Chinchillas are cute, fluffy pets with the softest fur you’ll probably ever feel. Their unique fur is so soft because of the abundant, fine hair follicles. With up to around 80 hairs per follicle, their dense coat is not meant to get wet because it can be hard to completely dry. The best way to keep their fur healthy and clean is by providing the right resources for your chinchilla to self-clean. While humans use water and soap, all these pets need is a bath container with the proper dust or sand. Dust baths are a chinchilla’s way of staying clean and healthy. As a pet parent, it’s important to provide the proper supplies and offer the correct care for your pet. Read on about the dust bath and what pet supplies are needed.
Find an all-natural, high-quality dusting powder made for chinchillas. This can be found at a local pet retailer. It is called Chinchilla Dust, which looks like fine gray sand. An alternative to Chinchilla Dust is the superior option, Chinchilla Bath Sand. This is made from 100% natural volcanic mountain pumice. It’s virtually dust free and easy to use. In addition to the sand or dust, chinchillas will need a bath house. This is a plastic or ceramic house that holds the dust or sand. Chinchillas will flip, spin, and take a dust bath in these contained bath houses. Having an enclosed bath house reduces mess and ensures complete contact of the chinchilla with the dust so they can properly clean their coats. Place about half an inch to two inches of the special dust or sand in the bottom of this sturdy bath house for your pet. The amount used will largely depend on the size of your chinchilla.
