How to bathe a chinchilla

The domestic chinchilla is a rodent native to South America and comes from the crossing between the only two species of chinchilla: the short-tailed one (of the Chinchilla chinchilla species) and the long-tailed one ( chinchilla lanigera ). It is similar to a squirrel and is characterized by its soft, thick and shiny coat, in addition to its calm character. Also, do not consume much food: about 25 grams of vegetables per day, so they are economical and easy to maintain.

If you already have a domestic chinchilla or you plan to have one, it is important that you know that, unlike other types of pets, they should not be bathed with water but with a special type of sand. If you want to know more, in .com we explain how to bathe a chinchilla so you can learn to do it the right way.

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Chinchillas are extremely active animals, they like movement a lot, so the space you have for them must be wide enough, not only for them to live, but so that they can exercise and entertain themselves; otherwise, you will be stressed and you will end up getting sick.

You can have it in a cardboard box that is wide or in a large wire cage as long as you corroborate that no tip protrudes that could hurt the animal. In the best case, you can buy a multi-level cage, so you can upload, download and jump.

The bed of the cage should be made with poplar chip or special substrate for rodents. Never use pine or cedar shavings, since they release molecules that can cause respiratory problems to the chinchilla.

In we tell you how to take care of a chinchilla.

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The hygiene of the chinchilla and that of its cage go hand in hand, since it is useless for the pet to be clean if the place where he lives does not have the right conditions. If it is in a wire cage, it is best to wash it once a week with hot water, avoiding the use of any chemical since it could affect the skin of the animal. If it is in a cardboard box, it must be changed frequently to avoid the accumulation of bacteria.

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Chinchillas are very neat animals. If it is the first time you have one, you will notice when you want to bathe because you will start to use the substrate of your bed to clean your fur. The correct way to bathe them is to use special sand for chinchillas that you can get at pet stores.

You can also use marmol the dust released after the manufacture of marble. In this case, it is important to ensure that it is a previously sieved powder, otherwise it could contain sharp debris that can injure the animal while it is washing its fur.

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The chinchilla should be bathed in a separate container . For this you can use from cans of cookies, bowls such as those used to feed dogs, sand boxes for cats or bathtubs specially designed for chinchillas, everything depends on your budget. The important thing is that this container is used exclusively for it. The special sand or marmol must cover about two centimeters high on the surface where the animal will bathe.

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To know how to properly bathe a chinchilla out of the cage holding it as if it were a cat: putting one of your hands on its belly and the other on its back, firmly but loosely, since you could cause damage to its internal organs. Insert it into the container or bathtub and let her do the rest . You will see it roll over the sand or the marble, using the rubbing with the powder to clean its fur.

Be attentive to the reactions of the chinchilla since bathing is generally an activity with which they enjoy. If you do something similar to a sneeze, if you notice eye irritation or changes in your coat go to the vet to tell you what type of sand to use.

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The frequency to bathe the chinchilla will depend on the humidity of the place. The wetter, the more toilets a week. If the chinchilla bathes every day you have to leave it for just 5 minutes, if it is between two and three times a week you can leave it for 10 or 15 minutes.

In the case of special sand is used more than once during the week, it is necessary to use a sieve to clean the fur and dead cells that the animal has thrown. The sand should be changed weekly.

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As you can see, learning to bathe a chinchilla has been quite simple. Now that you know how to do it and you are ready to have one of these pets at home and give it the care it deserves.