Chinchillas are fascinating, exotic creatures with a surprisingly delicate digestive system. Knowing what to feed your chin is extremely important, especially when it comes to ‘interesting’ herbs such as peppermint, so they don’t develop any digestive issues. In this article, I’ll talk more about the impact of peppermint, and spearmint, their benefits, and how you should feed them to your chinchilla.
Chinchillas can eat peppermint or spearmint, and a dried leaf of peppermint (or spearmint) every now and then makes for a perfect treat. However, as with all treats for chinchillas, they should only be given in moderation, as chinchillas have very delicate digestive systems.
- Standard, Everyday Chinchilla Feeding
- Treats for Chinchillas
- Is it Safe for Chinchillas to Consume Peppermint?
- Is Peppermint the Same as Spearmint?
- Is it Safe for Chinchillas to Consume Spearmint?
- Is the Peppermint Leaf the Same as the Stalk?
- Should Peppermint Leaves Be Dried or Fresh?
- How Do You Dry Peppermint Leaves?
- How Often Can You Give a Chinchilla Peppermint?
- What Other Herbs Can Chinchillas Have as “Treats”?
Standard, Everyday Chinchilla Feeding
As a chinchilla owner for over 20 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes with regards to chinchilla foods, and the best recommendations. What hasn’t changed, however, is the need to feed good quality, dried, pure alfalfa pellets, with no other added titbits.
Chinchillas are grazers, and will naturally pick out the best morsels when they find them, and leave the boring alfalfa for another time. In the wild, this wouldn’t be a problem, as they would have to eat the boring alfalfa the next day or risk starvation; domesticated chinchillas, however, know that they will get a replacement of delicious snacks the next day, and the next day… you get the picture.
Unfortunately, when chinchillas only eat treats, they run the risk of developing serious complications such as tooth spurs, and diabetes – both of which can be fatal.
As pets, chinchillas need fibre rich diets based on grasses and hays in order for their digestive systems to function properly. So, as conscientious chin owners, it’s our responsibility to feed them the best, and most appropriate food we can, which is a high-quality alfalfa pellet.
There are a few excellent extruded pellets now available – such as Beafar, or Science Selective, and although they are a bit more expensive than other ‘cheap’ pellets, their quality can’t be underestimated when it comes to chinchilla health. Mine have been on a mixture of the two for over ten years, are now over 20 years old.
If cheaper alfalfa pellets are all you can afford, then this is still vastly superior to mixed foods containing sunflowers, cereal, peas, etc, which should be avoided at all costs.
Treats for Chinchillas
In addition to a good base food, most owners like to offer treats, or add a bit of variety to their chinchilla’s diet, but are concerned about what’s safe for them to eat.
In general, leaves and certain herbs do make good treats, but unfortunately there’s a lot of misinformation on this topic, so I’ll be putting together a list of suitable herbs, leaves, and other treats in another article, which will hopefully clear up exactly what the appropriate choice is for your chin.
For now I’ll just cover whether peppermint, and spearmint are safe for you to treat your chin with.
It’s been observed that animals only eat what they need, and whilst this may be true in the wild, domesticated species often don’t follow this ‘rule’ – how many times have you seen fat cats and dogs, for example?!
When it comes to treats, chinchillas are very greedy, and seemingly unable to resist gobbling as many as they can get their tiny paws on. They will often refuse their normal food, looking for treats, and this causes health issues in the long term.
Unfortunately, with their susceptibility to diabetes, this is extremely dangerous to their health, so all treats, even peppermint, should be given in moderation.
Ideally, treats should not make up more than 10% of a chinchilla’s diet
Is it Safe for Chinchillas to Consume Peppermint?
The short answer to this question is: yes, chinchillas can eat peppermint. Peppermint is an approved herb[1] that you can feed your chinchilla if you are looking to give them a very small treat to break up the monotony of their everyday food.
It should be noted, however, that no two chinchillas are the same and, just like humans, some chinchillas may like a certain food, while others will dislike it.
For chinchillas, peppermint is an exotic herb that they wouldn’t normally encounter in their natural habitat, so they may not like it at all.
If this seems to be the case, and your chinchilla continually ignores the treats you offer, then give up – they are extremely stubborn creatures and won’t eat anything they don’t want to!
