Can chinchillas eat mealworms?

Better not: chinchillas shouldn’t eat mealworms. Germany’s Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare (TVT) and the Swiss animal welfare society (STS) describe chinchillas as strict herbivores. None of our chinchilla sources mentions mealworms or other insects specifically – the rating follows from chinchillas eating only plants. Woodgreen says they eat only plant-based food and shouldn’t be fed meat, and NC State also says they eat only plant material.