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An important aspect of your chinchilla’s hygiene is taking a bath. If you’re fairly new to chinchilla care, you probably have no idea what a chinchilla dust bath is. Making your chinchilla bathe in dust, as a matter of fact, may sound crazy at first. However, if you really want your chinchilla to be clean and free of diseases, then having a dust bath for your chinchilla is the only option. In giving your chinchilla a dust bath, make sure you know what you are doing first. For your chinchilla to enjoy its bath, make sure that these precautions are taken: 1. Bathe it in soap and water. Showering your chinchilla with water may very well be your last moment with your pet. Giving a water bath to your chinchilla is absolutely not allowed. Unlike other animals, the coat of chinchilla does not protect it as much as you think. Its fur is the only protective coating it has and once it gets wet, the chinchilla simply will not be able to withstand the rapid change in temperature. Also, keep in mind that these rodents are known for their thick fur. Its thickness is due to the fact that each follicle holds about 60-70 hair strands, making the chinchilla one of the furriest rodents in the family. This thick fur, unfortunately, also means that once it gets wet, not even a good amount of drying can easily get its fur back to its normal, dried state. 2. Groom it yourself. Though chinchillas are dependent in certain aspects, they are rather independent when it comes to how they maintain themselves. Before, during or after you give it a dust bath, don’t even think of carrying it and grooming it yourself. Part of being chinchilla is being able to groom oneself after a dust bath. If you notice that there are bits of dust clinging to its fur as it bathes or even after it does, you don’t need to help them shake it off. They know how to do so themselves and will get to it once they want to. Notice how they shake their body and personally use their small limbs to get the dirt in the body. All of these actions point to the fact that chinchillas can groom themselves, preferably without your help. 3. Pay no attention to its coat. You’re probably thinking that the coat of your chinchilla is nothing more than one of its many passable qualities. That’s not a totally misguided impression. Most animals’ coats look alike that you’re probably used to not paying attention to their colors. However, the coat of your chinchilla tells you a lot about what it is. In fact, the very reason why you’re giving a dust bath to your chinchilla is that you want to make sure its coat is shiny and thick at all times. If, after a dust bath, you notice too much falling off your chinchilla’s coat, then you must be slightly alarmed—enough to check if it shows any other symptoms of infections, at least. Your chinchilla’s coat is an excellent indication of how healthy it is, so make sure that you pay close attention to it after you give it a satisfying chinchilla dust bath. Brent Burklow is a chinchilla enthusiast and it is his goal to help others to provide proper care for their pet chinchillas. His newest book, "The Ultimate Guide For Pet Chinchillas", teaches loving pet chinchilla owners everything they need to know on how to provide all the care and love for their chinchilla's needs, to live a healthy long life. For more information on how to care for pet chinchilla go to the author’s website. http://www.guideforpetchinchillas.com/chinchilla-dust-bath/
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