Chinchillas require a lot of roughage. Their diet should be of good, high quality grass hay, along with pellets formulated for chinchillas. You can find the hay and the pellets at your local feed or pet store.

Pet chinchillas are more delicate than many pets and do require their own type of foods. The chinchilla has a very sensitive digestive system that, in the wilderness, requires a high fiber diet of different types of grasses, fruits, leaves, bark, roots and stems, available bugs and grubs. And, in captivity, these needs remain very close to the same.

Pet chinchillas need fresh food every day. A good quality heavy earthenware food bowl is important to keep the food dry and clean, and prevent the chinchilla from tipping the food on to the floor of the cage. Daily fresh water is best provided via a water bottle. Water bottles for small pets can be found at your local pet store.

Your pet chinchilla also needs fresh vegetables and fresh hay everyday to provide him with the fiber, vitamins and minerals he needs for good health. Greens, such as carrot tops and lettuce make good extras to round out his diet. Just be sure that pellets make up the bulk of the diet, as too much greens can make him very ill.

He will also need a gnawing block and safe twigs to chew on to help wear down his teeth.It is always easier to encourage your pet chinchilla to eat a good diet from birth. In other words, if the pet gets the needed types of food at a young age, then the likelihood of it feeding selectively or in a finicky manner later in life will be greatly reduced.

Chinchilla pets are ever growing in popularity. Once a person sees a chinchilla that a friend has for a pet, they often want one of their own. These delightful, little creatures are very hard and just too cute to resist, so enjoy your new furry little friend.