How Do Chinchillas Clean Themselves?

Video Transcript

"Sure, the question is how do chinchillas clean themselves, and it's a unique type of thing that they do, especially for pets. Now, the chinchilla originated in South America at high altitudes -- 10 to 16,000 feet. And in those areas, in the soil and in some areas, there's some volcanic ash. And so these guys, what they do is they bathe themselves in volcanic ash to absorb oils and dirt. They do this several times a week. In captivity, owners must provide a...what's called a dust bath, and you can get commercial volcanic ash that you put in a pan -- in a little shallow pan -- and you put it in there with them for 20, 30 minutes several times a week. And what they do is roll in this, bathe themselves, and they come out clean. And so it's a unique thing that this type of rodent does. They need to keep themselves clean because they have kind of a soft, but thick, type of fur, which does accumulate oils and dirt as well. They have about 50 to 60 hairs that come out of each follicle, and so that's unique as well. So they have kind of a thick, soft fur that they do like to maintain and clean themselves. If they don't, they could end up having skin problems and hair loss and things like that as well."