Chinchilla Dust Bath

Posted by Chinchilla Planet in Caring for Chinchillas

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Chinchillas have dense fur. Over time, oils and moisture collect in the fur. In the wild, chinchillas have no way to clean their fur other than to roll around in volcanic ash which acts as an absorbent. Chinchillas do not go into water. Nor should you ever bathe your chinchilla in water. Doing so would [...]

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70 Responses to “Chinchilla Dust Bath”

katrina:

so we by the dust and put in a deasent size bucket and let them roll around in it

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Mike:

You should never wash your chinchilla with water! I forget the specifics but it deprives them of the essential oils in their fur, which is very dense and designed by nature to fight off parasites and keeps them warm. (source Animal Planet: Chinchillas) Just used the "Dust Bath" you can purchase at pet stores which is really just very fine volcanic rock. DO NOT use regular sand!

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nicole:

i want to get a chinchilla...i have a couple questions about dust baths...
1.do i put it in his cage and wait for him to go inside...or leave it outside the cage pick him up and put him in?
2.wehere do i get the dust bath sand??

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- chase Goodall:
  
  You should put the bath in the cage because they know when to cleaned.you can get the special dust at your local petsmart. but take caution the dust occasionale so keep a dust cleaner close by. the chinchilla will do the cleaning by rolling around ind the dust. and make shure the water bottle does not leak
  
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- Gillian:
  
  Hi.
  1.Yes you should leave the dust in the cage and wait for him to go inside. Picking him up and putting him in would be bad because he could inhale some of the dust unprepared.
  2. My family buys dust at Petsmart. Most pet stores carry it. The dust is most likly were shavings are.
  hope this helped.
  -Gillian
  
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  - Leah :):
    
    Wait, I thought that you weren't supposed to leave the dust bath container in the cage because too much exposure to it is bad for the chinchilla...I don't know - I'm new to all this.
amber:

wait jessica did you give it a bath in water?

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Jessica Jonson:

i washd my chinchila and now it is sick what shod i do i cant take it to the vet eathier because my mom says its oky its just cold and what kind temp should my hous at all times 4 rat (my chinchilla)

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- katrina:
  
  first of all dont do this any more and second of all keep it about 70-75 degrees
  
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- Greg:
  
  Well first off never bathe a chinchilla the look stupid when the do it. And chinchillas live in the andes so the colder the better after a while they should adapt to the warmer climate. And my dad calls it a rat to i think its funny oh well bi
  
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Sarah12:

What brand of bathing dust is the best? Has anyone been able to tell a difference? How long does a 5lb bag last for 1 Chinch? Thanks.

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- Jessica Jonson:
  
  well i never read that u were not supossed 2 give chinchillas baths and i did so if u do will they get sick too and will they b unsble 2 protect their skin eaither??
  
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  - Adina:
    
    Jessica - giving a chinchilla a bath in water messes up it's natural oils. IDK about it getting sick, but I will often lead to self mutilation.
    IDK how old these posts are (I'm not seeing any dates), but if your is recent, you DO need to take your chin to the vet.
    As far as the temp, under 78F is ideal, over 80F could be lethal.
- amber:
  
  it should last you a while because you dont have to dump the sand after one bath it is usually ok for 3-4 baths...
  
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- Greg:
  
  Truefully it dosen't matter you could go bi sand and it would work and if and a 5lb bag is huge if u fill your container about an inch full it should be fine. Replace the sand after 2-3 times.
  
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