March 19, 2024

Chinchillas and Dust Baths – Use Volcanic Ash to Clean Your Pet

Chinchillas never get regular baths. They cannot get baths because the weight of the water on their fur will result in death. The weight of their fur will crush their organs and they will die. It’s an easy mistake to make so I hope a lot of people read this article and never give their chinchillas a regular bath. Instead of getting a regular bath, chinchillas get what is known as a dust bath. This involves volcanic ash which may surprise you. I know that you’re probably thinking, “Oh, wonderful, now I have to drive around and find volcanic ash?”

You can find volcanic ash at any pet store such as Petsmart and Petco. When you purchase a chinchilla they usually do not tell you anything about dust baths. Chinchillas are supposed to get a dust bath several times per week. Usually, if you go a few months without giving a chinchilla a dust bath, they will never take a dust bath again. You cannot simply throw the dust on the chinchilla. You have to buy a specific house that looks like a small doghouse, and you have to pour about two inches of volcanic dust into the bathhouse. The chinchilla will then jump into the house and roll around in the volcanic ash.

You will be amazed by the color your chinchilla will be after he or she takes a bath. Your chinchilla will be about fifty percent lighter. I wouldn’t suggest putting the bathhouse inside of the cage because it will become very dusty. I would put the chinchilla in your shower, making sure that the shower is completely dry. Also, make sure there is nothing in the bathtub that could cause harm to the chinchilla. Also, make sure that there isn’t anything full of water that could tip over and get onto your chinchilla. It is really important that you know the difference between big vs small chinchilla cages so that you can choose one according to their pro and cons. 

Hopefully, pet stores will start to tell people that chinchillas can never get wet and they need dust baths. The reason that people do not tell you this is because they simply do not care or they forget. You will probably spend about twenty dollars to purchase a bathhouse and volcanic dust for your chinchilla. It’s really the highlight of their entire day. It’s sort of like putting your small child in the bathtub and giving your child a bath. They absolutely love it! You will also want to make sure that your children, dogs or cats cannot get at the chinchilla while he or she is taking a bath. You can leave the chinchilla in the closed tub for about five minutes but no more than that.