How do I treat my chinchillas ringworm??

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randomdoodles

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Messages
12
I got my chinchilla around 3 weeks ago and I started to notice a missing patch of fur by her nose. I kinda disregarded it but then it started spreading and after a little research I came to the conclusion she has ringworm. I bought Tinactin dust and I’ve been putting 1 tbs for 1 cup of dust in her bath for about a week but it seems like it’s just getting worse. Her ears are starting to lose fur and they look a little scaly. I’ve been seeing that a lot of people use flowers of sulphur in the dust but I can’t find it. Instead I found something called MSM that claims to be organic sulphur. I was wondering if anyone knows if I can use this for my chin? Is it the same as flowers of sulphur?
 
Flower of sulphur and organic sulphur (MSM) are not the same thing, FOS is powdered sulphur rock, where as MSM is a compound of sulphur and other elements. FOS is used externally for skin issues, MSM is generally eaten for pain and inflammation issues (among other things).

You may need something stronger then just what you can get over the counter though. Sometime topical anti-fungal ointment and/or oral anti-fungal medicine is needed from the vet. It does take weeks to treat ringworm, but it should be getting better with treatment not worse.

Have you deep cleaned the cage (ideally with bleach) already? I think you need to do that once a week until the fungal infection is gone. Also replace or clean/disinfect everything in the cage, anything wood needs to just be tossed out and replaced since it can't be properly cleaned. Lastly, are you changing the dust bath after every bath? You need offer a clean bath every time until the infection is gone too, otherwise you are reinfecting her every time you give her the bath.

Also keep in mind that ringworm is contagious to humans and other animals, so make sure you wash after handing the chin or her stuff.
 
Okay thank you! And I threw away all her wood toys and I have been washing her fleece every other day in bleach. I always wash my hands after handling her, I'm afraid I'm going to catch it too. I have been using Lysol to clean the cage about once a week is that enough?
 
Okay thank you that means I need to buy FOS. Im going to call the local pet stores and see if they have it. I have been cleaning her cage weekly with Lysol is that enough? I also wash her fleece every other day with bleach and all of her wood has been tossed. I do change the dust everyday and I've been making sure to wash my hands every time I touch her or anything in her cage.
 
Hmm.. I'm not a 100% positive but I'm pretty sure Lysol/Pinesol etc could be toxic to chins. I know it can be toxic to some pets just walking across a mopped floor and then licking paws. A weekly thorough cage scrub with bleach and rinsing well with water would be best. Vinegar and water cage wipe outs should be safe for in between weekly bleaching.
 
First post, but I've been lurking for a while. Just wanted to mention when our chinchilla got ringworm we got FOS on amazon. Humco Sulfur Powder Sublimed was the brand name. I used 1 tablespoon of sulfur per cup of dust while he was infection, now we use 1 teaspoon per cup as a preventative. Within 2 weeks his fur started growing back. I hope it clears up quickly.
 
First post, but I've been lurking for a while. Just wanted to mention when our chinchilla got ringworm we got FOS on amazon. Humco Sulfur Powder Sublimed was the brand name. I used 1 tablespoon of sulfur per cup of dust while he was infection, now we use 1 teaspoon per cup as a preventative. Within 2 weeks his fur started growing back. I hope it clears up quickly.

I just ordered the humco sulfur powder and it should arrive next week. She seems to keep losing fur even though I’ve been giving her dust baths everyday. It seems that she doesn’t even want to take a dust bath anymore. I notice her itching a lot and biting her own fur, I see a ton of it around her cage and I’m really worried.
 
Hey there. I just cured ringworm about 2 weeks ago. its ok that chin loses fur in some places. It will be bald there till ringworm cured.

So dust bath with anti fungal bath is good but it wont cure it! You need anti fungal drops for people (ask vet about effective meds that wont hurt your chin). 1 day you give bath, next day - apply meds with Q-tip to every bald spot and edges of this spots.
After 6 days of this treatment you take 1 day break and go for another 6 days (3baths + 3 med applications). In about a months you will see small hair growing, apply meds till it possible and u have bald spots!

P.S. dont use anti fungal gel or cream. Drops/liquid is more effective and applying better
P.S.S im from Ukraine, cant advice meds but i used *drops called Exoderil https://aptekapro.com/exoderil-1-external-solution-30ml
I got 10ml bottle, it was enough.

When you apply meds to its nose, chin would like to lick it, its ok, no bad aftermath (using this exoderil)
Change dust with anti fungal in it, after every 3rd use
 
I tried to put iodine on the spot by her nose but she wouldn’t let me. I’ve only had her for a little less than a month now and I think she’s still working her way up to trusting me fully. The fur by her nose is growing back but she still has a bald spot behind her ear. I’m not sure why it’s clearing up in some places but not the other. The humco sulfur powder should be arriving tomorrow so I’ll see if that helps with her ears.
 
