Heat and high humidity are not kind to chinchillas. Their bodies cannot survive grueling heat and high temperatures. Their thickness of their fur is higher than other animals. In fact, they have the highest thickness of fur than any land animal worldwide. It is the thickness of their fur that causes them to be resistant towards heat, especially high heat and humidity. If they come in contact with this, they can suffer from brain damage or heat stroke.
It is important that your pet chinchilla be kept inside a controlled climate in order to survive. You will need an air conditioning unit if the temperatures reach 70 degrees or above. The air conditioning unit should also have an auto function, where it will turn on and off by itself. Having fans is not enough to cool them. However, a ceiling fan is good for cold air circulation.
Chinchilla coats have to stay healthy and clean. In order to do that, your pet chinchilla must have dust baths on a regular basis. The dust baths also help to keep their coats silky, shiny and keeps the coats looking thick. Your pet enjoys these types of baths because they get to roll and flip in the dust. As long as they get to move around, they’re fine, hence the reason for rolling and flipping in the dust.
The best type of bath dust to use should be bought from the store. That is because the product is tailor made for chinchillas. As they roll and flip in the dust, the dust infiltrates through the coat and goes in their skin. This causes the dust to soak up oil and dirt from their fur. The bath dust for your pet should reach several inches deep in a container.
Chinchilla dust allows your pet to stay clean. If they were still living in the Andes Mountains, they would have to use volcanic ash to stay clean. Oils and dirt stay in your pet’s coat because of the dust. The dust then causes the oil and dirt to be released from your pet. This is the process of how the chinchilla’s fur is cleaned.
A chinchilla’s cleanliness relies on regular dust baths. If they don’t have them, they can end up being stressed which can turn into health issues. They can also suffer from behavioral issues as well. When it’s warm, give your pet a fresh dust bath every other day for about ten minutes. Their fur will not be matted and greasy. If their fur stays like that, they can get overheated. When it’s cold, you should dust bath your pet twice a week. When you’re giving them a dust bath, cover the cage with sheets to prevent dust from flying everywhere.