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[Sweetnessheart]

How old should a male chinchilla be before checking for hair rings? 

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I would think from about 6-8 months on, though I tend to  be more adamant once they are full grown.
I have only found hairrings in/on good and matured males. Curiouse to see what others find.

[Sweetnessheart]

6-8 months is what I had heard also, but I just wanted to make sure.  I check my boys on the average about once a month.  I have only had one male with a really bad hair ring and it was the dickens to get off!

[chinchillagrl06]

Ick! I hate doing hair ring checks! Necessary evil though.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I have one single male prone to them, and loves it when I get rid of it for him.
He gets all excited after it's off, and is great at letting me do it.
Most mine are so used to getting checked, though I have not found very many.

[chinchillagrl06]

LOL I'll never forget the first time I had to check for hair rings. LOL I thought my b/f's eye's were going to pop out of his head  . He thought I was being some kind of chinchilla perv    It was really funny.

[Sweetnessheart]

 

[Jo Ann]

Hi Sweetnessheart!

Good play on words!      

I've been lucky so far ... only two.
 My husband cringed and told me to be VERY careful, please.   
   He has to hold them while I get rid of the ring. 

 
Jo Ann

[FluffBall]

I have never heard of the whole hair ring thing when I was given Buddy L I was just told that when he gets depressed he will bite his sac?  but I have never seen that but then again I am always playing with him and when I received Snowball she never told me of that either I have heard on the site a mention of hair rings and that they are painful and his thingy will sta out if he has one
Jo Ann you have a pic of what to look for and how to look for it?

[Jo Ann]

One of the articles on hair rings, in the Chinchilla Club Magazine, (on line) even had a short video on it.

     I can't remember who did it, so I looked it up. 

It was Spoiled Chins at: http://www.spoiledchins.net/hairring.htm

Some are very noticeable, while others are not.  Your light-fur-colored chins are usually harder to notice.  You need good lighting and a magnifying glass.  We have a light/magnifying glass combination that clips on the side of the desk and has a movable extention arm.  (It's been invaluable at times.)

Some rings are very small and some large ... the size/bulk of  the amount of fur involved in making the ring has little to do with the damage it can cause ... it's how tight the ring gets that causes the problem. 

The larger the ring, the more noticeable and usually the easier it is to get off.

When the penis gets red and swollen, it is often best to take your chin to the vet and let him/her show you how to remove it the first time.

KY or Neosporin should be used as a lubricate for the penis when trying to remove the ring. And to help put the sheath back over and penis back in where it belongs. Do Not leave it extended and dry.  

 Please do not use Vaseline (petroleum jelly) it will only make a mess of things and probably cause the problem to return quickly because of the mess it makes of the fur.

It takes two people to do this ... especially if you have to use the scissors ... if you catch it before it gets bad, you can often gently work it off without having to cut it off.

It's best to have on hand: disposable latex gloves, fingernail scissors or medical scissors used to remove sutures, (alcohol to sterilize the scissors, not the chin), Neiosporen (triple antibiotic) to guard against infection and use as a lubricant, and a Band-Aid encase he bites you, if you hurt him.

All this should be in your Chinchilla First Aide Kit.

 
Jo Ann

[chinclub]

I was just told that when he gets depressed he will bite his sac? 

That is a new one for me!     Where did you hear that?

[Summer]

Hi every one,Just checked chinpo for the first time. We had no problems It was kinda funny.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Jamie,

Quote from: FluffBall on August 02, 2006, 10:38:39 PM
I was just told that when he gets depressed he will bite his sac? 
Quote from: Jamie: That is a new one for me!     Where did you hear that?

I haven't heard of it before either ... 
intrested in knowing where that information came from. 

 
Jo Ann[/i]

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Sounds like someone is referring to them giving self pleasure maybe?
They do that you know.

[Summer]

one of mine does