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All instructions for keeping chinchillas mention that it is necessary to provide the animal with the opportunity to bathe at least 2 times a week. But if a person at the word “bathing” immediately has an association with a shower, bath or pond, then chinchillas are not like that.
An inhabitant of the highlands, located above the level of the clouds, is poorly adapted to swimming in water. The thick fur of chinchillas absorbs water well, becoming very heavy. After bathing, the fur does not dry well, since air does not circulate between the hairs.
Living in a dry climate with relatively uniform temperatures throughout the year has led to the fact that the chinchilla lacks sweat glands that regulate heat transfer in the heat and the ability of the fur to remove moisture that is released. And the thick fur, which helps the rodent to maintain a constant body temperature in any season of the year, does not dry at all and, when wet, begins to rot.
Given the conditions of the wild life of rodents, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to bathe a chinchilla in water can be only one: no. But with a caveat.
This is the only option: due to severe diarrhea, the animal turned into a lump of manure. Wash the animal with warm clean water. Do not use any detergents. Special shampoos for chinchillas have not been developed, and ordinary or for other animals can cause skin irritation or even poisoning in a rodent. The shampoo cannot be completely washed off the coat, as the density of the fur interferes.
Water procedures are dangerous for the life of a chinchilla, and, if possible, it is better not to bathe the animal, but to carefully cut off the fur. He will grow back quickly. The owner of the rodent carries out the water procedure at his own peril and risk with a high chance of losing his pet as a result of hypothermia or a fungal disease.
If you still had to bathe the chinchilla in water, it will have to be thoroughly dried and warmed. The best option for such drying is in the owner’s bosom. Because of the density, the fur of chinchillas dries for a very long time. This means that the owner must be prepared to serve as a living heating pad for a long time.
But unless absolutely necessary, it is better not to experiment, not to bathe a chinchilla, but to use special volcanic sand.
bathing chinchillas
For a complete cleaning of the skins, rodents make special dust baths. Chinchillas are very fond of bathing and can do this procedure every day, if given the opportunity.
Owners involuntarily have to limit their pets in pleasures, since “sand” for bathing chinchillas is called so only for simplicity. Not everything is simple here, and for the proper bathing of the animal, you need to carefully approach the choice of such “sand”.
How to choose sand
Under natural conditions, chinchillas bathe in volcanic dust, so the name “sand” as applied to the substance that fills the bathing suit is very conditional. In fact, it is dust, which creates additional difficulties for the owners of these charming animals.
The particles of this sand are too large and sharp. They damage the fur of the chinchilla. Even if you sift ordinary sand through a fine sieve, its particles will still remain too sharp. In addition, there are usually a lot of quartz particles in river and sea sand.
When buying lava dust, you need to make sure that it does not shine. Quality sand / dust for bathing chinchillas should be matte. Shine means the presence of quartz particles that will damage the coat.
High-quality filler absorbs dust very well. If you drop water into it, the sand should immediately absorb it. A ball rolled from wet sand retains its shape after drying.
Talc can be added to dust for better cleaning of wool from fat. And for the prevention of parasites, fodder sulfur is added to the bathing sand. But sulfur is required only if there are cats or dogs in the house. Fleas cannot live on a chinchilla due to thick fur, but occasionally they pass from other pets to the tail of a rodent.
Since animals bathe very vigorously, and the dust is more like fine flour, it will not be possible to do with a simple pan. For chinchillas, you need to buy a special swimsuit that prevents the room from turning into the foot of an extinct volcano. An analogue of a purchased bathing suit can be made independently from improvised means.
Do-it-yourself swimsuit for chinchillas
The main property of the bathing suit is to prevent it from scattering around while the animal is spinning in it. Bathing a chinchilla resembles the eruption of a dust geyser.
The simplest version of a bathing suit is an ordinary three-liter jar. Sand is poured into the jar, put on its side and a chinchilla is launched through the hole. For 15 minutes they enjoy the dust flying out of the neck, and then they try to remove the animal from the jar.
Not the “cleanest” and most convenient way to bathe a pet. There are better containers available. A bathing suit for a chinchilla can be made from various plastic fixtures:
- food container;
- plastic bucket of suitable size;
- canisters from under detergents;
- bottles for water from 5 l.
The food container will require the least amount of time and effort. It is enough to go to the store and buy a container of the right size. The video shows a chinchilla bathing in a similar container.
Close the container tightly with a lid and do not leave the animal there for a long time. But it is possible to protect the apartment from dusting with the help of such a container.
