Chinchilla Fur and Shedding

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Grant

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Hey, I just joined this forum yesterday, because I plan on getting a chinchilla within the next few months. :dance3:

My friend had a chinchilla (the chinchilla died young at only two because she accidentally ingested glue that was on a paper towel roll she wasn't supposed to get) so I do have a good idea of their habits and personalities, of course, every individual is different.

Yesterday, I went to a pet store to hold a chinchilla to show my mom what they are like in person (I do not plan on buying from a pet store, I plan on getting him from a reliable breeder.) My mom did not think that they are bad looking (as you can see in my signature, I am a reptile person - my mom doesn't mind the reptiles, but she is not in love with the work, money, and mess of mammals) but she didn't like that fur was falling out of the chinchilla as I held it.

The chinchilla was not struggling or moving at all, just sitting in my hands, but once I put him back, I was covered in fur. My mom would not want it to be leaving fur all over the place, do the shed year round, or is it just now because it is summer time.

Also, my mom is allegric to cats, I know rabbits have the same allergens as cats (I know rabbits and chinchillas are not closely related though), would a chinchilla cause any problems with allergies?

Thanks in advance!
 
Chinchillas furslip as a defense mechanism. Some chinchillas slip no matter what, there are others who don't unless extremely stressed. It all depends on the chins. I have a chin who is constantly slipping, whereas the rest of my chins for the most part keep their fur unless severely stressed. It all depends on the chin, like I said.

As for allergies? Most people find themselves more bothered by the hay, dust, and bedding than chins themselves. These can be cut down by using fleece liners, hay cubes rather than loose hay, and dusting in an enclosed area, rather than an open container.

Other than that, I really don't know what to say.
 
Kingston fur slips just running around the room bumping into things! I noticed this when he played in the bathroom he'd always have some hanging off, and he likes to pull it off and try to eat it v_v I thought it was fur chewing until I observed this.

As far as allergies, Ash pretty much covered it. I'm very bothered by the dust, my eyes feel like they're on fire, but www.sweetpdz.com was recommended to me by Peggy (tunes) on the forum.
 
I have two chins and neither of them shed. One of the reasons why chins were so attractive to me was because their hairs don't cause allergies. What I did get allergies from was, like Ash said, from the bedding but Fleece liners will get rid of that problem. =)

Good luck researching! There are alot of great information here on the forums that are more valuable than any book you can read. yes, BOOKS < CnH =)
 
I have some allergies, and was allergic to the guniea pigs we had gotten. I do not have problems with my chins; with the exception of the dust. Which i've worked out how to not be around it. I think they're pretty good for people with allergies and they usually shed spring & fall. What i do to avoid alot of that is i comb them. If you start them out when they are young, they be fine with combing. I've had turtles, guniea pigs, birds, hamsters, fish, a rabbit, (litterally a small petting zoo) and the chinchillas are by far and large- the "neatest" animals i've ever had! Learn all you can on this forum before you get one--and you'll be set!! P.S. Tell your mom they Do Not Smell. That'll really help close the deal with her!hehe
 
I hear that chins are very good for people with allergies. They are really unlike other small animals. However, the dust does tend to get everywhere not matter how hard you try to keep it contained. As to the shedding, the only time i really end up with fur all over is if mine get into a fight, which unfortunately happens on occasion. For me the biggest battle is keeping my room dust free.
 
And, I have heard people using sweet PDZ instead of dust, and it is supposed to be less dusty. You can also buy chinchilla grooming combs and groom the chin every month or so to get the dead fur out, therefore hopefully they will have less fur to shed.
 
Welcome Grant! I'm glad you made it over from Yahoo. I think you'll find the answers here a bit more.....chin related. :)

I do recommend the Sweet PDZ. I have asthma and the blue cloud and blue cloud just about kill me. I'm not sure why, but the PDZ doesn't do the same thing. It just seems much less dusty, and it has made a huge difference for me with their dusting.
 
