First Hair ring check

[tina000]

I have two 8 and 10 week old male chinchillas. I read online that a hair ring can form and cause kidney problems and stop urination ultimately being fatal for a chinchilla. My question was how often should I do a hair ring check and when should I do the first check? Since they are still new to me we have not fully bonded and while they jump into my hand and crawl up my arm with no problem they absolutely hate being picked up they are also super squirmy, this would make it very difficult to do a hair ring check on them so at what age should I wait to check for hair rings and how often should I check?

 

[Amethyst]

Hair rings actually cut off blood circulation to the penis, so yes it does cause the inability to pee and lead to kidney problems but you will see the chin is noticeably swollen down there too. Hair rings are also more common problem with breeding males, but males in general do tend to take care of themselves (keeping clean down there and ummm... pleasuring themselves too). I really don't bother checking my boys unless they are showing an unusual amount of attention down there (more then a couple minutes) or it's hanging out. Once a month or less is pretty much about as often as needed unless as I said you notice a problem. I've had over a dozen chins over the past 20 years and only had one chin with a hair ring once. At this point I would worry more about bonding then about hair ring checks, they happen more often if they are humping things, and they haven't even hit puberty yet. For now just check them over when handling them, without trying to pull anything out for an exam, nothing should be hanging out and/or discolored.

I suggest you either look up a how to video or simply take the chin to the vet if you notice a problem and/or need to be shown how to properly do a check if you don't already know how. It's much easier with two people, one to look things over and the other to hold the guy. They never willingly let you check their privates out, so they will always squirm a bit when you go to check no matter how bonded you are.

 

[tina000]

thank you so much and yes I am deff working on bonding with them.

 

[Vyxxin]

Amethyst is right, non breeders don't need checked as often as breeders do...and hair rings DO occur more when a male humps things.

Something to keep an eye on, your boys are starting to near an age where many hump things for dominance? Around 3-5mos they start to do this, maybe not enough to get a hair ring but they do start and especially with two...

Just, as mentioned, keep an eye it's all part of male chin ownership

 

[Chinups]

My chin developed a hair ring after continuously humping his stuffed toy and fleece bed. One day, I noticed that he was checking himself constantly during playtime which was unusual behavior for him. When I turned him over, I saw his penile "cone" looked swollen so I checked him and saw the hair ring. It was an uncomfortable experience for both of us but I was able to remove it with my husband holding him steady. Since then, no more hair rings (we removed the toy and fleece bed). Now, when he's cleaning himself, I take a peek and ensure there are no more issues. I haven't done a "real" hair ring check in over a year and he's been fine.

I agree that you should focus on the bonding experience. Get to know your chins' body language so that when you see them act differently (due to illness or discomfort) you would recognize it right away.