Why are nuts bad for Chinchillas: Nuts are bad for our chinchillas as they can lead to some serious health issues in them. If your chinchilla is a healthy pet and is on a healthy and balanced diet, then the worst could happen is diarrhea, stomachache, or similar health issues in the short term after eating nuts. So, It is recommended to visit a vet immediately if you see any signs of discomfort in your chinchillas. However, there are some longterm health problems of feeding nuts to your chinchillas.
Why are nuts bad for Chinchillas?
- Too much calcium in nuts can lead to white or milky pee. That indicates that there is a calcium deposit being formed in the urinary tract of your chinchillas
- The complex carbohydrates and nutrients in the nuts are hard to get digested and it can lead to urinary tract issues.
- Excess of Vitamin A and Folic acid can impair your chinchillas joints and harm their nervous system.
- Most nuts are also rich in oxalate which is an antinutrient. Oxalates are anti-nutrients that can harm the digestive system and urinary tract of our chinchillas
So can chinchillas eat nuts at all?
In a nutshell chinchillas cannot eat below list of nuts. They are notoriously too fatty and acidic for chinchillas to handle and should be avoided as a food for them.
- Almonds
- Brazil nut
- Candle nut
- Cashew nut
- Peanut
- pine nuts
- Chilean hazelnut
- Macadamia
- Malabar chestnut
- Pecan
- Mongongo
- Pine nut
- Pistachio
- Walnut
- Yeheb nut
Common Health Problems for Chinchillas Eating Nuts:
- Obesity: Nuts are high in calories and serving nuts regularly can lead to obesity in our chinchillas. It also contains a lot of fat in it that can get deposited in the organs and arteries of our chinchillas Eating a high-fat diet can lead to various health issues in chinchillas.
- Poor digestion: Nuts are rich in dense nutrients, including Unsaturated fats, Proteins, and Carbohydrates that can wreck our chinchillas digestive system altogether. These complex nutrients can also lead to inconsistent bowel movement leading to other health issues like diarrhea, bloating, GI stasis & more.
- Bladder stones: Nuts contain a lot of calcium in it that can get deposited in their kidneys & urinary bladder and, in the long run, results in the formation of stones. Kidney and Bladder stones are extremely painful for our chinchillas, and it is best to serve our chinchillas with a low calcium diet rather than a high calcium one.
- Allergies: Some chinchillas can have an allergic reaction to certain nuts. Some of the common signs of allergies include sneezing, difficulty breathing, itching, etc. If your chinchilla show any similar symptoms, you must visit a vet immediately.
How do nuts affect Chinchillas gut?
Nuts are rich in complex carbohydrates and fats, while chinchillas usual diet is rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates. Feeding nuts to our chinchillas can easily disturb the delicate balance of their good bacteria and completely offset their digestive system. As a result, the good bacteria in their gut will suffer and present an opportunity for the harmful bacteria to proliferate.
These bad bacteria feed on oxalates and sugar, which in turn produces harmful enzymes in the body. These enzymes are deadly for our chinchillas, and they can also be life-threatening in some cases. On the other hand, healthy cecal formation is critical for your chinchillas digestive system balance. chinchillas usually produce a soft poop, also known as night feces or cecotropes that are reingested by our chinchilla pets.
These cecal plays a vital role in balancing the digestive system of our chinchillas and allows the food to digest more effectively in the stomach. Feeding nuts can imbalance the entire system of cecal formation that can lead to a lot of digestive issues in our chinchillas.
