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[Leslie]

I have had my standard chinchilla for about 3 years and I've never noticed him shedding.  My new guy is beige and now there is chinchilla hair on EVERYTHING in our apartment!  Do chins shed during certain seasons or is this just an all-the-time thing?  Maybe it's just the colour of the fur that makes it stand out more?

Also...if I got a comb and groomed him, would that cut down on the loose fur?  I've never groomed my chins before, so I have no idea!

[Stacy]

You know that is a really good question. I have 2 chins that don't shed but I have 2 others that have hair in there cages all the time. 1 of them when I pick her up I have hair all over me. I have tried to comb them but only 1 will let me and he is 1 that doesn't shed anyway. The 2 that shed have really poor fur quality, but the other 2 have thick soft fur. I have no idea why some do and some don't. 

[null]

Chins will prime about every three months. You won't even notice it on a lot of chins but some you'll start to see tufts of fur start to come out. You can get the excess fur off of them with a lint roller.

[chinchillagrl06]

You can also buy some chinchilla grooming combs and get some of that old dead hair off your chinny. They feel so much softer without the extra. If you can, you might want to ask someone who shows their chinnies teach you how to groom. I learned at the last chinchilla show. It was fun, but it does take some technique, not like brushing your dog or car.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Leslie,

  Gooming is a good practice for all of us, but be sure you have the proper comb/combs ... they are a bit expensive, but well worth it. 

  Learn how to groom properly and start grooming the kits as soon as you wean them to get them use to it. {Especially if you think you would like to show it.} The older they get before you start, the less they usually agree to go along with it.   

   Nutrition, dust baths, handling (especially how it is handled), emotions (fear, up-set), health, as well as fur quality also plays into how much a chin will shed.  All of them do to a certain amount of sheding, some seem to all at once, while others very little at a time.  But each time they go into and out of prime, there will be sheding.  Most people do not notice it because the fur is so fine, or the fur matches the furniture or rug color. 

   Maybe your little beige fella is sluffing/releasing fur every time he is picked up.   That is different than shedding and it comes out in much larger amounts.    Sluffing is a defense mechanism that they have always had.  It would often leave a predator with a mouth full of fur instead of a meal. 

   Since your beige one is new, maybe he just hasn't learned to feel at home yet. 

 
Jo Ann [/i]

 

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Yes do be careful, it takes practice and a chin in the mood.
I was grooming Pokie when he did a spinning jump and broke his leg.
Lani says a cat comb will do the trick, and all should be groomed at least 4 times a year.
My cat loves my chin comb, and is the only one he'll sit still for.
I find my white ones shed more than the others, and my gray not much at all.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Debbie,

   Yep, even with a firm grip one can get away and often get hurt in the process.    They have to be in the mood or you're in trouble.  They bite when not in the mood, too. 

   What kind of cat comb do you have?  Does it look like a comb or does it look like a brush with thin wires on a flat surface with a handle?  I've seen both sold for cats ... the one that is flat with wires and a handle will tear-up a chin's fur.  I think there's an article in one of the chinchilla magazines that shows both.  I'll check under "search back articles" and see if I can find it.   

 
Jo Ann

[Jo Ann]

Hi
 
   Here's the link going to an article covering a seminar on how to groom your chin and pictures of the tools to use and not to use.  And pictures of how to hold your chin and groom it. http://www.chinchillaclub.com/members/mag/0204groom.html

 
Jo Ann

[kathye512]

I read in a book that you should groom your chin but it did not say with what kind of comb or brush.  I ended up buying a slicker brush made for cats.  I used on my female and she growled at me but my male chirped.  I do not know if I was doing it right.  How can I find out when and where the shows are, I would like to learn?
   Also I have one chin that sheds a lot nd the other 3 don't.  I started to feed them a food supplement for small animals called Vitality Supplement, and their fur seems softer to me.

[chinchillagrl06]

I would not use a slicker brush on chinnies. Here is a link to chinchilla grooming combs. They are pricey, but safe for chinnies. 
http://www.chinchillas.com/estore/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=45

[Jo Ann]

Hi!

   The seminar the article covered was sponsored by the Chinchilla Club and hosted by Lee and Iris Musclewhite at Circle M Ranch.  It was a great learning situation for many and we had a lot of fun. 

  Jamie, do I see another seminar anytime in the forseeable future???

 

Jo Ann