Learning the Basics, Part 1

What are some things I should know before getting a chinchilla?

Tip #1:

For one thing, the biggest thing that people miss when owning a chinchilla is the fact that you should NEVER, bathe them in water. Chinchilla coats are very soft, but also very dense; so treat them like Gremlins and do not get them wet. Chinchillas bathe in a fine powder (volcanic ash) instead of bathing in water (which you can get this powder from common pet stores, eg: Petco, Petsmart, etc.); the brand of powder that you want to look for is Blue Cloud dust. To bathe your chinchillas in this, just simply take a container or tub and put 2 scoops of powder per chinchilla in the tub; then let the chinchillas wonder towards the powder and they will toss & turn in it, getting the powder all in their fur. The way the powder works is it gets deep in their fur near the skin, then as the chinchilla rolls; the powder pushes out of the fur and all the impurities along with it because of how fine it is.

Tip #2:

The next piece of advice is kind of based off of the last tip, which is: DO NOT GET YOUR CHINCHILLA WET! Chinchillas coats are so dense; if it gets wet, it cannot properly dry on its own. What wet coats lead to is clumping of the fur and a messy looking coat, and those clumps become damp and allow unpleasant visitors such as deadly fungus to grow in the fur. In the case of your chinchilla getting wet or getting a little water on the coat; do not panic, just simply take to a towel and dry and scrub the life out your chinchilla's coat (not literally) and your pet should be fine. The second way to dry the coat is by taking a blow-drier (have it set on the lowest setting, chinchillas are sensitive to excessive heat) and blow dry the area that is wet. If you do notice a sign of already clumpy fur or fungus, take your chinchilla to the veterinarian (specifically exotic vets) immediately.

Tip #3:

Suggested Hay

The last tip for this week is one of the most vital health problems for a chinchilla: their oral health. Chinchilla teeth grow expeditiously & continuously, even to the point of growing so much a chinchilla can suffocate or starve to death because of overgrown teeth. In order to prevent this, you must give your chinchillas plenty of hay in their diet (specifically Western Timothy Hay, and no Alfalfa!); because when chinchillas eat, they grind their teeth together, but giving them mainly pellets; however, makes them chew like us instead of grinding. Another way to keep the teeth in check is by buying chew toys for them, such as pumice stones and wooden toys; just make sure you keep anything plastic from them. If you notice that a chinchilla is eating or drinking anything, that is the most significant sign of disease or grown-out teeth, so take him/her to the veterinarian immediately. The last thing is keep all cables and wires from chinchillas, because their teeth are like bolt cutters; so one bite, and your chinchilla will get electrocuted or your wires just get permanently damaged.

Thank you all for reading, so join me next time when next week I blog about some more basics on chinchilla care. Good luck with your puffy pet!







Sources:
Millburn, Naomi. "What Happens If a Chinchilla Gets Wet a Little Bit on Its Body?" What Happens            If a Chinchilla Gets Wet a Little Bit on Its Body? Demand Media, 2016. Web. 19 Feb.                          2016. http://animals.mom.me/happens-chinchilla-gets-wet-little-bit-body-1833.html

Poli, Mirella. "TIP OF THE MONTH !" Chinchilla Teeth. Mirella Poli, 2008. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
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