Rodents need to chew. They love to chew. There is such a variety of toys and objects out there for your pet to enjoy safely and happily. Here is a general overview.
Chinchillas, like all rodents, need to chew. It keeps your teeth short and healthy since they don't stop growing. There is a variety of material, shapes and flavors of things for them to chew on. Switching it up from time to time and giving your pet a variety of chew toys can make it a little more fun for them. I have noticed that through past experiences with rodent pets of both myself and friends, and with my current chinchilla, they enjoy both soft and hard things to chew.
My chinchilla will chew anything. This is important to note if you ever let your own chinchilla or rodent out of his/her cage to have some fun. You have to be careful of the environment they are in. My chinchilla has chewed through two electric wires. She has chewed on numerous furniture, books, and paper. It's not that I don't watch her when she's out, it's that she's so fast and just gets to things quicker than I can at times.
When she's not running through the house for her next quick snack, she is sitting in her cage chewing on a variety of things I try to provide her with. The first, which is probably the staple thing for rodents to chew on as pets, is toilet paper and paper towel rolls. These are great. Not only do you get to put what would usually be trash to good use, they are somewhat soft and easy for the rodent to chew. Sometimes they prefer this over the harder things, though you have to make sure there isn't a lot of glue on them.
She also loves to chew wood. The constant piece she has is a wooden ledge in her cage, though she doesn't chew that as much. She likes to jump on it and stuff, but only chews it when she really doesn't have anything else to chew. It's a nice thing to have in the cage for moments between her old and new chew toy.
I also get her wood blocks that she just loves. They are little, finger length, and usually come in many assorted colors. Some even are flavored. I'm not really sure if she enjoys the flavored ones more or not, but she loves all the wood chew toys. They are her favorite, a treat almost, and she will chew on that contently for a long time. I like to keep one of those, since it's a harder toy, and a roll, since it's a softer toy, in her cage at the same time. This gives her variety for when she wants to chew.
Of course, anything in her cage she will chew. She has a green plastic igloo for a house, and that is covered in bite marks. She usually only chews that when she is antsy and wants to get out of the cage. It's a good sign to let me know she might be feeling too cooped up. I noticed that some, maybe even more, will start to chew these constant items in their cages when they are bored.
They also will chew their cages for the same reason. My chinchilla is no different. She will chew that when she has ran out of a good chew toy and gets bored, or when she wants out of the cage. I can tell because she is most active when I let her out after she has been chewing on the cage.
Animals are smarter than most people give them credit and a wonderful friend to have. We should treat them better by providing variety for their life. We need to not just show them love and affection with hugs and petting, but also show them that we care by providing them with enjoyable items we give them. Take note of what they prefer, what they often chew, and what gets chewed the fastest. Rodents are one of the most affectionate pets surprisingly, always amusing and entertaining , and deserve every little treat and toy they can get.