Grooming...

[staci-p]

Hi,
I have had my first chinchilla for almost two years now and cannot get her to let me groom her (I think i may have been successful twice). I got another chinchilla about 6 months ago as well and i cant seem to groom her either, so i figure i must be doing something horribly stupid. They both hate being held because of they were both rescues (though they do like a little rub behind the ears) so i can barely hold them still long enough to even get one comb through. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to brush their fur.
Thanks!

 

[Idgie]

I have never been able to groom Idgie with a comb, though I never really tried. Her fur looks great just with her dust baths. I did, however, find a little knot under her back leg and when she is playing, I try to separate the fur. She does not like to be held either, so I don't really try that hard. Not sure how to do it. It's one thing to wrap them like a burrito for medicine, but when you need to get to all the fur, that's much trickier.

 

[Bethany]

Most chins do not like to be groomed or held.

http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1698&highlight=comb+video
There are videos, but I can't seem to find one right now.

 

[Gizmo24]

Gizmo doesn't like to be groomed. Everytime I try he barks at me and runs away... or he'll jump on my hand and start to groom me everytime.

 

[Ash]

If you can get to a chinchilla show, do it. You'll hear how many other chins hate being groomed too. During grooming, the show hall is filled with nothing but screams/cries of chinchillas hating being groomed.

 

[staci-p]

haha I'm glad im not the only one! I have noticed a little knot on her back but i read from some where on this forum that if i tug at it gently, it should come out, i'll try that.

Thanks!

 

[aznmexaggie]

Chins hate being groomed. I've done so many now that it is a pretty simple process. I groom all the chins I take to show both a week beforehand and the morning of. This year I also combed all my chins who were blowing their coat this fall/winter.

I just sit on a chair with a towel on my lap and set the chin on my lap. I hold the chin still by grasping the base of the tail so he cannot run away or jump off my lap. Then, you just work the comb in short strokes from the tail towards the head. I do a pass over the top and then on either side for a rough groom. Chin combs have sharp teeth to get down into their dense fur but you also need to be careful that you don't poke them.

You can then use a lint roller to remove the stray pieces of fur sticking up which were not removed by the comb.

 

[momenteller]

Thanks for that Sumiko! I watched the video but its nice to have it written down as a reference. Can you tell me what size comb you would recommend for pet owners?