Can Chinchillas Eat Raisins? (In A Moderate Quantity)
Herbivorous rodents like chinchillas have a sensitive type of digestive system so they mostly love to eat plant-based items. They include leaves, grasses, or twigs. Additionally, sometimes I love to offer treats like raisins.
Yes, occasionally a moderate amount of dry fruits or raisins, not more than two or three (each week) can be offered. But it’s best to avoid such treats as it’s unhealthy for the chinchilla’s stomach and kidneys. Therefore, ensure you only give a small portion of treats.
Going through this article will feed you some necessary information regarding how you should include the raisins with the chinchilla’s regular diet. Plus, I will offer some best treats for such distant cousins of rats.
Can Chinchillas Have Raisins?
Raisins can be part of the chinchillas’ diet but in moderation. Many of us have no idea that just a half cup of raisins contains up to 217 calories with 47 grams of sugar whereas chinchillas only require 4%. So, are raisins safe for chinchillas?
A moderate amount of raisins are safe for chinchillas because such animals usually digest hays, plant leaves, grass, or wood. A fun fact is, chinchillas have exactly the same digestion system as a horse!
However, if you want to give raisins or other treats like dry apples, grains, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, figs, or other items is great. You should know that such treats contain high amounts of sugar, acidic thing, fat, and phosphorus. So, they will not be ideal for the chins and may disturb their metabolism and digestion process.
Therefore, giving them a limited amount like 1 large spoon per day or one or two times a week would be much more recommended.
Nutrition Value of Raisins For Chinchilla
Raisins are considered highly nutritious dried fruits with high fiber amounts and necessary minerals such as calcium, potassium, and iron. A modest amount of treats always cheer the pet up.
So, if you’ve got a chinchilla in your house, you may check the nutritional value of raisins moderately. Remember, a common serving size of raisins is 1 ounce or a little box or 40 to 50g and your rodents should only eat three or four raisins every time.
| Nutrients | Value |
| Calories | 129 |
| Protein | 1.42 g |
| Fats | 0.11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34.11 g |
| Sugars | 28.03 g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.9 g |
| Vitamin C | 1 mg |
| Calcium | 27 mg |
| Iron | 0.77 mg |
| Magnesium | 15 mg |
| Potassium | 320 mg |
| Phosphorous | 42 mg |
| Sodium | 11 mg |
How Many Raisins Can A Chinchilla Eat?
A sensitive animal, such as chinchilla should eat no more than 3 or 4 raisins every time. It’s because dry fruits have significantly lower water content and high fiber.
If you discover they are having gastrointestinal issues, lessen the amount or offer them different treats. And avoid giving raisins to young chinchillas since they cannot consume such dry fruits.
However, when you give extra amounts, they’ll face digestion problems or even diarrhea or other stomach difficulties. Therefore, keep a 4 to 5 days interval between the day you offer them raisins. Or more specifically, giving raisins once or twice a week is what is ideal.
Can Chinchillas Eat Golden Raisins?
Yes, they can have golden raisins but only a small amount. Besides that, you should concentrate on the sugar and fiber levels in dry fruits. Because such foods can make the chinchillas sick with digestion problems or stomach pain.
Can Chinchillas Eat Yogurt-Covered Raisins?
No. Unfortunately, chinchillas have sensitive stomachs and gastrointestinal systems that are not meant to consume high-sugar and fat foods. So, avoid giving yogurt drops and other dairy products because they are high in sugar and ultimately make the rodents sick.
What Treats To Offer To Your Chinchillas?
Chinchillas usually enjoy hay, leaves, or dried flowers. However, as healthy treats, you can provide foods such as-
- An Ideal Amount of Raisins: Raisins are the first nutritious dry fruit item you should feed to the chins. In addition, Make it more healthy with cranberries. But can chinchillas eat cranberries? Yes, they can! Professionals recommend giving raisins once or twice a week because they are high in sugar (About 70%) whereas chinchillas shouldn’t eat more than 4% of sugar.
