Dust bath House versus a plain ol' bowl

[Ripleyd]

After purchasing my chinchilla, the woman at petsmart told me to give her a dust bath on Monday. Since the day is coming up I was just wondering if people had found more success in just using a bowl with chin dust in it, or if chinchillas take better to a dust house.
Sorry guys I just want to get every question out there because I already love her so much!

 

[Sandi]

You can use pretty much anything you want as long as the chin has enough room to roll in. I have the glass gallon penny candy jars from Walmart that cost under $8 and contain alot of the dust inside. I've also used a goldfish bowl and large mixing bowl.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I use a 1 gallon fish bowl for the ones that prefer to be inside of something. I also use a small cage with dust spread across the bottom (the fish bowl is inside the cage). I put a towel over the cage, leaving the front open, to help control the dust. I put all of the chins from one cage in there at a time (up to 4 of them) and let them do their thing. the ones who like the fish bowl use it and the others use the dust on the cage floor. Works great!

 

[greychins]

You really can use just about anything you want. I have some of those plastic pet-store dust houses here, push in dusters, some open containers that hold dust, and my favorite - brownie pans. Some of our rescues have a tendency (especially at the beginning) to go in the dust house and refuse to come out, so at the beginning, we use these metal brownie pans that I found, they're 11 x 7 and they work good cause the chin can't hide in there... (they do have hidey houses to go in). Anyway, the point is, you can use anything as long as you can put a layer of dust on the bottom for them to roll around in. )

 

[ChinnyMom]

a covered cat litter box works well if you don't want dust flying everywhere!

 

[greychins]

^ that's what we use in the playpen. Works awesome!

 

[Godofgods]

iv just used the plastic dust house that are generally advertised in pet stores. Iv never personally had a problem with them, so i never really looked into other option.

The only issue i have had lately, with my increased number or chins, is that some of them would rather both try to fit in to one house at the same time rather then each enter their separate one. And I worry they might get stuck one day.

 

[3CsMommy]

I use a big ol' pasta bowl (something like 10" diameter) for the pair, and Crash has a fish bowl. I prefer to use something chew proof when I can. The plastic house I have got pretty wrecked.

 

[starleomach]

I use ceramic dog bowls. I used to use the plastic houses, although I never had a problem with them, they were not easily steralized. The dog bowls go right in the dishwasher

 

[Idgie]

I got a plastic rectangle container (the size of a shoe box) for about a buck or so and that is fine for me. I don't leave it in the cage for more than about 15 minutes, so Idgie doesn't chew it. It is about 4" deep, so some of the dust does fly out, but mostly just in her cage. And it has a lid so I can store it with the dust in it for another bath.

 

[Cody]

We used a plastic one from the pet store originally for our 2 but as we got a few more and needed more spots for them we just use glass bowls, they don't seem to mind which one they get in and at the pet store here they want almost 20 bucks for the little plastic house

 

[PIKA]

Glass fish bowls

Vote for fish bowls

 

[ticklechin]

Some chins like the dust container covered, some like it open. If the chin won't dust in what you use try the opposite design.

 

[bigpappatrader]

I like the bathhouse because it has a rounded bottom that moves the dust back to the middle, which is where they want it. This way you use less, and since it's mostly covered I can easily cover the entrance with my hand so the dust doesn't fly everywhere. Pro-tip: don't give a dust bath when the ceiling fan is on, it will cover everything in the room with dust.

 

[Idgie]

Pro-tip: don't give a dust bath when the ceiling fan is on, it will cover everything in the room with dust.

:rofl:

 

[ChinchandChilla]

I just have a question for everyone. How much dust do you usually put in your dust baths? I've heard it's not very good to reuse the dust twice, but I find that I'm running out of dust very quickly. I just put enough so the bottom is just barely covered. Any suggestions?

 

[Godofgods]

I just have a question for everyone. How much dust do you usually put in your dust baths? I've heard it's not very good to reuse the dust twice, but I find that I'm running out of dust very quickly. I just put enough so the bottom is just barely covered. Any suggestions?

I only give mine dust baths once a week. I got a large supply online like a year or two ago for ~$20. And im barly half way through it. And i have 5 chins. I have a 1/8 cup scoop in their that i use to get the sand with. I generaly put 1-1.5 scoops in a dust house. With two houses its enough to get all 5 cleaned up.

The site i think i got the sand from doesnt seem to have their supplys up anymore. Of course you might be able to find better else where, maybe even from some ppl on this site. You would just have to check for that.

 

[Stackie]

I just have a question for everyone. How much dust do you usually put in your dust baths? I've heard it's not very good to reuse the dust twice, but I find that I'm running out of dust very quickly. I just put enough so the bottom is just barely covered. Any suggestions?

I reuse my dust until it starts looking gritty. It's fine to reuse.

 

[lauralynne]

I just have a question for everyone. How much dust do you usually put in your dust baths? I've heard it's not very good to reuse the dust twice, but I find that I'm running out of dust very quickly. I just put enough so the bottom is just barely covered. Any suggestions?

I agree w/ Stack. You can reuse dust unless it has been urinated in. I got a hermit crab pooper scooper and that is what I use to sift through the dust to remove poops after the chins dust.

 

[Ripleyd]

Thanks everyone for your input and advice! I gave Onyx her first bath last night and though she tried escaping into my yet-to-be-chinchilla proofed room, she seemed to enjoy it even though she only stayed in about four minutes. I used a large blue salad bowl that she'll be able to stay in even when she gets bigger.