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Health / hair rings and other male issues
« on: August 08, 2012, 10:36:56 AM »
I know this has been discussed many times but I'm a new chinchilla mommy, or I will be in 3 days. I will be bringing my baby boy home in just a few days and no one has mentioned anything to me about hair rings and boy issues. I have learned everything there is to know about chins from here and other websites. Mostly here. The breeder didn't even tell me the correct way to hold the little guy. Needless to say, I know what to expect and how to go about holding him next time when I go to get him. My question is what exactly are hair rings? Are they single hairs loose on their little willies that need pulled off? But that didn't look like the pictured I seen posted here where a grey chinchilla had a huge round rope of hair going around his manhood., or what looked rope-like. How would you get that off? Is the hair connected to him or loose or what? I am confused. I read how everyone says to get the hair off but I can't comprehend what you're saying when I can't understand the hair ring itself. No, I'm not a child, I am 38. I just can't wrap my mind around this one issue. I read they do it even if there is no female or mate? He will be all by himself. I will be playing with him throughout the day and hopefully he won't miss his siblings so much. What other boy issues will I need to look for? How old does the baby need to be before I start checking him? I bring him home at 8 weeks. Will the hair rings need cut off? I read you may need a small pair of scissors. I have everything on the list to care for him, I just need to know what I am doing. My exotic vet's an hour drive one way. I don't know how well my little man will travel. Hope they don't charge an arm and leg to show me what to do. Any suggestions for me or better yet, can someone explain this to me as if I were a child so I can understand? If there's no other way of describing it, I'll just take him to the vet when I see something different and have the vet to explain and show me what to do. Thanks.