Questions on the sandbath

[Esperanta]

My first question is... does it matter what container I use for the sandbath? Second, is it okay to leave the bath in the cage or should I only put it in whenever it's going to be used. Third, How often does a chinchilla need the sandbath?

 

[greychins]

I personally don't think it matters what you use for the bath. We have some dusters for runs, as well as just containers that we put dust in, and they use them all. Just be sure if you're using something that's chewable (like plastic) that they don't chew it.

Just wanted to note... since you are saying "sand bath" - you should be using chinchilla dust, not chinchilla bath sand.

You just want to put the dust bath in the cage when the chinchilla's going to use it. Otherwise they'd keep rolling in it a lot and it could dry out their skin.

We give dust baths about 2-3 times a week, depending on the weather (if it's really humid and they're starting to look like they need it, then 3 times a week).

 

[Sandi]

Hi, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great info in the FAQ's of each section of the forum. Here is a great one that talks about dust baths and more -

http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44

 

[Esperanta]

Okay, thanks both. Oh, one more thing. How would you know if they needed the dust bath?

 

[greychins]

We dust 2-3 times a week, regardless. This keeps them looking good 24/7. Once it gets more than a few days from the last dust bath, you'll notice the chins getting greasy-looking in their fur.

Just as an example, I attached two pics of a chin we recently acquired that hadn't been dusted recently and since has refused to dust . You can see how her fur isn't looking so good....