I wanted to find the best chinchilla treats available on the market. Having researched and tested, my favorite was the Sunbest Natural Chamomile Flowers. They’re all-natural, packed with vitamins and nutrients, and have a beneficial calming effect on chillies – perfect for nervous chinchillas or as a soothing treat before a stressful activity.
I’ve always been a big fan of chinchillas – who could resist those giant eyes and unbelievably soft fur?! However, keeping chillies comes with its own range of concerns, particularly when it comes to their diet.
Whether you’re new to chinchilla care or have kept them for years, you’ll know that they have one of the most sensitive digestive systems among any small animals. It can be a real challenge to find a diet that suits their needs, staves off boredom, and is super tasty too.
That’s why I love Sunbest’s Natural Chamomile Flowers. Knowing there are no hidden additives or preservatives gives you the peace of mind that you’re not inadvertently doing any harm to your precious bundle of fluff. And, as an added bonus, you can make your own cup of tea from it too!
Of course, if you’re lucky enough to already have a chilled out chilly, you might prefer a treat without the soothing properties of chamomile. That’s why I’ve searched out the best treats to fit a range of budgets and needs to suit you and your chillies.
If you love using treats during playtime, choose Exotic Nutrition Critter Selects Rose Hips. They’re another all-natural choice that doubles up as a toy stuffing too. Alternatively, use them to hand-feed during quality bonding time. And if you want a treat that does your chilly good and boosts their fiber intake, check out Oxbow Botanical Hay for a treat that makes their all-important hay consumption a real delicacy.
Read on for a round-up of the best treats for your chillies. Find out my top picks for foraging, hand-feeding and more, and choose a treat that will drive your chilly wild!
Contents
- The Best Chinchilla Treats Reviews
- Sunbest Natural Chamomile Flowers – Best Chinchilla Treat Overall
- Oxbow Botanical Hay – Best Healthy Chinchilla Treat
- Exotic Nutrition Critter Selects Rose Hips Chinchilla Treats – Best Chinchilla Treat for Playtime
- Ware Rice Pops – Best Chinchilla Treat for Hand Feeding
- Kaytee Country Harvest Treat Blend – Best Chinchilla Treat for Foraging
- Vitakraft Drops with Dandelion Chinchilla Treats – Best Chinchilla Treat for Sensitive Tummies
- What to Look for When Buying Chinchilla Treats
- Homemade Chinchilla Treats
- Chinchilla Treats – FAQs:
- Buying Chinchilla Treats – What Next?
The Best Chinchilla Treats Reviews
Choosing the best treats for your chilly can be a challenge if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Read on for my favorite treats that suit a variety of different needs, whatever your chilly’s age or temperament.
Sunbest Natural Chamomile Flowers – Best Chinchilla Treat Overall
Natural flowers and herbs are a fantastic snack for chillies and you can choose from a wide range on the market. My top pick out of the herbal bunch is chamomile flowers because not only do chinchillas love the taste, they also have a range of health benefits too!
If you want to reward your chillies with a tasty snack without any unhealthy additives or sugars, opt for a pure, botanical treat.
Sunbest Natural Chamomile Flowers are USDA Organic and Non-GMO. This means there is nothing hidden in the pack to upset your chinchilla’s delicate tum. They are sugar-free, fat-free, and contain vitamins and minerals too. They’re a delicious and healthy snack – ideal for chinchillas from six months old and onwards.
Put the chill in chinchilla by feeding your pet chamomile flowers. The best thing about chamomile, as opposed to other types of herbs and botanicals, is that it has a calming effect on chinchillas.
Just like with humans, it can help soothe unsettled tums and calm the nerves. In fact, many owners give two or three flowers to their chillies for a snack before vet visits to keep them nice and relaxed. Why not brew a cup of chamomile tea at the same time and share a treat with your chilly?
Buying botanicals doesn’t come cheap and, comparatively, there are more economical choices on the list. However, if you’re looking for a nutritious chinchilla snack that has genuine health benefits, chamomile flowers are an ideal option.
- USDA Organic and Non-GMO
- Soothing and calming properties
- Packed with vitamins and minerals
- Expensive for a small bag
- Not suitable for baby chillies
Oxbow Botanical Hay – Best Healthy Chinchilla Treat
Continuing with botanical treats, Oxbow Botanical Hay is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a treat but want to keep your chillies’ fiber intake nice and high.
As chilly owners, you already know that hay should be the main food source in their diet. It’s important for their fiber intake and also to wear their teeth down. But it can sometimes be a struggle to make sure their hay intake is high enough, especially if they see other options on the menu as tastier and more tempting.
Oxbow Botanical Hay cleverly combines timothy hay with a blend of lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, and clover for a delicious smelling and tasting hay that chillies will love.
It’s sweeter than plain hay so tastes like a real treat without introducing extra sugars and unnecessary fillers to their diet. Botanical hay also provides your chilly with extra fiber, vitamins, and minerals to complement their daily diet.
