What do wild chinchillas eat?

Chinchillas in the wild mainly forage for seeds, bark, herbs and grasses. As omnivores, they also eat meat and enjoy bird eggs or insects in their diets when the opportunity arises.

Chinchillas are nocturnal rodents and live in the Andes Mountains of Chile. They band together in large colonies, spending most of their daylight hours resting in rocky burrows or bathing in volcanic ash, according to the Maryland Zoo. Chinchillas have muscular hind legs that help them travel over rough mountainous terrain at night. They sit upright as they eat and grasp food with their front paws. When feasting on local plants, chinchillas are able to extract water to survive in their dry environments.