Smell Sensitive?

[NiftyKat]

I was just curious, are chinchillas sensitive to smells? I know some birds like parakeets are sensitive to strong smells and I was just wondering if chinchillas are as well I was wanting to put a scentsy type thing in the room with the chins but wanted to know if it'd be a bad idea or not.

 

[Claire D]

Yes, chins are very sensitive to smells and there have been anecdotal reports of plug ins etc causing death in chinchillas. I'm pretty sure there are threads on the board about it but I'm afraid I don't have tie to search for them at the moment.

No air fresheners or anything like that anywhere near chins.

 

[ticklechin]

I have one who had cow when I used bathroom cleaner in the bathroom-its across the hall from their room and the smell drifted-he kacked, spit, had major cage rage until the room aired out, I now use a low scent bathroom cleaner and the door to their room closed.

 

[Zoaea]

I tried a new lavender scented lotion once, washed my hands after I applied it. When my chin came up to me when opened her cage, she took one whiff, made the funnest face ever and proceeded to hate me till I threw the lotion away and took many showers.

I'd say they are very sensitive to smells, esp man made ones. They also have delicate respiratory tracks. If you have an odor issue I'd go with something that absorbs smells, like a box of arm and hammer in the closet, and no sprays or plug-ins in the same room. If its the chins causing the stink try cleaning their cage more frequently (easy to do if they pee in one spot) to see if that helps.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I have a rescue that has a huge cataract in one eye and we are not sure how well she can see with the other. She is really easy to startle because of it. Anyway, I used some lotion on my hands the other day and then went to pick her up. She totally freaked out on me. I am sure it was because of the lotion. Once I washed the smell off of my hands, she was fine.