Compared to plain bags of hay, this is much more expensive, so I wouldn’t recommend you use this as your chilly’s exclusive source of hay. Mix it in with their normal hay to stretch the bag further and jazz up their daily meals. As this hay only features timothy hay, consider mixing with some alfalfa if your chilly is younger as they benefit from the extra energy alfalfa provides.
- No added sugar or filler
- Can increase fiber intake
- Makes everyday dinners more appealing
- More expensive than normal hay
- Small bags
Exotic Nutrition Critter Selects Rose Hips Chinchilla Treats – Best Chinchilla Treat for Playtime
Another super-healthy option that your chillies will go crazy for, Critter Selects Rose Hips from Exotic Nutrition are a great choice.
Rose hips are an excellent source of fiber and ascorbic acid which keeps chinchilla teeth strong and healthy. Despite being fruit, they’re not packed with sugars so are healthier than many other fruit-based options.
Rose hips rank amongst chilly owners as a popular, healthy snack, with one owner on chewy.com commenting:
“It’s important to me to only feed appropriate treats to my chin due to their delicate digestive systems. She loves these and they’re safe for her to have one or two a day. They keep her teeth nice and trim, too. Plus how cute when she holds them in her tiny hands.”
I love to use treats at playtime – it livens up a play session and can encourage interaction and bonding. The soft but sturdy consistency of these treats makes them ideal for stuffing in foraging toys. Enjoy watching your chilly puzzle out how to retrieve their delicious treasure and know you’re giving them a stimulating game with a healthy treat at the end!
As with all the botanical options on this list, it’s a small bag for a higher cost than generic small animal treats. However, the peace of mind you get knowing there are no hidden nasties or additives that will upset your chilly’s tummy is worth the price tag.
- Perfect playtime treat
- High in fiber and vitamin C
- No additives
- Small bag for the price
- Some chillies don’t enjoy the taste
Ware Rice Pops – Best Chinchilla Treat for Hand Feeding
If you’ve read any of my other small animal treat reviews, you’ll know I love a treat that encourages bonding between owner and pet.
Ware Rice Pops are an ideal treat for this – measuring ¾ inch, they’re small enough for your chilly to handle yet big enough for you to comfortably hold while playing with your pet. If you’re looking for a treat that is eye-catching and will encourage nervous chillies to come and investigate what you’re holding, try Rice Pops!
The crisp, crunchy consistency will provide an interesting change to the textures your chilly finds in their usual diet, so they’re a great boredom buster. The consistency will also help keep teeth worn down and healthy when used alongside their regular hay intake.
Made of corn and rice, they’re also nice and light – break up into smaller parts and have fun setting up a little scavenger hunt for you and your chilly to enjoy! However, this does mean they’re easily crushed so handle them with care when storing.
Animal safe colors brighten up treat time. Rice Pops are also compatible with Ware’s Treat-K-bob too, so treat time can be even more fun whether your chillies are in or out of their cage.
Whilst an attractive and budget-friendly option, corn and rice are not necessary for a chilly’s diet so avoid it if your chilly has a sensitive tummy. These are a great snack when used sparingly. If you want an everyday treat, pick another choice on the list.
- Bright and colorful
- Easy to hold
- Wears down teeth
- Corn and rice are not necessary for chinchilla diets
- Not specifically formulated for chinchillas
- Delicate consistency – easily crushed
Kaytee Country Harvest Treat Blend – Best Chinchilla Treat for Foraging
It would be unusual to see a recommended chinchilla treat list that didn’t feature a Kaytee product. They are a household name when it comes to small animal care and with good reason. Decades of experience and research into small animals means they have the expertise to formulate healthy, nutritious snacks for your pets and their specific dietary needs.
Chinchillas are natural foragers. If you already own a chilly, you’ll have no doubt seen them scrabbling around in their food looking for the tastiest morsels. This is why pellets are usually recommended for their main source of food as it stops them from selectively picking out the best bits and disregarding the rest.
But you can still encourage their natural instinct for foraging and reward their curious nature with Kaytee’s Country Harvest Treat Blend. Consisting largely of hay and grass-based bites, this treat will up your chilly’s fiber intake and help keep their digestive system on track.
You’ll also find a mix of chinchilla-safe fruits and vegetables including dried papaya which chillies love. There are various seeds and nuts featured in this mix, though the content is low in comparison to the more nutritiously beneficial ingredients.
As with all treats, it’s all about giving in moderation. This food comes as a loose mix, so if there are any particular ingredients you personally want them to avoid, you can remove them before giving them to your pet.
Country Harvest Treat Blend is great if you want a treat that ticks various boxes when it comes to activities. Hand-feed with the larger bites and liven up mealtimes by sprinkling a small amount on top of their daily feed. Pick out choice morsels and pop into foraging toys for an exciting playtime. The variety of size, shape, and consistency in this bag lends itself to a whole host of scenarios. You aren’t limited to just sprinkling some in their cage and leaving your chillies to it.
Due to the lengthy list of ingredients in this mix, avoid it if your chilly has a particularly sensitive tummy. If this is the case, consider one of the single ingredient options on the list.
