Smelly chinchillas

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Angierebel

New member
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Messages
1
Hello,

My friends cousin has to get rid of her 2 chinchillas. They are super cute, ages 4 and 2 and they're father and son. She brought them to my house today to introduce us and they smelled so bad! She said sorry they're dirty I need to bathe them. Well, dust baths to my knowledge are not for scent they are for removal of dirt and oils. They smelled like poo. So badly that the smell of poo stuck to my hands and shirt after holding them and they also had some clumps of hair come off on my shirt. She didn't bring their cage but told me she uses fleece lined cage so I was wondering if that could be the cause? She also said she feeds them table food which made me even more so nervous. I want some chinchillas but how can I remove the smell from them? And should I be worried they are sick or is it most likely lack of cleaning cage? Any advice would help. I have not taken them yet so I don't know if it would be better to go buy my own at a young age, then again I feel bad if these chins aren't properly cared for!
 
Chinchillas should not smell, and definitely not like poo, even their poo shouldn't smell. If they smell of poo that would be a red flag that they are sick, chinchilla poops are dry and odorless, unless they are sick, then it can be wet and smelly. Using fleece liners can cause a pee smell on the chins if the chin is not litter trained and the fleece is not washed and/or they roll in a pee puddle. I use fleece liners, my boys aren't litter trained, and even after not changing the liners on time the cage gets a bit pee smelling but they smell like dust bath and maybe a bit of hay.

I'm not sure what you mean by table food, but chinchillas should be fed a pellet only food, hay, and water. They should never have fruit, veggies, seeds, nuts, or animal products (meat, bone, eggs, milk, horn, hide etc). Also, obviously, no human junk food. They are strict grass herbivores, unlike most rodents, so anything other then that can and will make them sick. My guess is if she has been feeding them table scraps they probably have diarrhea, which would explain the smell, and quite possibly malnutrition.

Many dust baths over the course of a few days to weeks and a clean cage will help remove the smell, once the underlying issue is resolved. You can wipe the chin down with natural unscented wipes, or even a damp cloth, but make sure the chin is completely dried after. If absolutely necessary you can bathe a chin in water, but you have to make sure that it's 100% dry afterwards, using a towel to pat dry, a comb to fluff the fur and a hair dryer on low no heat setting. Drying a chin can take a very very long time, but if not fully dried they can get sick and also their fur will get moldy, fungus can grow, and the fur and skin can rot. Dust baths and waiting for the smell to wear off is a much safer option if it's just smell.

The clumps of fur coming off is most likely fur slips, they do that as a defense when stressed or scared. That way the predator gets a clump of fur rather then a clump of flesh.

It's really up to you if you want to take on sick chins or not. On one hand they aren't your problem, and could have lasting and/or unknown health issues, and vet bills for chins can pile up quickly (being an exotic, hundreds to thousands of dollars). But on the other hand, if you are willing and able to do research for proper care, and take them to the vet to get the health issues taken care of, you could give them a better life. 4 and 2 is still very young, chinchillas can live 15-20+ years with proper care.
 
I'm willing to bet changing their diet would solve the problem if the poops are loose and/or sticky. If that doesn't help a vet visit to check for Guardia would be my next step.

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This definitely sound like a necessary vet visit. If you choose to adopt these chins, make sure to feed them the proper chin diet only and keep the cage really clean. Also, they poop a LOT so make sure to pick up the poop 1-2 times per day even when not doing a complete bedding replacement. It sound like you have a good heart. Starting with a new animal poses its own challenges as well. Regardless of what you decide to do, make sure to think it through because these animals have a very long lifespan if they are healthy. There is also the alternative of seeking out a rescue near you.
 
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