General Grooming and Knots

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scottf

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2014
Messages
25
Hello, my chin gets regular dust baths and I change her bedding every day but over the years she does have some knots in her fur on her hind quarters. She's around 16 y.o. The knots don't seem to ever grow out but I also don't think they are causing discomfort. But Chinchillas don't talk so of course I am not sure.

What do you guys do to react to fur knots? Do you have a secret to working them out, I have tried gently pulling but they pull her skin so I worry it might tear and cause pain. Do you have any tips on prevention?
 
You can try to gently tug the knots out, chinchilla fur has very shallow roots and is designed to come out when pulled, it's a survival thing to get away from predators. If it's a big area though try to first break it up in to smaller pieces with a comb and your fingers. To prevent them from coming back the best way is to comb her, especially when shedding to help work the fur out before it can tangle and mat.
 
I have tried genitally tugging but they won't come lose and if I apply more pressure she yelps and that is where I have stopped so far. I have thought about cutting them off but I worry about nicking her. Is there a way to address matting if slipping won't work? I tried splitting the matting up into smaller sections with my fingers but its pretty stubborn.

It's not like all her fur is matted its just a couple of knots near her hind quarters like where her rump meets her tail.

I am curious what kind of comb do you use to comb out the excess hair?
 
Most chins wont be happy about putting out mats and will complain about it, but it doesn't actually hurt them. They don't have many nerves near the surface so it's more like someone tugging on your shirt, you'd probably be telling them to stop it. If you are very very careful and don't go near the skin you can try cutting them out, or you can take her to the vet and have them shave or cut them out for you.

This is the comb I use on my guys, it's just a double sided comb. The wider side works for working out mats the fine tooth side works for normal shedding fur.

20190911_110906.jpg
 
Most chins wont be happy about putting out mats and will complain about it, but it doesn't actually hurt them. They don't have many nerves near the surface so it's more like someone tugging on your vlone shirts, you'd probably be telling them to stop it. If you are very very careful and don't go near the skin you can try cutting them out, or you can take her to the vet and have them shave or cut them out for you.

This is the comb I use on my guys, it's just a double sided comb. The wider side works for working out mats the fine tooth side works for normal shedding fur.

View attachment 21065
I also have this comb which I used. The example of shirt which you shared is very fine for understanding this.
 
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