Chinchillas Hair Loss, Fur Slip & Shedding Guide
Although not a very popular occurrence, there are times when your chinchilla loses hair in large amounts. When this happens, you should not mistake this hair loss as a sign of old age. If your chinchilla is still young, this occurrence is known as a fur slip, and it does not occur without reason.
What is the Cause of Fur Slip?
There are quite a number of reasons why fur slip can take place. One of them is when your chinchilla is trying to escape from a tight grip. This can also take place when your chinchilla’s fur gets stuck to something, as well as when it is going through a high level of stress.
A fur slip can be likened to a wall gecko losing its tail. It is an occurrence that occurs when your chinchilla is trying to break free from a situation. If your chinchilla is in a difficult situation or stuck somewhere, one way it releases itself is by releasing some fur.
What are the Ways to Stop a Fur Slip?
One of the safest ways to pick up your chinchilla is by grabbing it at the point its tail meets its body. This way, there is no need to squeezing your chinchilla’s body. Grabbing it at the base of its tail will make it stay very comfortably on your hand without any struggle.
Holding your chinchilla anywhere around its abdomen or chest might make it struggle to break free. When done, this will cause it to lose some fur. To prevent this occurrence, it is crucial that you tame your chinchilla. When tamed, it will be relaxed each time you attempt to hold it around its abdomen.
Apart from losing fur when held wrongly, your chinchilla can occasionally lose fur when it is on its way to see a vet. This is because it could be scared. When this occurs, to help your chinchilla stay calm, you should speak to it quietly and also pet it. You should not panic. Panicking can make things go from bad to worse as your chinchilla will even be more stressed and might lose some more hair.
Help Your Chinchilla’s Fur Stay Healthy
One simple way to ensure that your chinchilla’s fur is healthy is to ensure that it has its dust baths as frequently as it should. To ensure that this happens, make its dust bath container available to it two times every week. And each time you do this, ensure that it has its dust bath for up to 15 minutes. With frequent dust baths, your chinchilla will have healthy fur. Apart from having a healthy fur, it will also be relaxed. This will go a long way in reducing any feelings of stress that it has to cope with.
Helping your chinchilla take out excess oil from its coat with a dust bath will help keep its skin protected from any fungal infections which it’s prone to when its skin is too oily.
