How to Bottle-Feed a Chinchilla

There are two ways to bottle-feed a chinchilla. If you have a baby chinchilla that is unable to nurse, or a sick chinchilla that can't eat hard pellets, hand-feeding is an option for keeping the chinchilla healthy. For healthy chinchillas, an open water bowl is dangerous because the small animal could drown while trying to drink. An automatic feeder placed in the cage prevents water-related accidents, and it offers additional nutrition when juice is mixed in.

Things You'll Need

  • Medicine dropper or syringe
  • Small bottle of goat's milk
  • Small bottle of water
  • 1 tbsp. infant rice cereal
  • Automatic water feeder
  • Fresh water
  • 1 tbsp. apple juice
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Instructions

  1. Hand-Feeding Chinchillas with a Bottle

    • 1

      Make a substitute milk for an infant chinchilla. Mix one part goat's milk, one part water and 1 tbsp. infant rice cereal. Baby chinchillas that have been separated from their mothers still need to nurse but are not big enough for an automatic water feeder. Sick chinchillas benefit from the added nourishment if they are unable to tolerate solid foods.

    • 2

      Use a medicine dropper or syringe to bottle feed your chinchilla. Measure out 1 to 2 milliliters and fill the syringe with the liquid. On your medicine dropper or syringe, the markings will read ML.

    • 3

      Hold an infant or sick chinchilla in your lap or in one arm to bottle-feed by hand. Place the medicine dropper or syringe in your chinchilla's mouth. If your chinchilla does not begin to "nurse" on the dropper, give a small squeeze to the syringe. This dispenses a small amount of milk mixture onto the chinchilla's snout. This should trigger the eating reflex.

    • 4

      Rub the chinchilla's stomach after feeding. Ordinarily, the mother chinchilla massages the tummy after feedings. Rubbing the tummy helps fight off gas from feedings.

    • 5

      Repeat the feeding process every one and one half to every two hours for infant chinchillas.

    Water Bottles Inside a Chinchilla's Cage

    • 6

      Place an automatic water feeder on the inside of your chinchilla's cage. Attach it to the outside of the cage with thin metal brackets. Brackets are normally included with the feeder.

    • 7

      Fill with bottled water or distilled water if the chlorine level in your water is high or if you are unsure of the chlorine content.

    • 8

      Clean each part of your chinchilla's water bottle every other day. Run the parts through a dishwasher to ensure bacteria removal. Include the stopper and the "straw" on the automatic water feeder.