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[Squirrel_Butt]

My youngest 2, Bonnie and Clyde seem to miss their drop pan or it ricochets off and gets on  top of the desk.  What concerns me is the possibility of mold growing inside the wooden surface.  I have a towel under each of my cages so that absorbs some of it. The spots that they already got I clean off. How can I reduce the possibility of microbial growth within the wood?

[GrayRodent]

What kind of surface is it? How bad is getting soaked? If it's just a drop here or there I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it's soaking into the wood you will need to prevent that. Even strong cleaners will not be able to get everything if it's under the surface of the wood.

[mojito]

I would recommend looking into waterproofing your wood. I know there are some different methods out there, make sure the paint is okay for the chins. (That is only if they play on the desk or they have access to it and can bite/eat the paint, it sounds like the desk is under the cage (correct me if I'm wrong!)) in which case make sure you paint the desk and let it dry completely before bringing it back into the same room as them. If the spots are tiny and there isn't a lot of it getting on the desk, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You can also try to find maybe some cheap plastic (or a pack of sheet protectors - thats the creative side with a budget in me coming out!) that is if, your chins can't get access to it and bite it. Its probably cheaper than the paint (and less work!) and you can just wipe off anything that lands there without worry

[Squirrel_Butt]

The desk was getting soaked. I didn't notice it at first until weeks later I kept smelling urine and noticed the off color.  I have since put towels under the cages to cover up as much desk surface as possible. The desk was one I pulled out of the trash so I don't care much about the appearance. It has scratches all over it. I have put a damp wash cloth to it to clean up the urine.

If microbial growth forms under the wood surface (if it hasn't already)how will I know?  (It was covered in snow when my father and me brought it into our house. It was cleaned up afterward and the only odor is that of chin urine.  Bonnie and Clyde have been with me since August 28, 2011 The first urination on the table was discovered in October I believe.

I just cleaned their cages today so there is no strong odor in the air, just when I sniffed at the wood just now.  They have not gotten the desk for a while now.

The desk's original purpose was for my many computers. Once Raisin was found to be pregnant, the computers were brought to the ground to act as leg guards and have not been activated since.

They did manage to get my walls once too but I cleaned that up. It did drip to my rug which I discovered months later.


The chins have no access to the desk at all.

[GrayRodent]

As far as microbial growth I wouldn't be too concerned unless you see dark mold spots. If it's molded then you might want to find a new piece of wood as that is probably not something you want in your house.

If were my desk I would probably take it outside, sand the damaged area, spray the heck out of it with ly-sol (which is very irritating and I would not want to do that inside) and let it soak 20min. Then do it again. Clean it up with soap and water and make sure it dries completely. Mask off the rest of the desk with paper and masking tape. Use waterproof spray paint and let it dry real good before putting it back inside. Use multiple thin coats and make sure they dry or the surface may become problematic to write on. This should help repair the surface and seal the bad stuff inside.

I recommend you use plastic instead of towels if the chins don't have access to it. The towels will hold in the moisture and make it way worse.

[mojito]

I think that sanding it and disinfecting it is a good idea, especially since some molds grow slowly and don't have too much of a smell. Since the chins don't have access to the desk I would use plastic coverings where the towel would be. Like I said an easy and cheap way to go would be to get sheet protectors and cut them in half, and lay them where you would the towel. Thin and waterproof so you can just wipe it up. Or maybe plexiglass, I've heard of people putting that on their walls because of females spraying. Hope this helps ! Good luck!!

[Squirrel_Butt]

Where can I find these sheet protectors? They sound like a good idea. 

Taking the desk outside will not be an easy thing.  It is freaking heavy. Finding someone to help with it will be a challenge too. Yet I agree that it must be done.  I have no idea how to sand things either. I'm not a handyman, but my father is. The thing is, getting him to do something is like pulling teeth.  But if it does get molded, I can try dragging the thing into the hall to prove my point and give him some motivation.(I'm not kidding about doing that either). 

