UV flashlight

[SpaceChinnie]

Little bit of a story...
So my friend gave me a flashlight that has a UV setting on it. I was playing around with it the other day, noticing how lint and other objects light up under the UV. Well I took the light into the chins' room and noticed all kinds of strange things.

First on my list of things I didnt know: Chinchilla urine glows quite bright under UV light. If you have fleece liners, its kinda interesting to notice how many "spots" there are. This may help in locating their favorite spot for potty training. (just a thought) I also shined it on the ledges to see the invisible stains. Now I know where I have to scrub extra well.

The UV also works well for scrubbing down the bars of the cage. Lets just say I cant "miss a spot" ever again. lol


Another idea I had...use the UV flashlight to examine your "neutral" area when about to do an intro. If you want to make sure that your area is free from other chin smells/stains the flashlight will highlight those areas immediatlly.


Lastly, since I was just reading another thread on bugs in pellets, use the UV light in the food too. You can spot urine or other things that are potentially bad for your fuzzball.

*Important* make sure to remove your furry buddy from the area before using the UV light. I'm not sure how bad it is for them to look at UV, or if it discolors their fur when exposed. Just a safety precaution.

PS, dont test the "UV power" in your human guest bathroom.:vomit: I dont even want to go there. yuk. Thank god my chins dont play in there. (back to scrubbing!!!)

 

[Olallie]

Yike I'm not even sure if I would want to use a UV light anymore.... Though I hear it helps with killing alge in ponds....

 

[sciencenerd]

I've been looking for a portable UV light (wasn't thinking about looking for urine though). Could you share the brand and where your friend purchased it, if you know?

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I've been looking for a portable UV light (wasn't thinking about looking for urine though). Could you share the brand and where your friend purchased it, if you know?

You can find them at Lowe's, Wal Mart, Ace Hardware and Home Depot

 

[sciencenerd]

thanks bostongirl!

 

[fanofdmb84]

There are a few different kinds of UV lights. There are "long-wave" lights like blacklights (or woods lamps) and there are "short-wave" UV bulbs (like a tanning bed or french fry heaters). Urine and other body fluids will glow bright under black lights. They do not hurt your eyes or harm surfaces. The short-wave UV lights, on the other hand, are often used to sterilize things and you CAN find them now as hand-held units to sanitize toothbrushes or even door handles, but they are COVERED with warnings and cautions because they are harmful to skin and eyes. The sterilizing type are also usually pretty expensive.

Anything that comes in flashlight-form would be of the blacklight (long-wave) form just because people will instinctively point it at everything, so it would be safe for you and chinnies.

 

[GahhItsLee]

Thanks for finding this out
I use a super absorbent bedding and even during full bedding changes i cant tell where he prefers to pee this will help greatly