Should I be worried???

[kellylynnmarie]

Wondering if I should be concerned at all or if this is normal...

I have two brothers, who are now about 4 months old (approximately). The last three mornings, one of them (Dash) has been spending a lot of time "cleaning himself". The chinchillas I've had in the past have done this of course and I had one who was prone to hair rings so if he was too attentive to his penis, I was always concerned. This guy doesn't seem stressed out or like he's working too hard, but instead is very relaxed (almost looks half asleep) so perhaps he's just enjoying it??? Is that a thing? This is new with them, but I know they are still young so they might just be discovering it? It's become so consistent and like clock-work... every morning at 9:30am I find him like this. I haven't done a full hair ring check (simply because they are still not comfortable being held too much yet, so I'm trying to give them time to warm up) but I have looked at the area and it seems to be fine - no redness or swelling, etc.

Any thoughts???

 

[tunes]

Yes, it is a thing. They generally tend to do it while small children are watching or when you have company over. I think they are little exhibitionists.

If he seems to be doing it too much, then you'll need to check for a hair ring.