The nutrition of the chinchilla as a companion animal – basic data, influences and dependences

Abstract

This contribution is meant to obtain basic data for feeding chinchillas (ingestion behaviour, feed and water intake) kept as companion animals. The chinchillas ingested more than 70% of their total feed intake during the dark phase (highest level of activity between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am). Daily amounts of feed intake varied between 2.5 (fresh grass) or 2.6 (hay) and 5.5 (pelleted complete diet) g of dry matter per 100 g of body weight. An offered mixed feed based on native components led to a selection of individual ingredients (high palatability: carob, beet pulp, sunflower seeds). The chinchillas' daily water intake varied between 30 (mixed feed in briquette form) and 40 ml (alfalfa cubes) and amounted on average between 1.5 and 3 ml/g of dry matter. Compared with rabbits or guinea-pigs, the chinchillas generally showed noticeable differences (rhythm of feed intake, palatability of individual ingredients, capacity for digestion, etc.) which must be considered in order to optimize the nutrition of this species.

Retention of solute and particle markers in the digestive tract of chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger)

“…The few digestibility measurements that have been reported for chinchillas do not allow to conclusively decide whether the digestive efficiency of chinchillas is equally or less affected by dietary fibre compared to rabbits or guinea pigs (Hagen et al, 2015b). Reports that pet chinchillas suffer from body mass losses when kept on a diet of either grass hay or fresh grass alone (Wolf et al, 2003) apparently do not match a high fibre digestibility one would intuitively link with long retention times. Even though coprophagy is understood mainly as a mechanism to recycle nutrients related to gastrointestinal microbes (reviewed in Karasov and Mart ınez del Rio, 2007;Franz et al, 2011), the fact that the fibre marker in the present study and similar studies is also recycled by this mechanism suggests that some fibrous components will also be submitted to a second and hence prolonged, fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract of hindgut fermenters with a 'mucus-trap' CSM.…”

“…Chinchillas have a long history of being kept both as fur animals and as pets. Feeding recommendations include the provision of a roughage source, high-fibre pellets and only limited amounts of fresh vegetation or vegetables (Wolf et al, 2003;Grant, 2014;Kohles, 2014). Chinchillas have a colonic furrow typical for hystricomorph rodents (Gorgas, 1966) that is an integral part of their 'mucus-trap' CSM (Holtenius and Bj€ ornhag, 1985).…”

The effect of fish and mealworm larvae meals as alternative dietary protein sources on nutrient digestibility and gastrointestinal function in <i>Chinchilla lanigera</i>

“…They are almost extinct in the wild, and their wild colonies can be found only in chilean reserves [32]. around the world, chinchillas are farm-raised for fur, kept as laboratory and pet animals [7,19,24,33]. chinchillas are obligate herbivores.…”

Fourteen-year status report of fatal illnesses in captive chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)

“…In commercial farms, the number of males is normally restricted compared to the females, with the most frequent ratio being between 1 male to 6-8 females. In spite of the rapid worldwide increase of the chinchilla farming, its nutritional requirements and disease profile are poorly understood by comparison with other fur-bearing animals (Tremblay 2000;Wolf et al 2003).…”