But it is important, so I will say it again.
The only food a chinchilla needs is hay and pellets.
Yes, you can also feed your pet some treats, but hay and pellets should make up at least 90% of its daily calories.
When it comes to treats, you have a lot of decent options. But only a few really good ones.
Where do peaches fit into this? Can chinchillas eat peaches or are they off limits?
Peaches are very similar to most fruits. That means you need to be careful with them.
Keep reading to learn why peaches can be problematic and how much of them you can feed your chinchilla. Or if you should feed any of them at all.
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Can Chinchillas Eat Peaches?
Yes, chinchillas can eat peaches. They are not toxic to these little rodents, so they won’t cause your pet any harm. But only if you limit how much you feed.
That’s because peaches are loaded with sugar and water. Both can cause serious problems for chinchillas if they get too much of them. And for such a small animal, even a small amount is too much.
As a result, you should only feed your chinchilla a tiny amount of peach and no more than once or twice a week. The truth is, there are far better treats for chinchillas than peaches, but they do offer some benefit.
Peach Benefits For Chinchillas
Peaches are an easy and cheap fruit to buy from your local supermarket. That is perhaps their biggest benefit. Their other main benefit for chinchillas is their vitamin C content.
Peaches contain a high amount of vitamin C. As with humans, vitamin C helps promote a strong and healthy immune system in chinchillas.
Peaches are also high in fiber. Chinchillas need a lot of fiber in their diet and it helps their digestion run smoothly.
While these benefits are nice, your chinchilla does not really need additional fiber and vitamin C. If you feed it a diet of hay and pellets (as you should), it gets all the nutrients it needs from that.
That means that peaches are really just a nice treat for your pet. And, as mentioned, there are plenty of chinchilla treats that are better. But peaches are fine too, as long as you do not feed your pet too much of them.
How Much Peach To Feed Your Chinchilla
It’s important that you don’t feed your chinchilla too much peach, because it can lead to health conditions such as bloating, sickness and diarrhea. And those are all things you (and certainly your chinchilla), want to avoid.
You should only feed your chinchilla a small amount of peach, no more than a bite-sized piece. It should be about the size of your small fingernail.
Keeping the amount small like this ensures the fruit’s high sugar and water content does add up in your poor pet’s stomach. If you feed your chinchilla any more than this, you may start to notice that it feels unwell.
You should also make sure you don’t feed your chinchilla this amount of peach more than four times per week. Ideally, keep it to once or twice per week.
So, stick to a bite-size amount once a twice a week. And maximum four times. Any more than this and you will likely notice changes in your chinchilla’s health. Your pet may even start to gain weight.
Also, make sure you aren’t feeding your chinchilla any other fruits alongside peaches. Other fruits also contain a lot of sugar and water.
Together, the different fruits will add up and be too much sugar and water for your tiny chinchilla to handle. If you want to feed other fruits in addition to peaches, you need to reduce how often you feed the peaches.
For example, you could feed peaches once per week and another fruit once per week. Maximum twice per week each.
Peach Alternatives
If you want to feed your chinchilla healthier options for treats, there are plenty of other snacks to choose from. Treats your chinchilla will love to include dried fruits (peaches included), oats, herbs and dried flower petals.
Apart from the dried fruits, which do contain a lot of sugar, the other treats are not only lower in sugar but also in water. This means you can feed them to your chinchilla more regularly.
Feeding your chinchilla oats will even help with digestion, since they are loaded with fiber. Dried flowers have a unique taste that your chinchilla is sure to love (though they generally love all of these treat options).
Can Chinchillas Have Dried Peaches?
Chinchillas can have dried peaches. They are a healthier alternative to fresh peaches, due to their lower water content. And they still make a tasty treat that your chinchilla will love.
Just make sure you do not feed your chinchilla more died peach than you would give it fresh ones. The dried ones are smaller, so make sure you take that into account.
Dried peaches still contain a high amount of sugar. In fact, they contain more by weight, since drying removes all of the water, but none of the sugar. This means you still should not feed more than a fingernail-sized piece once or twice a week.
What Other Fruits Can Chinchillas Have?
Chinchillas love the sweet taste of fruit. While you shouldn’t feed them large amounts of fruit, they really enjoy getting small chunks. Just make sure you’re only sticking to one small chunk at a time.
Along with peaches, you can feed your chinchilla pears, apples, apricots, cranberries, grapes and blueberries. You can also feed them dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and dried bananas. Make sure you keep the amount of any fruit you feed your chinchilla small.
If you become unsure of what fruits are safe to feed your chinchilla and which to avoid then you can always consult this article on what fruits a chinchilla can eat, or your vet. Both will be able to point you in the right direction.
Can Chinchillas Have Peaches: Final Thoughts
Chinchillas can eat peaches, but only in small amounts. Very small amounts. A fingernail-sized piece of peach once or twice a week is good. Up to four times a week, if you really want, but it is better to limit it to twice, maximum.
Of course, it is probably best to just feed your chinchilla a different treat altogether. With its high sugar and water content, any type of fruit is not really ideal for these tiny rodents. Things like oats or dried flowers make better treats. Basically, things that dio not contain so much sugar and/or water.
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