Is Your Chinchilla Eating Their Paper Bedding?
Have you ever seen your chinchilla eating their paper bedding and wanted to know why they’re doing it? Or what to do to stop your chinchilla from eating their paper bedding?
Chinchillas are curious creatures by nature and will chew on items to explore their surroundings.
While some beddings are safe in small doses, it’s essential to prevent your chinchilla from eating their paper bedding too much by combating boredom or a lack of food.
Four Reasons Why Your Chinchilla Is Eating Their Paper Bedding
Bored
Boredom is probably the biggest reason why most domesticated chinchillas tend to excessively chew on items in their surroundings. Chinchillas can become frustrated when they can’t do anything and will then chew and become destructive to vent their frustration. If you don’t have much within the enclosure for your chinchilla, they may start to chew on their paper bedding.
Curious
Chinchillas are naturally curious creatures. They can tend to chew on newer items within their enclosure. This can include new paper bedding if they have never used paper bedding before.
Chinchillas typically enjoy comforting smells. When you change your chinchilla’s bedding, they may chew for a little while as they can become curious about the newer smell of the bedding.
Wearing Down Their Teeth
A chinchilla’s teeth will continuously grow throughout its life. If their teeth aren’t constantly worn down, it could potentially lead to health issues. Thankfully, chinchillas will often wear down their own teeth without the need for any assistance if they have the opportunity. They can do this by chewing on hard, wooden objects.
Without the proper tools to wear down their teeth, chinchillas will often chew on anything to stop their teeth from becoming too long, especially if you use harder bedding like shavings.
Lack Of Fiber
If your chinchilla isn’t getting the proper food, it can lack essential nutrients. Fiber is an essential nutrient for chinchillas, as it allows them to keep their GI system in good shape. If they lack fiber, a chinchilla could begin to chew on their bedding in the hope of getting more nutrients.
Dangers Of Eating Bedding
Being Full Without Any Nutrients
Bedding like straw can be a bad option for chinchillas if they chew on all of their new bedding. Chinchillas need a very specific percentage of nutrients, and eating a lot of empty filler foods like straw could cause a chinchilla to stop eating their proper diet.
Liver Problems
Dyes, ink, pine, and cedar can all be toxic for chinchillas. If they ingest too much, it can cause liver problems in the future.
Irritation Their Eyes/Nose/Lungs
Some bedding, such as straw, paper, and sawdust, creates dust, which is very bad for chinchillas. It can cause their eyes, nose, and lungs to become irritated and may lead to infections.
Preventing A Chinchilla From Eating Paper Bedding
Give Them Plenty Of Toys
It‘s best to give your chinchilla lots of toys to prevent boredom. Chinchillas can chew a lot because of being boredom, so giving them something specific that they can chew is a great option. There are many wooden toys for helping chinchillas’ teeth get worn down.
Fiber Is Important
As many of the items used to make paper bedding are fibrous, it’s possible for a chinchilla to chow on their paper bedding as a way to try and get more fiber.
Instead, try to make sure your chinchilla has plenty of fresh food all the time. This keeps them busy and full, while they’ll also get the fiber they need.
Do They Have A Companion?
Chinchillas are very social animals by nature. If you’re working a lot, or your chinchilla is alone for long periods, it might be worth trying to find a companion for your chinchilla. Not only will they have someone to bond with, but they will also be less bored throughout the day, giving them less time to be destructive or eat their paper bedding.
If you get another chinchilla of the opposite gender, remember to get them altered, or you could end up with more chinchillas.
Conclusion
Chinchillas are curious creatures and tend to get bored quickly. They may eat their paper bedding to learn more about it or to pass time. Either way, the best option is to give your chinchilla bedding that isn’t toxic or harmful to them and focus on alleviating issues that might cause them to overeat. This will make sure they are happy and get all the nutrients they need.
