Feeding you chinchilla a proper diet can be hard to do with exotic mammals like chinchillas. Things can get even more confusing when feeding your chin fruits and vegetables.
Can Chinchillas eat apples? Chinchillas can eat apples and they are healthy for them. Apples can give your chinchilla a needed boost in vitamins and should only be fed to your chinchilla a few time a week and should never exceed more than 10% of their daily diet.
Can Chinchillas Eat Apples?
Health Benefits Of Apples for a Chinchilla
Like with any food that isn’t a core part of your pet’s diet, you need to be aware of what the food does to your chins body. Apples can be a healthy treat when given in the right proportions. Apples are a fruit that can even give you chinchilla boost in both fiber and vitamin C.
- Fiber: A chinchilla’s sensitive digestive systems demands that the small creatures take in tons of fiber throughout the day to properly function. Apples naturally contain fiber that can help your chins digestive tract move along.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C is generally something hay and hay based pellets end up lacking in. Many Chin owners even end up feeding their chinchilla’s vitamin C supplements. This vitamin can help keep you chinchillas teeth strong and overall immune system healthy.
- Training: Apples can help with training your chinchilla or bribing them to exercise when the apple is placed in a high spot. Apples are a healthy treat that can be used for weekly training without you having to feel guilty about feeding them later on.
Apples can also be given to your chinchilla dried and some pet stores carry pre-packaged apples that are the perfect size. This can take all the hassle out of figuring out how to give your chinchilla apples and make the treats even healthier for your chin to consume.
How often should I feed Apples to my chinchilla?
You can easily feed your chinchilla apples a few times a week. The amount of apple you feed your chinchilla should never exceed more than 10% of the food your chinchilla takes in. To monitor this never feed you chin whole apples are slices that are bigger than they can hold.
When you do give your chinchilla apples, slice the fruit into raisin-sized pieces. Make sure that you don’t give your chinchilla the core of the apple as chins have been known to choke on it. Chinchillas can eat the skin of the apple with no problem, but you can choose to peel it off.
Apples should not be a daily treat or your chinchilla may start to take in too much sugar. I recommend only feeding your chinchilla an apple bi-weekly at most. If you have choosen to feed your chinchilla an apple, then that should count as their fruit or vegetable for the week.
If you have never given your chinchilla an apple before then you should start by giving them a piece as big as a pellet. After your chinchilla has consumed the apple piece watch them for 24 hours to see if there’s any change in their droppings, if not then your chin can digest apples.
If for any reason your chinchilla begins to act lethargic after feeding them a new food take the remainder of the treat away immediately. Allergies can manifest in many different forms.
Cons of feeding Apples to my Chinchilla
Like mentioned above there are both pros and cons to feeding your chinchilla apples. While these cons won’t really apply unless you exceed the weekly limit. You should still be aware of the harmful effects overfeeding your chinchilla apples have on their delicate digestive system.
- Sugar: Chinchillas don’t naturally come across many sugary fruits in the wild. This makes it harder for your chinchillas liver to process foods that contain high amounts of sugar. These foods can lead to liver issues in the future if amounts aren’t controlled.
- Acid: Apples are an acidic food that some chinchillas stomach can’t even process. Acid can lead to many issues in your chinchilla’s body like liver problems or diarrhea. Long exposure can even end up damaging the enamel of your chinchilla’s teeth over time.
- Digestion: A chinchilla has to eat a mainly hay based diet in order to properly digest their food. When you start to mix in foods other than hay you run the risk of hurting the chins tract if you exceed the 10% daily limit put on treats like apples.
Along with this, a chinchilla can actually end up being allergic to apples since they aren’t a naturally occurring food for them. Make sure to start off with small pieces to make sure your chinchilla doesn’t have a reaction before regularly feeding them any type of food.
Other snacks, vegetables, and fruits Chinchillas love
Along with apples, there are plenty of other fruits and vegetables you can give to your chinchilla. These include carrots that can help increase your chinchilla’s eye health. You can also offer your chinchilla leafy greens like lettuce that they can snack on and easily process through their tract.
As for other fruits, many chinchillas enjoy eating strawberries and you will even find that many store-bought chin treats are strawberry flavored. Many chin owners even turn towards feeding them pears if their chinchilla ends up not interested in the taste of apples or strawberries.
If you are looking for a healthier alternative to treats then you can look into feeding your chin rose hips. Rose hips can actually be given to your chinchilla on an almost daily bases and give them a boost of both fiber and vitamin C just like feeding them apples would do.
Finally, if nothing else work then you can buy your chinchilla hay cubes. Hay cubes are available in pretty much every pet store out there and don’t cost much money. These cubes are great for your chinchilla to both play with or snack on when they want a quick snack.