- Dried Herbs: Chinchillas are omnivores so leaves are a favorite food of them. A small amount, such as 1 teaspoon and several times each week is sufficient for the chin. And you can offer leaves such as:
- Dandelion roots or leaves
- Nettle
- Linden
- Chamomile flowers
- Peppermint
- Romaine lettuce
- Malva sylvestris
- Raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry leaves
- Carob leave, etc.
- Dry Fruits: Many pet owners have questioned, “What fruits can chinchillas eat?” Well, you can serve:
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Pear
- Papayas
Serve them fruits that are friendly to their digestive system. It’s suggested to feed the chin raisin-sized or bite-sized fruits 2 or 3 times each week. Plus, ensure the sugar and fat level is ideal.
- Dry Rose Hips: You also offer them dried rose hips as treats for chinchillas. It’s because they’re low in sugar and high in vitamin C. So, your chinchilla pal would love to try this!
- Marigold Flowers: How about giving dry marigold flowers as a treat? Your pet friend will get some minerals and vitamins from such flowers. So, hide it throughout the cage and make them enjoy eating when they prefer!
You can offer some other types of healthy treats from the pet store. If you ask the store owner, they might offer Cheerios, old-fashioned oatmeal, shredded wheat cereal, and some other treats.
What Treats To Avoid For Chinchilla?
I have mentioned some best treats for your pet. But if you are a sincere pet owner, you must avoid rodent foods that are unsafe and risky for your little chin.
- Excessive Dry Raisins Are Bad: Never overfeed raisins to chinchilla since they can hurt the chin’s stomach. Also, dry fruits and other oleaginous products should be avoided.
- Avoid Store Chinchilla Treats: There are thousands of commercial treats available in stores. Chinchilla treats available in pet stores usually have artificial colors, sugars, fats, and chemicals that can cause obesity or dental issues in your rodents.
- No Watery Fruits: The cute tiny pet should avoid eating any watery fresh fruits, particularly watermelon. Basically, fruits with a high water content have a high sugar level, which may interfere with your chinchilla’s digestion.
- Citrus Fruits Are Avoidable: Another harmful thing is citrus fruits, which contain large amounts of fatty acids that can cause digestive issues. So, if you ask can chinchillas eat lemons, limes, or oranges? It’s a big no!
- Seeds and Nuts Are Tough To Eat: Some seeds and nuts are safe for chinchillas as they are high in fat, protein, and oil, which cause calcium insufficiency or perhaps damage the liver.
- Corn Doesn’t Go Well: Although corn appears to be a vital component for rodents, it can be toxic to chinchillas. Corn grows mold or fungus and it can also cause bloat in chinchillas. Not only chinchillas but also rabbits and guinea pigs are unable to digest corn.
- Say No To Dairy And Chocolates: Dairy can make severe life-threatening digestive issues on chins. As a result, avoid dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and other items.
Sadly, chocolates contain a lot of fat and sugar, which is bad! So, avoid rewarding chocolates in front of your rodents because they are harmful to the nervous and digestive processes.
What foods are poisonous to chinchillas?
Due to a sensitive stomach, a lot of foods become poisonous for the chinchillas. Therefore, avoid eating foods like-
- High water-content fruits
- Dairy products
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Corn
- Cabbage
- Peas
- Nuts
- Lettuce
- Spinach
Can Chinchillas Eat Raisin Stems Or Seeds?
No, I suggest you should avoid raisin stems and seeds. Raisins is a dried fruit with a high sugar intake that may cause obesity. Stems and seeds are always toxic parts for such creatures, as such parts cause suffocation when they eat them.
The Bottom Line
Let’s wrap up the entire article based on whether can chinchillas eat raisins or not. Yes, chinchillas or rodents can eat raisins but in a moderate quantity like once or twice a week. As they have a sensitive digestion process, they cannot eat anything they prefer.
Additionally, I included treats they can eat without the hassle and toxic foods they must avoid for their health. So, make sure you won’t only rely on raisins to offer but rather give them some other treats like different dry fruits, leaves, Cheerios, oatmeal, or wheat cereals.
