in the water all the time though, a couple of days a week is enough to give a growing Chinchilla an extra boost. These are also useful for times during pregnancy and illness to make sure your Chinchilla stays nice and healthy.

Just bear in mind next time you are out buying feed for your Chinchilla, the fact that all those pet manufacturers enjoy us spending our money on the various product ranges they have introduced for us, but they are not always necessary, many fresh items of fruit, hays and cereals can be just as good as a welcome treat for your Chinchilla. They also invariable do not cost as much either, are healthy and keep your Chinchilla well fed and spoilt, just remember not to spoil him too much though, so he gets a good supply of his pellets and hay eaten every day. As that is the main part of his diet that will keep him healthy.