My chinchillas fur always looks very scruffy. It has been for a while now. At first I thought it was maybe because she was a baby when I had her and maybe she was getting new adult fur or something. But the problem has never gone away. Sometimes I've thought it looks better but i'm not sure if it has.
The other day I found some photos of when I first had her and when I saw the photo it made me remember that the fur around her hip area looked scruffy then as if there was something sticky on her fur and maybe slightly longer hair.
Now the fur around her hips looks very scruffy and looks almost like bald patches but she doesnt have any actual bald patches.
I have recently moved and discovered when moving her cage that there was a slight leak som.ewhere on the wall behind her and rain had been getting in. I thought I had found the problem but it's been almost 2 months in our new home and her fur is not improving.
She has a sandbath everyday which she really enjoys.
I have read some things online about mite but I've never seen anything on her and think the scruffiness wouldn't be contained to just one area if that were the case.
I've also read about chinchillas who pull out their own hair but I've never seen her doing that and until recently she lived in my bedroom where I spent a lot of time.
When I first had Roxie the food she ate was not the pellets but the food that looks like rabbit food. She was only eating a few pieces of the food. I read that she should eat them all to get all the nutrients so I stopped topping up her food until she ate it all. Then she learned that if she urinated in it I would change the food so I slowly introduced the pellets which she enjoys and has been eating them for about 2 years now. So I don't think it is diet-related.
She has lots of toys which she enjoys chewing and regularly comes out of her cage for a run. She seems generally happy and active and the fur doesn't seem to bother her.
The only thing that I can think is that I was in a long-distance relationship and when I was away for a few days my sister would see to her. I also work shifts and once a week I work a nightshift. Could she be doing it to herself when I am away? If so what can I do to stop her?
Or could it be something else? Could she just have a fault with her fur or something?
I'd be grateful if anyone has any ideas or experiences they could share.
The other day I found some photos of when I first had her and when I saw the photo it made me remember that the fur around her hip area looked scruffy then as if there was something sticky on her fur and maybe slightly longer hair.
Now the fur around her hips looks very scruffy and looks almost like bald patches but she doesnt have any actual bald patches.
I have recently moved and discovered when moving her cage that there was a slight leak som.ewhere on the wall behind her and rain had been getting in. I thought I had found the problem but it's been almost 2 months in our new home and her fur is not improving.
She has a sandbath everyday which she really enjoys.
I have read some things online about mite but I've never seen anything on her and think the scruffiness wouldn't be contained to just one area if that were the case.
I've also read about chinchillas who pull out their own hair but I've never seen her doing that and until recently she lived in my bedroom where I spent a lot of time.
When I first had Roxie the food she ate was not the pellets but the food that looks like rabbit food. She was only eating a few pieces of the food. I read that she should eat them all to get all the nutrients so I stopped topping up her food until she ate it all. Then she learned that if she urinated in it I would change the food so I slowly introduced the pellets which she enjoys and has been eating them for about 2 years now. So I don't think it is diet-related.
She has lots of toys which she enjoys chewing and regularly comes out of her cage for a run. She seems generally happy and active and the fur doesn't seem to bother her.
The only thing that I can think is that I was in a long-distance relationship and when I was away for a few days my sister would see to her. I also work shifts and once a week I work a nightshift. Could she be doing it to herself when I am away? If so what can I do to stop her?
Or could it be something else? Could she just have a fault with her fur or something?
I'd be grateful if anyone has any ideas or experiences they could share.