Hi Grant, I've recently got a new chin and thought I would share my experience as I have allergies too.

I went to hold one at a pet shop first to check out my allergies. I put my hands in his fur and then all over my face, in my eyes etc and I did have a mild reaction - so don't believe it if people tell you they are non-allergenic: your mum could well be allergic to them.

But since my reaction was mild I decided to risk it and it turned out fine, I have no problems with my guy at all apart from a bit of an itchy eye when I change his cage out (I think I must be allergic to his urine). Picking him up is fine. The cage is in the front room which is where I am most of the evening and I have no problems with him, and he does not smell either! You can probably guess how severe her reaction will be by looking at her reaction to other furry animals. For me it is similar to my reaction to rabbits.

As some people have said dust/ hay can be a problem, but your mum will probably already know if she is allergic to these. It's not the case that everyone who has pet allergies will have dust allergies - I have no problems with his dust at all, just his urine! I think having asthma might increase the chance of being allergic to the dust. I don't have asthma, just pet allergies.

As for fur shedding: when I went to the breeder to meet my chin, I picked him up and he shed all over me, but now he does not shed at all really, so I think it's a nervous thing (with mine anyway). Now he is more used to me he doesn't shed when I handle him.

Hope that helps!
 
Hello Grant and welcome!

When I first got my chin I noticed she seemed to "shed" a lot, especially when the kids were around. I later found I why, as the others have already stated. She really doesn't furslip at all now, but I do notice some fur in her cage where she has rubbed up around the bars. I know some people will comb their chins occasionally, although this does not seem to be necessary. But you will find that chins lose a lot less fur in general than a cat or dog.

I have read that most people with allergies are not allergic to the chin itself, but to the products that are used - bedding and dustbaths. Just follow the advice the others have given.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone!

I did have a Chinese hamster (he died at only about one of a long-term respiratory problem) and my mom never had a reaction to the hay or bedding. So the only thing that she could be allergic to is the dust or chinchilla itself. Is the Kaytee a good brand of chinchilla dust?

My mom doesn't plan on holding the chinchilla or ever really getting to close to him, but she still will be in the same house as him. And that is good to know that fur slipping is only when they are nervous and passes as they become tame.

I am doing a lot of reserach on chinchillas and you will definitely be hearing lots more questions from me!
 
Some good dust brands are Blue sparkle, or blue cloud. Blue cloud is mostly used for showing, and I've heard that it does agitate allergies more so than the blue sparkle. Though I have heard the kaytee brand is like blue sparkle, but I am not sure about that.
 
i used to use kaytee dust i liked it a lot more than the other stuff out there.

i believe Kaytee is blue sparkle, if not then very close because when i bought a bag of blue sparkle and opened it they looked exactly the same to me.

i bought a 50 lb bag of blue sparkle in Oct. last year and i have more than 3/4 a bag left. i dust once a week and right before bed time because i am severely allergic to the dust. i have an ionic breeze in the room to that helps catch some dust in the air but not all. **i think my ionic breeze helps a LOT for the smell and catching the dust, i clean it weekly and i love the smell it gives to the room**

if you buy just one chin, a container of kaytee brand dust should last a while.


i am allergic to almost EVERYTHING! i switched to yesterdays news for bedding because both pine and aspen cause my allergies to flair up, the chin itself im okay with and im allergic to my piggies, but i suffer through my allergy attacks because i love my animals and im a very stubborn person "allergies or not i will keep my animals!" :neener: lol
 
I used Kaytee dust--then bought Bue Cloud (it got too dusty in the air-room)--then switched back to the Kaytee. I'm just going to stick with that-i only have 3 chins and it seems to work just fine for their coats.
 
My older son, who is allergic to cats, gets almost the same reaction to the chins! I think it entirely depends on the individual!
To be on the safe side, bring her to the pet shop with you, and see if she has a reaction - better safe than sorry!
 
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