Should you Bathe a Chin?

[borzov]

I find that chin's fur gives me allergic reaction in the form of stinginess on my skin and nasal stuffiness…but when I wash them the problem goes away… does anyone else have this problem and what else do you do???
I know chins do not like water and they seem a little disoriented after a bath but then again, it is a wash how bad could it be?

 

[AZChins]

The reaction could be from the type of dust that you use.

Washing a chin with water can really mess up the fur and make it mat up. I'd stick with dust baths. You could try another type of dust and see if you have a problem with it. What type do you use?

 

[ChinchillaSteve]

You shouldn't bathe your chin!

If you are bathing you chin (I assume often) it ain't the healthiest thing you can do!

 

[Essentia]

Bathing a chin should only really be done in special circumstances. I have a chin who leaks urine and because of this he always has a yellow tummy. Urine can also cause urine burn if it sits on the skin for too long. Because of this he gets a bath about once a week, to every two weeks depending on how bad it is. With bathing a chin what you have to worry about it that they are completely dry so you don't end up with dealing with fungus and such. I always towel dry him very well, then blow dry on cool, and then give him a dust bath right afterward.

As for just washing your chin to wash him, I wouldn't recommend it. It does sound like it may be the dust you are using for the chin, not the chin himself. What dust are you using? If you aren't using Blue Cloud I would give it a try.

Also keep in mind it may be the hay you are giving him. Some timothy hay makes me itch like crazy and also gives me a stuffy nose. You may want to purchase a differet brand of timmy hay to see if that helps.

 

[borzov]

in answer to the questions...

i wash them every two weeks at the most. i know its not the hay (i'm almost certain) because the hay does not make me itch. besides the itching goes away after i wash the chins. i'm pretty sure it's the fur because when the fur rubs against my arms my skin goes red and sometimes i get hives. that does not happen after washing them...and i know it's not the dust either because it never causes that reaction by itself...
what i watch out for is not to wash them on humid days for obvious reasons. they get towel dried; and of course they are inside so i dont have to worry about cold drafts.

i read that people who own guinnea pigs get asthmatic reactions because of the pig's urine, or more specifically, the protein in the urine makes them wheeze. that can't be good. my guess is that it's probably the urine from the chins that could be problem for some. it gets into the fur and that's that. i dont think dust baths can get it all out. besides, if chins take dust baths maybe its because they dont know any better...our ancestors did the same thing too back in the cave days 'til they discovered the shower head. ha! ha! ha!.

the little critters are treated like princes and they ought to be thankful they are not out there in the mountains dodging birds of prey and snakes...the least they can do for me is oblige once in a while for a few seconds of annoyance under some gushing luke warm water...i know they don't like it but neither did my daughter when she was baby.

 

[tunes]

the little critters are treated like princes and they ought to be thankful they are not out there in the mountains dodging birds of prey and snakes.

The thing is, these guys never were out in the mountains dodging snakes. These guys are so domesticated, they could not survive out in the mountains in the Andes, so comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges.

A bath now and then probably won't do horrible damage, but it would be better if you would blow dry them to be sure you get them thoroughly dry to prevent fungus or a respiratory tract infection. A blower dry set on cool and on low will take a little while, but it will ensure that they get dry all the way down to the skin and avoid problems later.

Why don't you try bathing them in corn starch for a while and see what happens? It very possibly could be the dust, and the water bathing gets rid of all the residue from the dust, thereby making the itching stop. I would also consider wearing long sleeves and taking a Benadryl when handling them, rather than continually bathing them, which at some point is might end making a mess of their fur and all dry up the oils on their skin, possibly causing them to itch constantly.

Since I brought my animals into my home, and they didn't choose to be here, I do my very best to accommodate what is best for them, rather than what is convenient for me. You just may need to do a little experimenting to see if you can get around whatever it is that is bothering you. Maybe try liners instead of bedding with a litter box in the corner, which may help if you truly believe it's the urine causing the problem. Try the Benadryl before handling them, if you're going to be handling them for long periods of time. If you get a rash just transporting them from their cage to their play area, maybe try transporting them in their dust bath while wearing some kind of protective covering.