Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[biggrins]

I noticed tonight, my chin's ears are scabby and very dry. Is there anything I can do for her ears??

[Abby W.]

Many of mine develop the same problem in the winter.  The air is too dry!  I will actually buy an all natural vitamin E skin lotion and use a small dab to massage their ears.  It does the trick, and they seem to enjoy the massage.

[Jo Ann]

   Cut back on the dust baths, also. 

What type of heat do you have in your home?


   Jo Ann

[biggrins]

They are currently getting one dust bath a week.  Cut back even further? I have hotwater that runs through the pipes.

[Jo Ann]

   One dustbath a week in the winter alone, should not be causing the dry skin on the ears.  Dust baths are used to clean the natural 'extra' lanolin from fur that the chin produces.  It also helps remove the oils and dirt we transfer from our skin/hands to them, when handling them.  The skin on their ears, their nose and pads of their feet is not as protected as the skin on the rest of the body that is covered with fur.  The exposed skin is much more sensitive to the environment and everything in it (including dust mites, fumes from cologne, allergents, new detergents being used on clothing or surfaces, their bedding and the air itself), any or all of which can cause a problem.

In the wintertime, most of us keep the windows closed tight, keeping out the cold, but also keeping out the natural moisture that would be in the air. 
The heating systems also tend to dry the air inside the home even more. 
Airing out the house for about an hour, at least once a week, is not only good for your chin, but good for you, too.  Most homes have a lower quality of air inside the house, in the wintertime, than the air quality that is outside.
When your chin is showing dry skin, you might want to get it checked by the vet to make sure it is not something other than just dry skin.
You might consider putting some moisture in the air (a small can or container of water near the heat source) in the room where the chinchilla stays.
A chinchilla can have problems with high humidity, but there are also problems that can be caused by the humidity being to low, also.
Normally, I would not suggest the use of a humidifier, but, you might want to check with your vet about that. 
A chinchilla does best when the humidity is about 30% to 35%, I think.  I'm going to check with a couple of people about that and will post what they tell me.

   Jo Ann

[biggrins]

WOW! Thank you!  Only problem is my two dogs might drink the water!  I do have a Humidifier system running. It has cleared up after I stuck some ointment on her ear.

[Jo Ann]

     I sent a quick note to Lani Richey of California Chins Research Center in California ... here is what she said:

"50% is ideal for health skin on humans, so that is a good starting point. Most American houses dry out to 25-30% in the Winter which is not good for anybody. When the mold and mildews are growing on the walls, shoes and feed/food then things are too humid. Chins are high desert animals. I suspect they are comfortable in the drier levels but people evolved in the tropics. So a human/chin humidity level of 50-70% would be good. The mold and mildews won't be growing at that humidity. And people skin won't be drying and cracking from being too dry. Feed and food will be safe enough.
Lani"

So ... 50 to 70% humidity is best for all ... human and chinchilla.

In the winter the 25 to 30% dryer humidity level caused by the heating systems is not good for man nor beast.   

   Jo Ann