- No added sugar or filler
- Can increase fiber intake
- Makes everyday dinners more appealing
- More expensive than normal hay
- Small bags
- Ingredients avoided by some chilly owners
Vitakraft Drops with Dandelion Chinchilla Treats – Best Chinchilla Treat for Sensitive Tummies
If you love the idea of adding some botanicals to your chillies’ diet, but your budget doesn’t stretch to the pricier options on the list, try Vitakraft Drops Chinchilla Treats. Vitakraft offers a whole range of drops featuring different delicious ingredients.
I’ve chosen the Dandelion Drops as the pick of the crop. Dandelions are a natural snack choice for chillies in the wild and provide a range of health benefits not seen in other options. It’s always great when you can introduce a treat that you know also does your pet some good.
Dandelions can help keep your chilly’s liver healthy and also promotes circulation. They’re a nutritious addition to your chillies’ diet and a delicious one too!
Vitakraft is another well-respected brand that has years of experience when it comes to providing suitable snacks for your precious pets and their foods often come recommended by owners of various small animal breeds. That’s why their range of drops that are specifically formulated for chinchillas rather than general small animals is a great choice.
If you’ve struggled to find a treat that suits your chilly’s specific dietary needs in the past, give Vitakraft Drops a try. They will drive your chilly wild without giving their tummy grief later on.
The cute drop shape is ideal for monitoring the number of treats you’re giving and also for hand-feeding.
Some owners report that their chillies weren’t fond of the taste of these drops. If this is the case, try the watermelon drops instead for a fruity-flavored alternative. Another potential issue is that these treats do have a tendency to melt in warm weather. Owners in warmer parts of the country may want to avoid these during the summer months or cut them back up if they do end up melting.
- Dandelions keep chilly livers healthy
- Easy to handle drop shape
- Specifically formulated for chinchillas
- Prone to melting
- Some chillies don’t like the taste
What to Look for When Buying Chinchilla Treats
When trying to choose the best treats for your chilly, it can feel like a real minefield! Chillies have a really delicate digestive system and should only have specific types of food in very small amounts. Read on to find out what you should and shouldn’t avoid for healthy chillies with happy tummies.
Types
The types of treats you can give your chillies fall into a few broad categories:
- Dried plants, fruit, and vegetables – fruits are high in sugar so give in very small amounts. Root vegetables are an ideal treat, as are grasses and plants. There are a whole range of herbal and botanical options you can feed to your chilly that will not only taste great but have a range of health benefits too.
- Manufactured treats – these are treats that feature a range of ingredients and are either produced just for chinchillas or for a range of small animals. I recommend choosing chinchilla-specific ones in general, so they don’t irritate your chilly’s tummy.
- Hay-based treats – any treat that increases your chinchilla’s fiber intake is a great choice, especially if they don’t eat enough hay in their daily diet. Enticing them by cutting their hay with sweet treats in small amounts is a clever way of getting them to eat their grasses!
Ingredients and Nutrients
Always give treats to chillies in very small amounts as they should get the majority of their necessary nutrients from a good quality manufactured food. However, any treats that boost their fiber intake and include added vitamins including ascorbic acid will help support your chilly’s already healthy diet.
Ingredients to Avoid
There are a surprising number of fresh ingredients that can give your chilly diarrhea and lead to other digestive issues. Some ingredients to avoid include:
- Yogurt and other dairy products
- Banana
- Sunflower Seeds
- Peanuts
- Asparagus
- Lettuce
- Avocado
This is not an exhaustive list by any means. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything you’re unsure of. Chinchillas have such sensitive tums that it’s always better to be safe than sorry and stick with tried and tested ingredients.
Price
The price of treats can vary greatly. When choosing manufactured chinchilla treats, quality does usually come at a cost and more expensive treats will feature fewer artificial additives, preservatives, and sneaky sugars.
However, you can find cheaper, healthy options that don’t break the bank – just check the ingredients list before buying to make sure no ingredients on the avoid list feature prominently.
Homemade Chinchilla Treats
You can treat your chillies with fresh root veg that you have in the house such as carrots and sweet potatoes as long as given sparingly and in very small amounts. Another guaranteed hit with chinchillas is raisins – so remember to share one or two with them if you’re enjoying a few yourself!
Chinchilla Treats – FAQs:
Buying Chinchilla Treats – What Next?
For a natural choice that benefits your chilly’s tummy and their temperament, my favorite treat is Sunbest’s Natural Chamomile Flowers. They’re tasty, healthy, and great for both chillies and humans!
Choose Exotic Nutrition Critter Selects Rose Hips for a fruity hit that is ideal for a playtime snack. They will make any playtime even more exciting and work in a range of ways from a training reward to foraging treasure.
If you want to liven up dinnertime but don’t want your chillies to shun their hay, choose Oxbow Botanical Hay. It combines vitally important timothy hay with delicious botanicals for a snack that does nothing but good for your chillies.
Having read this review and guide, it should now be clearer what to look out for when choosing a suitable treat for your chillies. Check over the reviews to find a treat that suits your chilly’s temperament and tastes and watch them go wild when they hear the packet rustle!
