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[Camogirl83]

One of my chinchillas has a strip of fur missing in the middle between her nose and eye. At first we thought it might be a fungus, even though there was no reddness or skin irritation and started using the powder in their dust bath as suggested by my vet. That was two weeks ago. So far it is just getting slightly worse. (Very slightly, but enough that I can tell.) My Vet said that he thinks it is "kennel nose" now (rubbing of the nose on the cage). Now I worked at an animal shelter for 10 years and this condition would normally happened there in the small cages, but my chins live in a 6ft tall cage and have run of my bedroom and bathroom in the evenings when I come home from work, so I don't really think that this is the case. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Jo Ann]

    Well .... maybe, maybe not ... my hubby always speaks to the chins when he enters the room and will quickly rub each one's nose as he enters or leaves the room.  They seem to enjoy this and will stick their little noses through the cage wires in hopes of getting it rubbed.  On the rare occasion that we have failed to tell a new adoptive chin-parent what to do and why, we will get a call "My little one is rubbing the fur off it's nose!  What's wrong?"  We have to let them in on the 'wants' of their new little one ... he/she just wants recognition from you by you rubbing it's nose ... then it will back up and quit.        Maybe your little one wants the same.

Can you post a picture of the nose andaffected area?   That might help.

We also have a chin that holds itself upright by holding on to the cage wire with it's teeth while sleeping.  We have yet to figure this one out.   

    Jo Ann

[Camogirl83]

I have never seen her rub her nose or push it through the cage. One of my other chins does this to me, but never has it caused any problems and none of my others have ever wanted it. In fact they nibble at me when I do it. I can try to take a picture from my phone, but I don't know how great the quality will be. (My digital is broken.) I do not see any other fur problems with any of my other chins, (except from a little fur slippage on one of mine that is in the process of growing back) so I am at a loss. I will try the picture tonight and get back to you. Thanks.