Bucket
A large plastic bucket is convenient in that it can be used “by the clock”, or it can be put in a cage as a permanent bathing suit.
- Choose a low but wide bucket.
- A hole is cut in the sidewall of the bucket according to the size of the animal, the edges are smoothed with sandpaper. The hole is cut in such a way that the lower edge, with the bucket upside down, is 15-20 cm from the floor.
- The bucket is turned upside down and sand is poured into it.
The advantage of a bucket over a jar or bathing suit from a canister is the ability to extract a chinchilla who wants to continue bathing from it without frightening the animal and without physically damaging it. The bucket is carefully turned upside down, the lid is removed and the rodent is taken out.
The disadvantages include the fact that with a large layer of sand, there will be as much dust in the room as from a three-liter jar.
canister or bottle
A large bottle for water and a plastic canister from detergents practically do not differ from each other in terms of technical characteristics. Bathing suits are made in one way.
- A hole for a chinchilla is cut in one of the walls. In the case of the canister, this will be one of the wide sides.
- The edges of the hole are also polished with fine sandpaper.
- The container is placed with the hole up and sand is poured inside.
It remains only to run a chinchilla into the bathing suit.
Common disadvantages of all plastic bathing suits:
- Low weight The chinchilla can knock them over by jumping in and out of the container.
- Smooth surface. It is difficult for the animal to catch on with its claws in order to get out of the bathing suit.
- “Edibility” of plastic. A rodent can taste a bathing suit, but plastic particles in the intestines have not yet added health to anyone.
Compared to plastic containers, jars have the advantage that they cannot be eaten. Otherwise, glass bathing suits are inferior. Bank can roll on the floor while swimming. The only sustainable option is a rectangular glass jar, but this is not always available. In addition, if the chinchilla manages to break the jar, then there is a risk that the animal will cut itself.
Tree
One of the best options would be a homemade wooden bathing suit. But it requires skillful hands. Made from chinchilla edible wood, it has significant advantages over glass or plastic.
- On a rough tree, it is easy for a rodent to jump into a bathing suit and get out of it.
- The lifting lid makes it easy to change the used sand or catch the animal in the bathing suit. For a chinchilla, you will have to make a valve that closes the entrance to the swimsuit.Important! Bathing suit is made only from natural wood. Neither plywood nor chipboard will work because of the poisonous adhesives with which they are made.
- Natural wood is heavy enough that the chinchilla cannot tip over the container while bathing.
- Making a bathing suit is not particularly difficult for someone who has ever made birdhouses. In fact, this is the same box with an inlet.
The disadvantage of a wooden bathing suit is the possibility of a rodent eating it.
A similar box can be made from tin, but care will need to be taken to ensure that the animal does not cut its paws. Tin, with apparent considerable thickness, is in fact not inferior in sharpness to a razor.
This option is for sewing lovers.
Sizes of bathing suits
Chinchillas come in two varieties: decorative and industrial. This is the same species, but large skins are beneficial for the fur industry. At the same time, it is more convenient for amateurs to keep a smaller variety in the house. In addition to size, these animals are no different from each other.
It is the type of rodent that determines the size of the bathing suit. The container is selected so that an adult animal fits freely in it and can spin. But you shouldn’t do too much bathing, as in this case there will be a very large consumption of expensive sand.
How to bathe a chinchilla in the sand
To bathe a chinchilla in the sand, just run it into a bathing suit. Then the animal will do everything itself at the level of instincts. Chinchillas are bathed for about 15 minutes, after which the animal is removed from the tray and shaken off.
There are certain rules for this final action. A chinchilla cannot be taken simply under the chest so that the hind legs hang in the air. Such a grip can damage the spine.
The animal is planted on the palm of your hand and the sand is gently brushed off from one side. After that, they are transplanted to another palm and similarly clean off the remnants of sand from the other.
When can I swim after giving birth to a chinchilla
After giving birth, any females have mucous and bloody secretions from the birth canal for some time. Chinchillas are no exception in this regard, and it is believed that it is still impossible to bathe them during this period. Since there are still open wounds in the female reproductive system, bathing in the sand, she can become infected.
Opinions vary on when to allow a chinchilla to bathe after giving birth. According to some chinchilla breeders, one should wait 1-1,5 weeks. According to others, if the female has stopped estrus, you can bathe the animal already on the third or fourth day.
If the birth took place with complications, in the presence of inflammation or discharge, the female cannot be bathed.
Conclusion
There are very few rules that need to be followed when bathing chinchillas, but those that exist require a very responsible attitude from the owners of these amazing animals.