Chinchilla’s are a fun pet that has some rather unusual cleaning needs. This leads many who are thinking of bringing a Chinchilla into their life wonder what kind of scent Chins can give off.
Do Chinchilla’s smell? Yes they do, but only when they are not properly cared for. Chinchillas like any pet you will own take a certain amount of upkeep to stay clean. If their cleaning needs aren’t met then both the Chinchilla, as well as, their habitat will start to smell bad.
Do Chinchillas smell? + How To Control It…
How to keep your Chinchilla Smelling Nice and Fresh
There are quite a few things you will need to do in order to keep yourself from being stuck with a stinky Chinchilla. Upkeep will take a little bit of time out of your week but will be totally worth it to keep your new pet happy and your house stink-free.
Dust baths
Many people have seen the viral videos of Chinchillas bathing in dust baths. Outside of being a joyful site dust baths help clean off your chinchilla’s fur. Unlike many animal’s Chinchilla’s can become sick if you bathe them in water limiting the ways they can get clean.
The Dust in the baths helps to absorb oils that have become stuck in your pets thick coat. The dust also helps by collecting trapped debris that where lodged in the chins fur. By providing a weekly dust bath you are giving your chinchillas the ability to remove excess oils and dirt.
Healthy diet
There are many reasons to sit down and research any pets diet before adopting them. For starters, any animal without a properly balanced diet will see health issues start to develop sooner or later. Secondly, an animal with an inadequate diet will have irregular bathroom habits.
Chinchilla droppings will smell to a certain degree no matter what you do. If you don’t feed your chinchilla right, however, you will be stuck with diarrhea and green poop the will permeate the room with its smell. To avoid this limit treats and provide chinchilla food in proper serving sizes.
Clean house/litter box
Owning a caged animal can come with its own unique set of issues compared to free roam animals. A cage can have dirt, urine, and dropping easily become stuck to the walls of the cage. Shavings also come with their own unique smell when they start to become wet or dirty.
I recommend cleaning the cage at least once a week to keep debris from piling up. Deep cleaning should also happen monthly where you deep scrub the Chinchillas habitat to remove stuck dirt. Dirty environments are a huge breeding ground for bacteria that cause odor.
Grooming
Chinchilla grooming is a very delicate process that can help your pet with shedding or getting out knots. You shouldn’t try to groom your chinchilla more than a few times a month to keep from pulling out too much hair. You should also know that many chins do not like being brushed.
To properly brush your pet you will need to buy a chinchilla specific brush or a vet-approved fine tooth comb. Make sure to always comb from the chins butt upwards for effectiveness. If your chin becomes aggressive then you may want to stop and try again at a later date.
Things that may cause a Chinchilla to smell
If you notice a foul odor coming from your chin or their cage then you will want to quickly remedy the problem. There are a few common causes of smell that you can check on to determine what’s causing your chinchilla to smell.
Litter box
Chinchillas are extremely intelligent leading many owners to train them to use a litter box. Similar to a ferret, the litter box will be a plastic container with litter pellets generally placed in a specific corner of the cage. If not cleaned frequently it can produce a nasty scent.
A full litter box can cause a Chinchilla to begin using other areas of their cage making the whole habitat stink. Excess bacteria can also start to grow in an improperly cared for litter box. Worst of all, your chin can begin to get and urine stuck to their feet or fur causing them to smell.
Dental problems
A major cause of a smelly Chinchilla can be the deterioration of their dental health. To keep teeth healthy your chinchilla will need chew toys to keep their teeth from overgrowing. They will also need access to constant clean water that is free of bacteria or possible droppings.
If you notice bad breath coming from your chin then a trip to the vet or groomer may be needed. They can look at your pet’s teeth to determine what needs to change in their environment. To prevent this try to feed your chin foods that are good for their teeth and gums.
Dirty or oily fur
Just like us, a chinchilla needs to bathe in order to keep themselves smelling fresh or from building up body funk. If your chinchilla hasn’t been able to bathe in more than a week then they are going to start smelling. You can also notice the quality of their fur visibly start to diminish.
Another cause of this can be from not properly changing the dust in your bathhouse. If you notice the dust has started to clump or smell then it’s time to change the dust. To keep this from happening, make an attempt to change out your bathhouse after every third use.
Housing
The habitat itself can be the major cause of any smell coming from your chinchillas. A chinchilla’s cage should be cleaned weekly in order to keep things sanitary. A neglected cage can quickly become nauseating to anyone close enough to smell it and a health risk for the chin.
On top of cleaning the cage weekly, you must deep clean your cage monthly. Debris will stick to the bars, sides, and doors of the cage eventually building up enough to put off a smell. With this, you will need to replace bedding, toys, and hammocks if they start to become too dirty.
What’s your experience? Do Chinchillas smell in your household? Plus how do you manage their small? I would love to know down below!