Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Chins4Life089]

I people if u have read my older post u know I have 3 new chins and the daughters are very lovey and I am bonding with them well. The mother is another story, when I was going to go get them the woman said the mom was really antisocial. Now I think I know why, she has marts on her back legs/side. I noticed this when I rubbed her and I looked it up and it said that sometimes fur mats are annoying and stuff and they can be bad for skin health and to get them out. Now here is the problem, 1. I can't pick her up to get them out, 2. I don't know how to get them out, 3. When I try to pick her up she bites me and once I finally get her in my arms she freaks and scratches be to death. So I need to know how to get fur mats out of my new chinchilla

[GrayRodent]

Sounds like you have a pretty wild chin there. Not all fur mats are equal. Exactly how bad are they?
To get minor fur mats out of a chinchilla you can take a comb and try to tease them out. This will make your chin upset and you should get another person to help you. If they're really bad and nasty you may need to cut them with scissors, again, with someone's help, or with the help of an experienced veterinarian. If they are severe enough you will need to get them off or they can damage the skin and cause sores. If you attach a photo I might could help you make that assessment. (not saying I'm a vet or a pro. If in doubt contact your vet)
I recommend you pick her up and wrap her in a towel to do this. This will make it easier to control her head and prevent getting bit and scratched. You also have the option of using gloves.


How long has this one had that fur matting? There is a possibility it is caused by drooling which should be investigated. How is her health and appearance otherwise? Does she spend a lot of time by the water bottle?

[Chins4Life089]

They are on her hind legs kinda on her side/ back side. Some are big some are small mostly all of them go to the skin. She doesn't spend much time at the water bottle but still drinks also she doesn't drool or anything. The previous owner told me she gave them water bathes when they got pee on there fur and that made me so mad, could that be where the matts came from. Also there is matting on her belly

[GrayRodent]

It seems usually matting that is not caused by drooling is caused when a chinchilla gets wet with water. Usually it's because they have a habit of leaning against the water spigot on their cage waterer. If you're saying this one has had wet baths in the recent past that is certainly a possible cause. Especially if she was not thoroughly dried. Sometimes my chinchilla comes into contact with some drips of bathtub water (since I dust him in my shower stall) and the fur sometimes mats around it in a very small area. The pattern you describe to me seems consistent with an animal who presses against the water spigot. Drooling usually results in mats under the chin and down the center of the back. The best thing you can do is first try to tease out the mats with a comb. When she gets stressed from handling she will probably start to slip fur which may work to your advantage.

If they aren't coming out you will have to cut them out with very sharp scissors. Before you attempt that please consider letting a vet do this. They can shave it with electric clippers and can sedate your pet to prevent serious injury. The scissors will need to be flawlessly sharp and that chin will have to be kept under absolute control when you use them. Needless to say do not get the skin or even close to the skin. If you do it can result in a fatal injury. Chinchillas don't always do well even with relatively minor injuries. You may want to wait a few days and see if the mats are starting to grow out and away from the skin. Minor mats will grow out in a week or two. If there is no improvement or it is getting worse you should take action to prevent pressure sores from the fur contorting the skin.

If there is a better way please someone suggest something.