Is Peppermint the Same as Spearmint?
The distinction between peppermint and spearmint can be very difficult, especially since visually they look nearly identical.
Both peppermint and spearmint have fuzzy leaves with jagged edges, and they will smell very similar. There are some differences, however – spearmint leaves are, as the word suggests, spear-shaped, and larger than their thinner peppermint counterpart. Peppermint leaves may also have purple veins, and stems.
The main difference nutritionally between them is menthol levels, which is what makes them taste minty. Peppermint has significantly more menthol (40%) than spearmint’s 1% menthol rate.
By far the easiest way to identify them is nibble on a leaf yourself – peppermint has a strong, minty candy type taste, whilst spearmint has a mild, sweet flavour. If you taste both together, you should be able to tell the difference almost immediately.
Is it Safe for Chinchillas to Consume Spearmint?
The short answer to this question is yes, chinchillas can eat Spearmint. Spearmint is also an approved herb, and considered safe as an occasional chinchilla treat.
As spearmint has less menthol than peppermint, you may be wondering whether this difference affects whether chins can also consume spearmint.
Many of the qualities of the two “mints” are the same, and since the menthol levels are even lower in spearmint, it’s less likely to upset the chinchilla’s digestive tract. The only downside is that you may lose out on some of the additional digestive benefits that peppermint offers.
As they’re so similar, I’ll refer to peppermint in the rest of the article, but the advice given applies equally to spearmint
Is the Peppermint Leaf the Same as the Stalk?
Peppermint consists of both leaves and a stalk, and whilst you can feed both the leaves and stalk, the leaf is easier to dry, and therefore easier to feed as a treat.
There’s no harm in leaving a bit of stalk on though, as chinchillas are known to eat twigs, grasses, roots, leaves, and stems in the wild – just don’t be surprised if they punt it through the bars at you.
Should Peppermint Leaves Be Dried or Fresh?
Ideally you should feed only dried peppermint leaves, as chinchillas’ digestive systems don’t react well to foods containing a lot of water.
Their natural habitat is arid, and dry, and they are adept at retaining water (you might notice how concentrated their urine is), so any extra water is something their bodies are not adapted for, and may cause irritation, bloating, or worse.
So, for any treat, dried is always preferable so as to not upset their delicate digestive systems.
As a side bonus, peppermint while not only tasting fresh and delicious, can also aid with digestion in your pet – helping with colic, general digestive issues, and reducing gas in the intestine.
This is similar for humans – a cup of peppermint tea is perfect for when you are feeling too full and uncomfortable after a meal, or feeling gassy and bloated
How Do You Dry Peppermint Leaves?
Drying peppermint leaves is thankfully very easy – you can just lay them out on your counter and leave them to dry; or place on a rack close to your oven; or even on a tea towel over a radiator – they’re ‘done’ whenever they feel crispy.
Store them in an airtight box, and they’ll last for weeks.
How Often Can You Give a Chinchilla Peppermint?
While treats such as peppermint can be given safely to your pet, it should definitely be given with moderation. This also applies to any of the other herbs or treats that are considered safe for chinchillas.
What Other Herbs Can Chinchillas Have as “Treats”?
While there are many herbs and flowers that can be fed to chinchillas, (and there will be a follow-up article to this one with details of safe herbs), it will also depend on your chin’s dietary preferences.
The chinchilla-owner community has done extensive experimentation with various herbs and other natural treats, and some of the most popular appear to be strawberry leaves, and various dried flowers, such as calendula flowers, rose petals, rosebuds, and cactus flowers.
Again, it’s important to ensure they are dried (which also has the added benefit of making them nice and crunchy, and more satisfying to nibble on). Ultimately, the type of herbs and flowers that your chinchilla likes will vary, according to their palate.
Many owners have also put together blends of herbs and flowers, so that there is variety in the types of treats they are providing. Some examples include mixes of hibiscus, chamomile, lavender, and roses. Some of these are also available online for purchase.
In summary, even though peppermint is fine to feed to your chinchilla, and as fun as it is to experiment with different types of treats for your chin, it cannot be overstated how important it is that chinchillas have a stable, everyday diet of alfalfa pellets to keep them healthy for the entirety of their lifespan.