We got our chin for 1 month too, before ringworm “arrived”. Its not the best time to build relationship with chin. Just handle it and apply meds to all bald spots. Once or 2 per week we gave some crunchy treats. It helped to get to nose easier, other spots shouldnt be much problem.

Our chin doesn’t like to be held, but now its hair is halway grown
 
The fur on her nose is growing back but her ears still look infected. How will I know if the ringworm is fully gone?
 
Its good news its starting to grow back on her nose. I would keep up with the daily baths with sulfur for three weeks. At that point our chinchilla had fur growing back everywhere, he kept itching but I think that was due to dry skin from so many baths. I also made sure to keep cleaning the cage, with a deep clean every couple of days. As one final measure we threw out all wood every week. I couldn't not allow him to have any wood in his cage, but I didn't want to risk it being contaminated. So, he didn't get any shelves or anything, just a few cheaper chew toys. Now that its gone I put new shelves and better chew toys. It's been three weeks since it cleared up and have had no other issues, you can't even tell he had it. Back down to twice a week baths, with a little bit of sulfur as a preventive.

And you can count us in the camp of he got it shortly after we got him. I always figured the stress of moving, new places, new people, etc. probably triggered a flare up. With how common ringworm is in chinchillas, I wouldn't be surprised if most of them have it, and it simple takes something external to make it flare up, which is why using sulfur as a preventive is a good idea, stops the flare ups before they can start.
 
Its good news its starting to grow back on her nose. I would keep up with the daily baths with sulfur for three weeks. At that point our chinchilla had fur growing back everywhere, he kept itching but I think that was due to dry skin from so many baths. I also made sure to keep cleaning the cage, with a deep clean every couple of days. As one final measure we threw out all wood every week. I couldn't not allow him to have any wood in his cage, but I didn't want to risk it being contaminated. So, he didn't get any shelves or anything, just a few cheaper chew toys. Now that its gone I put new shelves and better chew toys. It's been three weeks since it cleared up and have had no other issues, you can't even tell he had it. Back down to twice a week baths, with a little bit of sulfur as a preventive.

And you can count us in the camp of he got it shortly after we got him. I always figured the stress of moving, new places, new people, etc. probably triggered a flare up. With how common ringworm is in chinchillas, I wouldn't be surprised if most of them have it, and it simple takes something external to make it flare up, which is why using sulfur as a preventive is a good idea, stops the flare ups before they can start.

As of right now she doesn’t have any toys only a stick or two. I don’t want it to get any worse or for there to be a chance of her getting it again. I don’t think the sulfur is doing anything for her ears. They look worse but her nose looks so much better.
 
The fur on her nose is growing back but her ears still look infected. How will I know if the ringworm is fully gone?

You know the ringworm is all gone when all the fur grows back and you have no new bald spots. Treatment can take about 6-8 weeks, and should continue for a couple weeks after the fur grows back just to make sure it's all gone.
 
You know the ringworm is all gone when all the fur grows back and you have no new bald spots. Treatment can take about 6-8 weeks, and should continue for a couple weeks after the fur grows back just to make sure it's all gone.

How do I get rid of the ringworm inside her ears? I keep looking in/at her ears with a black light and it doesn’t look good at all. I’m not sure the sulphur is doing anything for them.
 
If it's inside her ears, like in the ear canals I would definitely take her to the vet! She very likely could lose her hearing and end up in a lot of pain if left unchecked. The sulfur is just for external use, not internal, you can't treat an ear infection with that. Her ears need to be properly cleaned out and given proper medication, likely ear drops.

If you mean just the outer part of the ear, not actually inside the ear canal, and you only see something when using a black light but they otherwise looks normal without it, it could just be spores you are seeing not actual ringworm fungi. The spores can reinfect the chin if you stop treatment too soon, which is why I said to continue for a couple weeks after it looks all better.
 
If it's inside her ears, like in the ear canals I would definitely take her to the vet! She very likely could lose her hearing and end up in a lot of pain if left unchecked. The sulfur is just for external use, not internal, you can't treat an ear infection with that. Her ears need to be properly cleaned out and given proper medication, likely ear drops.

If you mean just the outer part of the ear, not actually inside the ear canal, and you only see something when using a black light but they otherwise looks normal without it, it could just be spores you are seeing not actual ringworm fungi. The spores can reinfect the chin if you stop treatment too soon, which is why I said to continue for a couple weeks after it looks all better.[/

Yes I meant to say the outside (visible) part. It is only mainly visible with the black light but I can still kinda see it without it. I’m just going to continue the baths and see if it helps, thank you!
 
After a closer look, I think her ears might just be really dry. I’ve been giving her dust baths everyday trying to get rid of her ringworm and her nose is completely healed. Do you think it’s possible that her ears look flaky/scaly because they’re dry? Also shes missing some fur behind her ear too.
 
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