chinchilla stinks ?

why does my chinchilla stink ?
every 1-2days after i cleaned my chin he /the cage starts to smell like pee .
its not THAT stink but you can smell it somehow
he's a few months old .

What type of bedding do you use and what type of cage? If you use an enclosed cage, it's going to smell more than an open one that has ventilation.

Even with that said, with every 2 day cleanings, your chin's cage should not smell like urine, especially when he's so young. There may be a health issue going on here that needs looked into.

hmm i use cat litter , those recycled ones .
i place these litters in a peepan at the side of the cage .
its wired cage .
this is a picture of the cage lol
https://api.plixi.com/api/tpapi.svc/imagefromurl?size=medium&url=http://lockerz.com/s/181542308

is it because i dont line litters around the cage thats why it smells ?

Okay, first? No cat litter for chins. Kiln dried pine, aspen, fleece liners - but no kitty litter.

Second, the link you posted keeps trying to make me download something. That's not happening.

Third, your posts don't show up because you are in a filter, which was explained in the FAQ's you agreed to having read when you joined. We do this to keep spammers and other unsavory folks off the forum. After a few posts, yours will go through automatically.

sorry this is the right link -_- ! http://lockerz.com/s/181542308
the litter is looks like that
http://www.crystalclearpet.com/shop/cats/litter/images/breeder-celect-litter-l.jpg
im not supposed to use this litter for my chin ?
the chin breeder whom i bought my chin from said its okay to use this litter :/

That looks like Yesterday's News? If so, that's not really a cat litter, it's a type of bedding. If it is YN's it's okay to use, but it isn't very odor absorbent and you may find your chin eating it rather than using it for a litter box.

Do you have anything on the floor of the cage or is it just exposed plastic? I would put either some bedding in there or get some fleece liners made to cover that plastic.

hmm yeah it was plastic but i have changed the peepan to ceramic bowl so the chin cant chew on it . so now there's no plastic in the cage hehe .
and i give my chin boiled tap water daily , thats okay right ?
but why does he stink ):

Boiled tap water isn't ok - use reverse osmosis bottle water or filtered water. When you boil water you can concentrate certain undesirable minerals . How many dust baths a week do you give your chin??

Even then the chin should not smell.
Have you check his fleece house to see if he has peed in it. If so, the chances is that is why he smells especially if he sleeps in the house.

I wonder if he smells because there is nothing down on the plastic floor. He might be walking through his own urine and getting it on his belly and paws. If he's doing this I am not sure a dust bath would take away the stink. I agree with Tunes who said something needs to be down on the plastic. Fleece or bedding, something to soak up any pee he doesn't leave in the little litter box. I also heard Yesterday's News was an impaction hazard? Won't it expand in the chin's system just like any other paper bedding?

@zion chins : really ???? can i get those distilled water bottles from the stores ? ):

@saphire : nope i removed the fleece house cos its quite warm in singapore . i bought him a coolroom though . i give them once every 2 days or sometimes daily if he stinks alot !

@lillybabe : mmmm . i dont know where my chin pees actually . the bedding doesnt smell at all . so maybe he pees in his cool room / another corner of the floor . erm my bedding only wrote recycled paper , so i dont know if its yesterday's news .

how do you clean the cage? Although you may be cleaning it you may not be using the right type of cleaner. Have you tried a bit of clorox mixed into the water you use?

Try smelling the cage right after you clean it. If you had the plastic bottom of his cage uncovered the odors from his pee might have soaked into the plastic making it stink.

You should also find out where he is peeing. That way you can keep track of it. Changes in peeing and pooping can be a huge redflag for health problems.

I don't know if you can get the water in Singapore stores - you could look. What is a 'cool room'. If your chin is sleeping in his pee then more dust bath could help. Another thing you mention it is warm in Singapore - don't you have air conditioning?? What is the temperature in the room he is in?? If it is too warm, he could be having some urinary problems. Chins CAN NOT tolerate heat over 75 F.

Have you tried a bit of clorox mixed into the water you use?

Click to expand...

Clorox can be very hard to rinse off a cage, especially a plastic cage. I would not recommend using Clorox, but instead use white vinegar in warm water. It's safe even if you don't get it all rinsed off.

@alex : hmmm i clean it with just water hehe -_- the plastic floor doesnt smell when i cleaned it . haha . he had mushy poops recently and i think he's recovering already .

@zion chin : the cool room looks like that : http://www.ipetsonline.com/image.php?productid=17322
erm made of special metal that keeps the temperature low inside it . so even on a super warm weather its still cool inside . its about 29degrees celcius in sg now . usually on an afternoon its around 30-32 degree celcius lol . can i get a mini fan to make him cooler ?

@tunes : okay i will try cleaning the cage with white vinegar .

A fan will only serve to push warm air around and will not do your chin any good. You need an air conditioner. The entire room that he's kept in should be 24 degrees Celsius at the absolute most. I keep my apartment under 21 year round. That cool room that you posted is unfair to the chin since you're limiting him to an area where he can't do what is normal for chins to do...eat, drink and jump. When you live in an area where the outside temp is greater than 21, air conditioning is a requirement, not an option. You chin can suffer from heat stroke and die at any moment if that cool room is all you're offering. Their coats are simply too dense for them to survive in that type of heat.

Hi bibijcp,

Some suggestions for you. I'm not sure that they'll all work in your case but no harm trying.

1. Get pine litter for your chin, it's more absorbent than paper, and less of an ingestion hazard. They are available at most major pet stores.

2. Cover your pee pan with more bedding, the picture you have posted shows very little bedding and if I were your chin, I'll not use it too. It should be a depth of 1-2 inches.

3. Clean your cage everyday, it doesn't need the full works, but you can change the bedding, sweep up the poo, stray hay, and give it a quick wipe-down. It's a good habit to have also because then you can monitor how much your chin has peed and pooed - signs that will help you keep your chin healthy.

Your chin probably smells because he's stepping in his own pee and getting it onto his fur. I have one whose toilet habits are not the most immaculate, even her tail is brown from all the staining (she's an ebony), but the daily cleaning/dusting has kept her pretty clean and smell-free.

With regards to the temperature-issue, air conditioning is definitely preferable. But in my experience, it is not an absolute must-have depending on where the chin came from. Have you spoken to your breeder about this? I'm sure he/she would have advised you on what to do.

okay hahaha , i brought my chin to the vet today .
gotten some medication and everything cost me $90 -.-
$40 for consultation $50 for medication .
ohgod i couldve gotten the same one at $10 + online . geez .
anyway , thanks to everyone for giving me advices !