If you're getting ready to adopt a chinchilla, or you have one already, it's important to feed the little guy the right foods. Despite being notoriously healthy creatures, they actually have a very sensitive digestive system, so you better start learning what chinchillas eat so you can keep yours as healthy and happy as possible.
Like all of God's creatures, chinchillas need food and water to survive and stay healthy. So let's start with water because it's easy. It's best to connect a water bottle with the dripless spout to your chin's cage. Bowls can be a pain since they can get soiled easily and your chinchilla might tip it over and get himself wet, and you should never allow your chin to get water on him. Make sure you keep his drinking water clean and available at all times. It can be a good idea to give him distilled water, since some tap water contains many contaminants.
Let's move on to food. In their native habitat down in South America, wild chinchillas eat fruits, seeds, plants and even small insects as their diet. However, domestic chinchillas would not be able to survive such a varied diet. Since chins have such a sensitive digestive system, it's best to keep them on a very strict diet that is very bland (poor guys!).
Their main source of food should come from the special chinchilla pellets that you can get at your local pet store. It's important that you only feed them these pellets and don't give them rabbit pellets or anything else that looks similar. Just a small change in the nutrients of their food could disrupt their digestion. Most chinchillas will eat 1-2 tablespoons of pellets a day and this will give them their essential nutrients.
The one problem with pellets is that they don't provide much fiber for your little chin. To fix this problem, you should supplement his pellet diet with hay. You can get high quality hay for your chin from most pet stores, the most common being timothy grass. Stay away from most other hays (some chins may eat alfalfa) and any hay that is dusty can hurt his little respiratory system. Also be aware that hay can get stale and if there's any moisture it can grow mold, which is very bad for your little friend. To get enough fiber, your chin will need about a handful of hay per day. This isn't an exact amount so don't get too caught up trying to be perfect. If he gets full then he will stop eating.
If you ever have to change your chinchilla's diet, it's best to do it gradually over time. Mix a little of the new food in the first week , then slowly feed him more of the new stuff combined with less of the old food. This will help his digestive system adapt to the new diet with no adverse reactions.