How will I know if mold is affecting my chins? What do I look for?  I'm not so concerned about my health, but I sure want to make sure the chins are safe.

[GrayRodent]

I would not be concerned about mold unless you can see it but mold can grow anywhere where there is moisture.
To be safe you might consider removing your chins from the room and cleaning up all the affected areas with cleaner such as Clorox clean-up. (Keep in mind it has bleach in it and can discolor things).
You can get sheet protectors at any office supply store, and likely at Wal-Mart. You don't have to get the expensive ones. Any kind of plastic sheeting will do, even a garbage bag, but transparent sheeting might look nicer. You should be able to find this at Wal-mart in the hardware section or at a hardware store.

Signs of respiratory illness in chinchillas usually don't occur until it's pretty severe. You can find more information in the members area.

[GrayRodent]

I am curious about your problem. I am planning on getting chinchilla later this year if things work out but not if I can't prevent that kind of problem! I can understand an occasional accident but having the desk soaked every day seems rather extreme. Is there something about the design of the cage or the drop pan that can be modified to safely keep the pee inside?

[Squirrel_Butt]

There is only one problem with keeping the chins out of the room.  Its the only safe place for them. we have a dog in the house , and the only room that is big enough to house 4 chins. Being that this isn't my house I don't have much of a choice. Once I get my own place, I'm free to dent walls moving stuff as much as I please. All that can be done is keep urine off there and keep observing.  The area affected is where the youngest 2 are. The adults are at another table top   This occured months ago so there may not be a significant amount yet.

As for the Clorox, will that penetrate deep enough into the wood if there is mold to kill it?  Do I wash the Clorox off after the disinfection is complete? There does seem to be a finish on the desk top. Is it possible that the finish could have blocked urine absorption into the wood? I don't care about discoloration. Afterall it was a desk from the trash.

It's not every day. It happened a while back.  Part of the drop pan didn't have enough newspaper so it hit the plastic surface which then caused some urine to splatter out.  I just failed to anticipate this so I didn't have a towel or plastic sheet under the cages. 

Should I just wait and see what happens and go from there? What symptoms do I look for if a chin is suffering from mold exposure?

[GrayRodent]

Q: What symptoms do I look for if a chin is suffering from mold exposure?
A: Symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.
Here is a case study: http://www.chinchillaclub.com/members/mag/0804gut.html
Here is a good article about sickness in general if you haven't seen it: http://www.chinchillaclub.com/members/mag/1004sickchin.html
Here is a article from the Merck Veterinary Manual: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171504.htm
If you would like more information I'll be glad to find more.

Q: There does seem to be a finish on the desk top. Is it possible that the finish could have blocked urine absorption...
A: I hope so. If the surface is bubbled, cracked, or peeling over the exposed area, then probably not.
If it is not bubbled and it is just discolored then try scrubbing to make sure you get it clean as possible. Discoloring is an indication that the surface has absorbed something. It doesn't necessarily mean it's molded, it's more than likely just stained and will be permanent. I wouldn't worry about mold if the surface is still smooth or if you don't see any black spots.

Hope the articles don't scare you too badly, but keep in mind that there's mold and there's mold. Considering that you can't really smell it unless you're close to it tells me it's not horrible but it should be scrubbed and disinfected. I would think the kind of mold that can cause a chin to get sick would be the if large areas of the carpet or your walls were affected such as a leaky roof or something along those lines. Mold infections of chinchillas are usually contracted through moldy food that was improperly stored or processed. Mold has to have moisture to thrive. In an area that's poorly ventilated on a surface that's porous (like uncoated particle board) this is a major problem, but since it took so long to notice the problem (smelling it) I suspect that is not the case.

Since you can't remove the chins from the room long enough to use bleach you'll just have to use soap and water and a scrub brush or a cleaning pad if you haven't already. Dish soap works. If you already have then hit it again and see if it still stinks. Scrub it with a brush and with a dish cleaning pad that is not too abrasive to roughen the surface.

