How to Give a Chinchilla a Dust Bath

A chinchilla's fur is prone to getting oily and greasy, especially if he is handled often. To get him clean and get his fur fluffy again, all you need to do is give him a dust bath.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A chinchilla
• Chinchilla dust
• Dust bath (large bowl or other container)

1. Put about half an inch to an inch of dust in a large bowl or other container. Some pet stores sell actual chinchilla baths or houses, but they can be expensive and many things around your house can work just fine.

2. Place your chinchilla's dust bath in his cage and shut the door.

3. Allow your chinchilla to dust freely for twenty minutes to half an hour.

4. After your chinchilla is done dusting, remove the dust bath from his cage.

5. Whenever your chinchilla's fur begins to look oily or greasy instead of fluffy, let him dust again with new dust. In some climates, this could be as often as every other day or as little as once a week. However, even if your chinchilla's fur does not appear to be oily or greasy, you should still allow him to dust at a minimum of once a week.

Tips & Warnings

• Stick around to watch your chinchilla dust. It can be a very entertaining event.
• If you have allergies or sensitivities to your chinchilla's dust, consider taking a trip to a local pet store and buying chinchilla sand instead. It does not do quite as good a job as dust does, but it is not as fine and cannot be inhaled as easily, which should lower any issues you may have with dust.
• Always use new dust every time you allow your chinchilla to bathe. The old dust may have been contaminated with urine or feces or it may not be as effective in cleaning your chinchilla's fur.
• A chinchilla should never need a water bath and a water bath could lead your chinchilla susceptible to fur fungus. Your chinchilla's dust can work almost anything out of his fur over time.