Article: Your chinchilla should have a supply of good quality timothy hay available to them at all times. Provide it in a bowl or loose on the bottom of the chinchilla's cage. You can provide timothy hay in racks and hay balls, but be aware that chinchillas are known for getting stuck in them. Providing hay gives your chinchilla necessary fiber. Chewing hay helps them avoid tooth overgrowth. Pellets provide your chinchilla with a variety of vitamins and nutrients. Choose a pellet that is designed for chinchilla nutrition needs and follow the instructions provided with it for portion sizing. Place the pellets in a food dish and make sure that dish is cleaned daily before the pellets are put in it. Most adult chinchillas should eat around 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of pellets every day, depending on what type of pellets they are given. Feeding them other snacks too frequently can cause digestive problems. Safe treats include raisins, carrots, apple, oats, dried blackberry leaves, rose petals from plants that have not been sprayed with poisons of any kind, unsweetened cheerios, unsweetened shredded wheat, dried rose hips, and safe wood chew sticks. However, these should be given in very small servings and should only be given once or twice a week. Never give fruit, vegetables, nuts, or other treats that are not listed as safe. Use either filtered water or chemical-free tap water and place it in a water bottle with a sipper tube on the end of it that is connected to the side of their cage. Make sure that they have water in that bottle at all times and put clean water in it every day, even if it still has water in it from the day before. Remember to sterilize the water bottle when changing the water. The algae that grows in their water can cause liver problems or severe diarrhea, or even kill a chinchilla. Chinchillas cannot handle some naturally occurring bacteria or parasites in water like humans, dogs, and cats can, so you need to be sure that the water you give them is clean.

What is a summary?
Provide a constant supply of timothy hay. Give your chinchilla pellets daily. Feed chinchillas treats infrequently. Replace the drinking water daily.