Can Chinchillas Eat Celery? (Read This Before Feeding!)

Celery is famous low in calories.

It is a healthy vegetable that contains a lot of water ad provides us with fiber.

Healthy for us.

That does not mean it is healthy for all living things.

It is not especially healthy for chinchillas, for example.

Can chinchillas eat celery at all, or is it a food to avoid at all costs?

Keep reading to learn whether chinchillas can have celery and whether they should. Even if they can eat it, that does not necessarily mean it is good for them.

 

Can Chinchillas Eat Celery?

Chinchillas can eat celery, but it is not a good food to feed them. Celery isn’t poisonous to chinchillas, but it has a high water content and lacks fiber.

As a result, it is not a great food to feed a chinchilla. Let’s take a look at what can happen if your pet eats too much celery (and too much is not a large amount at all with these small rodents).

 

Celery Side Effects For Your Chinchilla

Celery is mainly a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern vegetable, so it originates from hot and dry countries. It is commonly used for flavoring and is often put into stews, soups or salads.

Even though it originates from these countries, you can still pick it up anywhere in the world. In fact, the US is now one of the main countries that grows celery.

Celery has a high water content and not enough fiber for your chinchilla. You may find this hard to believe, since celery has a lot of fiber and certainly enough to make it a great food for us humans.

However, chinchillas require a tougher form of fiber. The fiber they need is usually found in hay, not fresh vegetables.

Your chinchilla needs around 30 grams of fiber a day. A stick of celery will only give your chinchilla 1.6 grams, so essentially you would be feeding your pet food that’s empty of nutrients.

And celery can actually cause distress to your chinchilla. It can cause your pet to become bloated, which can be painful for your chinchilla and may even require veterinary attention, if the bloating does not go down.

Foods high in water content can also cause your chinchilla to have diarrhea. Add this to the bloated stomach and this can all make your little pet very uncomfortable.

 

Is Any Amount Of Celery Okay?

If you really want to give your chinchilla celery, you can. Just make sure you limit the amount you feed it. Do not feed your chin a portion any larger than your smallest fingernail. And do not give it this amount more than once a week.

If you feed any more than this to your chinchilla, you may start to notice your pet suffering from stomach issues. Again, I still advise you not to feed your chinchilla any celery at all. There are plenty of better alternatives.

 

What Treats Can I Feed My Chinchilla?

Just because celery isn’t an ideal treat, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other tasty foods you can feed your chinchilla as a snack. Chinchillas love dried fruits and leaves and even enjoy nibbling on flower petals.

Some great treats to feed your chinchilla include dried rose hips, sunflower petals, dandelion leaves, chamomile leaves, dried goji berries and applewood sticks. All of these are healthy treats that should not cause any stomach issues for your chinchilla.

 

Can Chinchillas Have Celery Leaves?

Chinchillas can eat celery leaves in small quantities. Leafy vegetables are a great source of fiber for your chinchilla and something you can feed to your pet as a treat, but only in small quantities.

I would recommend mixing up the types of leafy vegetables you feed your pet, so that your chinchilla is able to consume a wide range of nutrients and has some variation in its diet.

Along with celery leaves, you could also feed your chinchilla basil, card, parsley, rocket, kale and even sprouts. You can feed your chinchilla a teaspoon of leafy greens a few times a week alongside its hay or pellets. This will add extra fiber and vitamins to its diet, though it gets everything it needs from the pellets and hay.

 

Can Chinchillas Eat Any Vegetables?

Chinchillas love vegetables and you can feed them a wide variety of them. There are plenty that are healthy for them. But it is not always the same as the vegetables that are healthy for us. This article covers vegetables chinchillas can and can’t eat.

Whenever you feed your pet vegetables, make sure you keep the amounts small. They should be a tasty treat a couple of times a week, not a major part of your pet’s diet. The only exception to this rule is if you’re feeding your chinchilla vegetable leaves, as already mentioned.

Apart from the leafy vegetables, the next best option to feed your chinchilla are root vegetables, like carrots, parsnips, radishes and sweet potatoes.

But you can not feed as much of these as you can leafy greens. Root vegetables should only take up a small amount of space in your chinchilla’s diet. Their primary sources of food should always be hay and pellets.

Can chinchillas eat bell peppers? They can. These are actually one of the better vegetables, since they contain a bit less sugar and water and they have a ton of healthy vitamins and minerals. At least the red ones do. However, you still need to keep the amount you feed small. And only once or twice a week.

Can chinchillas eat cucumbers? These are very similar to celery actually. They have little nutritional value and a high water content, so it is best to just avoid them.

 

Can Chinchillas Have Celery: Final Thoughts

Chinchillas can eat celery, but it does not provide them any real nutrition to speak of and the high water content can cause bloat and diarrhea.

As a result, it is best to avoid giving your chinchilla celery. If you do want to feel some of this vegetable to your pet, make sure you limit it to very small amounts and only do so once a week.