Chinchilla Dust
Posted by Jennifer Snyder on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 @ 04:26 PM
What is chinchilla dust? Why does your chinchilla need it?What will it do for your chin? In the wild chinchillas naturally role in volcanic ash to keep their fur clean and healthy. Chinchillas have very thick coats with the highest fur density of any land animal. A chinchillas coat has more than 20,000 hairs per square cm (according to http://www.chinchillaplanet.com/chinchilla-facts/. Their fur is so dense that skin parasites (such as fleas) cannot live on one lest they suffocate. Whereas humans grow one hair from each follicle, a chinchilla has more than fifty hairs from a single follicle. Rolling in the dust is a great way to get rid of excess oil from their fur. Aside from being a healthy option for your chinchilla, they really enjoy dust baths and it's extremely fun to watch! Chinchillas will roll in the dust and cover their entire bodies. After dusting they are in generally good moods and look amazing.
You can dust your chinchilla outside of her cage in a chinchilla safe room or inside the cage, but you should not leave your dust in the cage with the chinchilla for more than 20 minutes at a time, as it will quickly become soiled. There are several option for chinchilla dust. Blue cloud and blue sparkle are among the most popular within the chinchilla community and you can get really good deals buying in bulk from sites like http://www.ryersonchinchilla.com/ (The same goes for feed, hay, and alfalfa blocks). At pet stores you will mostly find Kaytee dust which is very pricey and not thought of as favorably by chinchilla owners and breeders. While it is not dangerous for your chinchilla, it does not seem to provide the quality of results. Chinchilla owners tend to feel that the dust does not provide as beautiful result in coat quality as the Blue cloud dust. Avoid sented dust as it can irritate the chinchillas nasal passages. You should give your chinchilla no more than 2 dust baths a week, over dusting can irritate and dry out their skin. Below is a chinchilla dusting video enjoy!
Chinchilla Dust Bath - Funny home videos are a click away