Chinchilla refuses dust bath

[Chinchilla_Slave]

Hi, I have a chinchilla who won't take a dust bath. She is about 8 months old and I have tried many many times to get her to bathe. Her mom is on site, and I have tried bathing them together, seperately, I have tried helping her by putting dust on her back and rubbing it in, and I have tried alittle bit of baby powder in the dust bath. She is housed with her mother, and I have tried putting the dust bath i the cage for a day or two, but I am afraid that the mom will bathe to much and get dry skin. Any ideas? The only thing that works to keep her clean is me hand bathing her by rubbing the dust on her, although her fur is still matting and some is falling out.

 

[Minibyte]

I am in no way an expert, but we might need a little more info.

1) How much fur is falling out? Is it slipping or coming out in clumps?

2) Has she ever taken a dust bath before?

3) Is this a new issue, or have you had to rub in the dust since she was a kit?

4) Is anything else happening besides not bathing that deviates from "normal"?

Maybe try changing the dust (if it’s old) or putting some in an open pan? (Maybe it’s too dusty for her?

Hope we can have some insight from others!

 

[Wall-E Kips]

im not an expert either and i've never known a chin to not want a dust bath. its how i get wall-e to go back into his cage..the dust is like a chin magnet. i know there are some very resourceful people on this site like AZ Chins, Tunes, and basket_of_chinchillas, hopefully one of them will see the post and have an answer. you may want to delete this post from this thread category and repost it in chin emergencies section. i know there is a lot more activity going on in that part of the forum best of luck and hopefully someone will have an answer for you!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

this is NOT a chin emergency. She could be afraid to get into the dust container. Try put a newspaper in the cage and put dust on the paper in a area secluded on the floor. Leave it there for a day - see if she uses it. Take the paper out after a day. Yes, the mother will continually use it but the idea is too get the young chin to bath. Keep doing this every other day until she realizes what fun it is

 

[RDZCRanch]

What kind of dust are you using? Most chinchillas hate to bathe in dust that is too gritty like Kaytee dust. You can get blue cloud or blue sparkle from AZchins.com or pretty much any breeder sells it. Another problem is the type of dust pan. If it is too small and cramped, some chins won't get in there to bathe. They prefer open, low dishes that they can fully roll in.

The emergency forum is for medical emergencies, this is not a medical emergancy. The reason that area has more activity is because those cases and posts need immediate responses. This post has to do with hygiene, so it is in the appropriate forum.