What should I use to clean Chinchilla ears?

[ElliesMama]

Hiya!

I read that you can help chinchillas clean some of the dirt out of their ears with oil and cotton balls. Before I try anything though I'd love some input since there seems to be mixed reviews online about what oils are okay to use.

1) Should I clean the inside of my chinchilla's ears or is it too risky?
I don't want to hurt her!

2) If I do clean her ears, what oil should I use?
I have read mixed reviews about mineral oil, and I have also read some people just use warm water and a cotton ball.

Thank you!

 

[Amethyst]

I could be wrong but I've never cleaned my chinchilla's ears, they shouldn't need it. Unlike cats and dogs that can get dirt in their ears from being outside and digging chins should only be inside and the only "dirt" like stuff they are exposed to is bath dust. If there is buildup in the ears it could be a sign of an ear infection and/or ear mites, in which case I'd go to the vet.

 

[Shenanigans]

I could be wrong but I've never cleaned my chinchilla's ears, they shouldn't need it. Unlike cats and dogs that can get dirt in their ears from being outside and digging chins should only be inside and the only "dirt" like stuff they are exposed to is bath dust. If there is buildup in the ears it could be a sign of an ear infection and/or ear mites, in which case I'd go to the vet.

I've never had to clean my chins ears either. Amethyst's advice sounds right to me. If it is and infection/mites the vet will likely have a medicated thing to clean the ears. I worked at a shelter and the same thing went for all our cats-usually there was no ear cleaning needed unless there was an infection (indoors, not exposed to dirt, ears aren't long and folded over enough to trap it). Usually with cats and dogs regular dirt gets stuck because it's attracted to the skin oil they have. chins don't usually have particularly oily ears.

 

[tunes]

I wouldn't stick anything in a chinchillas ears. In 12 years I have never cleaned out a chinchillas ears.

 

[AZChins]

Don't put objects in a chin's ears. You can clean grimy stuff on the outside of the ear with an edible oil like corn oil or jojoba oil. I'd stay away from mineral oil. Don't stick a q-tip in the ear unless there is a real reason to do it.

 

[skinwants]

FWIW, I basewash my base layer, for a fleece I typically Nikwax Polarwash, and for wind/waterproof use TXDirect. The Paramo Parameta material I could as baselayer, evne though used as a midlayer for practical reasons. I would not seek to waterproof anything touching skin, as the skin oil ruins the waterproofing and/or it just makes sweat run down the inside. I wash the baselayer frequently and the other layers as required.

For these reasons, I prefer to separate baselayer from the other layers.
Read more about Oil Lighten Skin