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30 May 2015

Why do chinchillas take dust baths?

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Chinchillas | Chinchilla Bath Dust

As a chinchilla owner, it’s common knowledge that your playful pets need to be treated to a dust bath to keep their fur in tip top condition.

So why do chinchillas need dust baths?

The natural habitat of a chinchilla is in the Andes Mountains. In the wild, volcanic ash gets into Chinchilla’s fur and absorbs all the oil and dirt. This process keeps their fur thick and soft. Dust baths for domesticated chinchillas are our way of replicating this natural behaviour.

Everyone who has felt the fur of these pets knows that their coat is luxurious and soft. Chinchillas have around 60 hairs to each hair follicle, meaning that their fur is very dense. Due to this fact it is important that a chinchilla is never bathed in water. The thickness of the fur means that a wet chinchilla cannot air-dry, and having damp skin can cause fur rot or other health problems.

How often should they have a dust bath?

Regular dust baths are a necessity for your chinchilla’s routine. Not only does it help keep their coats healthy but it also can be plenty of fun for a chinchilla to roll and flip around in! Allow them to use the bath for around 15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week. Bath time is best to had in the evening, when your chinchillas will be at their most active.

Be careful not to leave the bath in their living area. Once your chinchilla has finished bathing, take it out of their cage. If it is left for too long, it is more than likely chinchillas would sit in it and use it as a litter box.

If your chinchilla’s fur seems to be damp or oily, allow them extra time in the bath or increase the frequency of the baths for the week. This could happen if you live in a humid area.

On the other hand keep an eye out for your chinchilla’s fur becoming dry or itchy, as this may be the result of too many (or too long) baths. If this occurs, decrease the time and/or frequency of the baths. Excessive bathing can also be bad for a chinchilla’s eyes.

Where should they have a dust bath?

You can use a bowl or deep dish to accommodate for a chinchilla bath. Allow the ‘bathtub’ to be at least slightly larger than the chinchilla so they have plenty of room to move around. Also ensure the bowl is heavy so that it won’t tip over with your chinchilla’s movements.

The dust that you use needs to be store-bought for the purpose of a chinchilla bath. Put around 4 – 6cm deep of the dust into the bowl to give your chinchilla plenty to roll in.

Blue Cloud is considered to be the best chinchilla dust you can use. This ultra-fine aluminum silicate powder contains no limestone, glass, or sand and shakes completely out of fur. It is specifically made for chinchillas for this purpose. When the chinchillas roll in Blue Cloud dust, it penetrates their coat down to the skin and absorbs oil and dirt from the fur and removes odours. Other cheaper powders or sand may look or feel similar, but just won't work the same way. You'll probably end up using more because its not as effective as Blue Cloud dust.

Using a deeper bowl can be useful as it will help minimize the amount of dust that flies around the room! Be warned – dust will get everywhere during a chinchilla bath. This doesn’t go to waste though as the dust can be reused multiple times. Only change the dust for your chinchilla bath when it starts to look dirty.

What does a chinchilla dust bath look like?

A lot of fun! For proof, take a look at the video below…