Written by The Rabbit Hole Hay Team
Chinchillas’ soft, dense fur is both their blessing and their curse. The fur evolved to keep chinchillas warm in the bitter Andes Mountains. The problem is that the Andes gets very little rain. Consequentially, chinchilla fur takes practically forever to dry. Chinchillas can get very sick or die because of spending days or even hours with wet fur.
Chinchillas’ soft, dense fur is both their blessing and their curse. The fur evolved to keep chinchillas warm in the bitter Andes Mountains. The problem is that the Andes gets very little rain. Consequentially, chinchilla fur takes practically forever to dry. Chinchillas can get very sick or die because of spending days or even hours with wet fur.
Chinchillas (also called chins) grow the densest fur in the world for animals living on land. According to the BBC, chinchillas grow 50 hairs per follicle. Follicles are tiny tunnels in the skin where hairs grow. This not only keeps the animal toasty warm, but also helps prevent parasites on the body (but not the paws or ears). The fur is just too thick for the bugs to penetrate and have enough air to survive.
Although this makes the fur extremely soft and insulating, it is not made to ever get wet. Since the hairs are so close together, air isn’t allowed in to help dry them. Fur that remains damp for long periods of time is prone to fungal infections like ringworm. These infections are usually contagious not only to other chins, but other pets and your family.
If chinchilla fur should never get wet, then how do chinchillas stay clean? They use dust baths, similar to the way birds use dust baths. There are many fine dust baths available made just for chinchillas. Chins should bathe every few days, but don’t keep the bath house or pan in the chin’s usual cage as it will quickly get soiled by urine and poop.
Giving your chin a dust bath is easy. Just remember that your chin will fling dust about, so be prepared to clean up any dust spills afterward. Many chin owners place their dust bath pans in rooms without carpeting to make cleaning up easier.
Place two inches of dust in a chinchilla dust bath pan or “house” or a shallow litter box for kittens.
Accidents happen in even the best of situations. Pets are champions at getting into messes. One of the most common messes is getting peed on by another chinchilla or having diarrhea. Chins may also accidentally come into contact with makeup, oils, paints or creams or lotions. Even liquid soap should not stay on a chin for long.
Spot cleanings for chinchillas can be done, with a little preparation to make it as short and stress-free as possible for the pet.
Besides avoiding water baths whenever possible, there are many other things a small pet parent can do to make sure a chin is not getting regularly damp for long stretches of time. Not only should a small pet owner check a chin over thoroughly every day, but check the cage as well.
For the most part, chinchillas should avoid water and not get wet. Keep your small pet healthy and happy with twice-weekly dust baths, daily cage and pet body checks, replacing drippy water bottles and feeding the best quality hay possible.