If you decide you can move your chins out for a couple of hours (fumes will likely be gone in about 10 minutes if you dry it with a towel) and can use bleach a 1 cup to 1 gal solution should kill any mold it comes into contact with but you still have to scrub it first. It will penetrate a little bit and probably do what you need it to do. Again, you probably don't want to do this with chins in the room as this is a pretty strong concentration.

[mojito]

For sheet protectors, look at Walmart or office depot for the cheapest. I use them and laminated mats that you put dog and cat food bowls on since my chin has a towel he pees on in his play room. If you can't move the desk, you could try manually sanding it and seeing what other options are available at lowes. Like Gray said, Clorox is a great idea if you don't mind discoloring, but you can always stain it. Since you can't move your chins out of the room, can you move them into a closet or a bathroom for a few hours? You could sand down the desk if you see mold or growth, and then shop vac or vacuum the whole room VERY well with a window open. If you see no growth or smell nothing sharp you should be safe from mold and growth since you shouldnt have too much humidity in that room anyways!

[Squirrel_Butt]

I cleaned it up after I noticed it. I used just a damp washcloth and then dried it up immediately after.  There is do discolotation right now. Just scratches in some areas and carve marks. It was urine that bounced out of the drop pan and hit the desk. It was unnoticed for so long though.

 I just put my nose to the spot where everything was and it just has a faint urine smell to it.  I don't exactly know what mold smells like but I'm quite sure I would notice if it was smelling of mold.

The soap and water method would problably be my best bet. I could do that in the room. I would just have to move the 2 cages elsewhere in my room. I could put one on my bed, and the other would have to be on the ground in fron of the desk where the other cages are. The bathroom is not an option as the dog sometimes goes in there to urinate on the carpet when he doesn't feel like indicating he wants to go out.  The cages won't even fit in my closets. How much should I sand it? How long and how abrasive? And do I soak the desk top with the soapy water or do I do it like I cleaned it originally, just adding soap this time? And what did you mean by bubbling?

Also the desk is actually 2 different tables. The one I have been talking about may have a finish but has scratches and carve marks. The other one has a finish I think. I'll try uploading a pic of both surfaces.  I'm not much of a furniture expert. The second desk had uric crystals on it so I know it was hit too in the same way.. I cleaned off both but without the soap. Before I sand it I want to know if I should do it to these types of tables.  I have to crop the pictures so the file size is reduced so They will be posted later. 

There is an area in my room that had a leak in it but was years ago. It was a spot that rain blew into the attic during a very windy storm this only hapened once. The spot has not been painted over. This occured before I even knew what a chinchilla was.  I have had one of my chins for 10 years without incident so is it safe to say that I can worry about the water marks in my ceiling later?

Here are the pictures.  The lighter colored desk is the one that may or may not have finishing. The darker color one I think does but I'm not sure. Both had some urine on them.  I am also posting a picture of a box that was spattered on that is behind one of the desks to show how much urine splatters.  The box was never cleaned off.  Can anyone tell if there is finishing on these or whether sanding should be done on the darker one.  The whitish stuff on the darker desk is dust from a recent bath. The desk I am most concrned about mold is the lighter one. The one I am feeling reluctant to sand is the darker one.

[Squirrel_Butt]

here is the box I mentioned. I couldn't fit all 3 pics in one posting

[GrayRodent]

Dude, that just isn't very bad at all. Clean it again with soap and water and give it a good scrubbing to get rid of the smell. Don't sand it it doesn't look like it needs it. It is a non-issue. That is my advice. Have a good night and take it easy.

Q:And what did you mean by bubbling.
A:Low quality laminates will blister and peel when they get wet. They will feel bumpy when you run your hand over them.

Q:is it safe to say that I can worry about the water marks in my ceiling later?
A:I wouldn't worry about a one time freak incident.