Can chinchillas digest wood?

Question

I know that plastic is bad for them, but how is wood any better if they can't digest either one? If they don't eat the wood, then doesn't that mean they won't eat the plastic? I'm confused!

Answer 1

It is very important that your chinchillas has a variety of things to chew on. You can purchase many types of wood that will help your chinchilla as well as lava rock which is excellent for your chinchilla to chew. Make sure you give them a variety of sizes as well to make sure they can reach the back teeth.

Timothy hay is also an important part of the diet that also helps to grind the teeth down and maintain health. This is extremely important in preventing dental malocclusion which can result in a painful death of your chinchilla.

If you have any type of plastic in your cage the chinchilla may chew it. Plastics can be toxic to your chinchilla. Having other things to chew can help prevent this but it is always best to use a cage that does not have plastic parts if possible.

Answer 2

the chinchilla doestn actually eat the plastic or wood. it just chews on it. the wood is more grainy so it files down the teeth. the plastic is to hard to bite through so it harms the teeth. its not a matter of digestion.

Answer 3

Yes, but in small amounts.  They don't eat it anyways, they just would chew.  They cannot digest plastic.

Answer 4

Chinchillas don't eat wood or plastic. The only reason that wood is better for them than plastic is because plastic has chemicals, dyes, etc. and most wood doesn't. They won't eat it but they will chew on it to file down their teeth.

Answer 5

No animal can directly digest wood.  Not even termites - and all they eat is wood!

Animals that eat wood (termites, beavers, etc.) rely in microbes in the intestinal tract to break the wood down.  The same would be true for the chinchilla - it will have wood-digesting microbes in its gut tract.  They won't have plastic-digesting bacteria.