All About The Chinchilla Dust Bath
Cute, loveable little chinchillas are wonderful pets but one part of their natural behavior can be a problem for their owners. In nature, chinchillas clean themselves by rolling around in volcanic ash. In captivity, the animals need access to a regular dust bath in order to clean their luxurious fur and to remain healthy. They also seem to take great pleasure in a chinchilla dust bath!
When you are first starting out with your chinchillas, you will need to know what to do in order to provide a chinchilla dust bath for your pets. It is important for the well being of the chinchillas that you never put them in water to clean them. Water will remove the natural oils in the chinchilla’s fur that they need to protect their skin and which also helps to maintain their body temperature. Instead, you should find chinchilla dust for bathing at your local pet store.
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A dust bath is made specifically to penetrate the animals’ fur and to get it clean so you should only use that which is made specifically for this purpose. When the chinchilla rolls in it, the dust will get into their fur and go to the skin’s surface to absorb the oil and dirt.
When you purchase the dust, get a bowl that is heavy and can’t be tipped over to serve as the chinchilla dust bath. The dish will need to be larger than the chinchilla so that it has room to roll around in it. Some containers are available that are slightly enclosed and will help prevent the dust from escaping into the air and onto everything else. Place about two inches of the dust into the container and place into the chinchilla’s cage to use at night when they are the most active. The dust can be filtered and re-used several times before discarding. However, the dust bath should not be left in the cage at all times since bathing too frequently can cause the animals’ skin to dry out. Also, the bath may be used as a litter box if it is always available. Offer the chinchilla dust to your pets two or three times a week in the evenings. If your animals’ fur starts to look oily or feels damp, then you can offer the bath more frequently.
The climate where your chinchillas live will make a difference in how often they will need to bathe. In a dry climate, fewer baths will be needed. If there is a lot of humidity, then more baths will be required. You should be able to determine from the condition of your animals’ fur if they need more or less bathing in order to maintain a coat that is not dry and flaky or is too oily.
You can also adjust the amount of time that you make the bath available to them. Ten to fifteen minutes is usually adequate time for the chinchillas to bathe but you may leave the bath longer or for a shorter period of time depending on the condition of their fur.
To add to the enjoyment of watching your chinchillas enjoy their bath time, use a clear glass dish that you can see through. You may find that you enjoy this ritual as much as they do!
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