changing coat

[Gizmo24]

This may be a strange question ..but.. do chinchillas get a winter coat like dogs, horses, etc do? Maybe im just crazy but I've noticed gizmos fur getting alot thicker. Plus there is alot of stray hairs poking out of his body ...i pull the strands right out..and when I hold him he is shedding. Is this something that happens with the weather changes?

 

[BoundNoFtWaL]

Yeah they shead a little. It happens in the spring too.

 

[EveningChin]

He's molting. They do that sometimes. I don't notice so much when Petra does it but its very obvious when Nyx does.. And she's done it every three months since I got her. They molt the old coat out when the new one comes in, so the coat appears thicker. I don't believe it has anything to do with the weather, as Nyx has done it 3 times this year and Petra has only done it once a year in the three years she's lived with me.

 

[iayla]

As described, they 'shed out' their old coat as the new one grows in. Technically its referred to as Priming. Tho I have been told some ranchers keep their barns pretty cold, because they feel it makes for a thicker coat. So its still possible your chin's fur is getting thicker as the weather turns cooler. Stranger things have happened
~Barb~

 

[AZChins]

My chins are blowing their coats right now. It happens every year around this time after the summer, for some reason. At the end of next month everyone will look pretty again. For now...we have loose fur on the coats and I need to dust more to get it free.

Do you know how long I spend vacuuming and dusting because of this?

 

[saras]

I have read that you are supposed to comb them with a special chinchilla comb (looks like a flea comb for a dog or cat). I just went to petsmart and bought a flea comb and use it if the shedding gets too bad. It helps to keep the "tumble weeds" to a minimum. If your chin isn't really used to being held it's really hard though... none of my chins like to be combed but a couple will tolerate it.

I will edit this to say that if you are going to comb them you need to be careful that you aren't combing out live fur. There are videos on youtube that show you how to comb a chin.