Sand for swimming chinchillas: how to choose and use?

Responsible owners of chinchillas know that their pets will not be comfortable without bathing in the sand. To do this, you must periodically purchase specialized sand from a pet store. For those who recently acquired a furry friend, we’ll talk about the need to purchase this product.

It is considered normal for people and animals to swim in the water, but such unusual animals, like chinchillas, have gone the more complicated way, and prefer to take bath procedures in nature in volcanic sand in nature. A sand bath becomes a complete replacement for standard water. To make the hair of these rodents look clean and well-groomed at home, you need to bathe them in the sand.

One square centimeter of a chinchilla fur coat contains about 300 bunches of 80 wools, and therefore this animal is considered the leader in fur density. Moisture, fat is formed in the hairs, skin secretions accumulate in the bundles. Grit, getting on the wool, absorb all the moisture. In addition, taking a sand bath, chinchillas feel very comfortable, they perceive the procedure as a game.

In this regard, each the owner must take safety measures while walking the pet in the apartment: close all rooms where there may be water (bathroom, toilet), remove buckets and basins with water away.

Normal quartz or river sand is not suitable for swimming a rodent, since it has a rather large fraction.Such sand penetrates poorly into the hair, and getting on the skin of an animal can scratch it. In addition, the sharp edges of quartz sand grains will lead to a section of hairs and may become tangled in them. But the biggest harm of such sand is associated with its composition. It may contain elements that are dangerous to the animal. Ground quartz can only complement the sand mixture.

For swimming chinchillas, specialized volcanic sand is suitable, which these animals use in natural conditions. Volcanic particles are quite small, similar to dust, they easily penetrate the wool and absorb moisture in a high-quality manner. Also, these grains of sand are quickly removed, without harming the fur and skin of the animal.

The composition of specialized sand most often includes volcanic dust, sepiolite, zeolite and talc magnesite. Pure volcanic dust is a good option, but it costs too much, and therefore manufacturers use other additives as close as possible to the natural product.

Zeolite is often used when bathing farm chinchillas, since its moisture absorption properties are determined by the humidity level in the room. This substance is characterized by high dustiness, and therefore it is customary to dilute it with ordinary sand. Sepiolite and talc magnesite have a porous structure, therefore, the properties of these substances include hydrophilicity and high-quality absorption of water.

Sometimes a quartz ground to dust is used as the basis of the mixture, and then the product includes additives that can improve moisture absorption. A common element in bathing sand is talc. It absorbs water well and also eliminates unpleasant odors. In addition, talcum powder is a good remedy for fungus, which usually protects the skin of a pet, especially if used in combination with sulfur.

The grooming and cleanliness of the fur of a furry friend largely depends on the quality of the sand purchased, and therefore it is worth taking responsibility for the choice of this product. As already mentioned, pure quartz sand is not suitable because of too large grains of sand, so give preference to volcanic varieties, which include sepiolite or zeolite. To determine the quality of sand, as well as to distinguish volcanic products from quartz, conduct simple experiments.

• View a pinch of sand in the palm of your hand. Sand grains should be matte. Seeing that the particles shine slightly, you can go past the product - in front of the buyer quartz. Rub the sand between your fingers. If tingling is felt, then it is worth abandoning this product. If the product is of high quality, it will leave a light powdery mark on the skin.
• Moisten some sand. If the resulting substance resembles clay, slightly viscous and viscous, then such sand is suitable for bathing chinchillas.
• Pour a couple of tablespoons of sand with water in a transparent container. If grains of sand immediately sank to the bottom, then this is quartz. If particles float on the surface, but gradually settle, then this is volcanic sand, which must be chosen.

Among manufacturers of sand for swimming, the following companies are currently popular, having both their pros and cons.

• Mr Alex. The quality is average, as the product is based on quartz. To mitigate its effects, the kit includes a package with talcum powder, which must be added to the bath when bathing the animal.

• Lolopets. At the heart of volcanic dust and crushed quartz, processed at 400 degrees. The advantages of the product include a reasonable price.

• "Waka." Volcanic product supplemented with quartz. The kit includes talcum powder. According to the owners, the grains of sand can be quite large, and therefore it is better to sift the product before use.

• "Animals". The mixture is based on talc magnesite.Users characterize the product as quite high-quality, it maintains the good condition of the pet's fur coat and does not dry the skin.

• Little One. Volcanic mixture, characterized by excellent quality, but rather high cost.

• Benelux. Products are developed on the basis of ground zeolite. It has good functionality, but has a high price.

• Padovan. It consists of ground zeolite (60%) and other elements with excellent hydrophilic properties.

• Vitacraft. The basis is crushed sepiolite and other volcanic substances. Most preferred, albeit expensive.

Having bought high-quality sand for swimming, it is important to know how to use it correctly. Use the following recommendations from chinchilla breeders.

• Pour sand into the bath so that it hides the bottom 5–7 cm in height.
• The maximum number of sand baths per week is three. The duration of one procedure is 30-60 minutes. Time depends on the desire of the animal to swim. If the animal does not crawl out of the bathroom for the first 20 minutes, then half an hour is enough for it. If in an hour he only spent a couple of minutes in the bathhouse, then leave the sand in the cage for a while.
• Do not exceed the number of times indicated and the number of weekly treatments. If you overdo it with bathing sessions, then the skin of the pet can dry out, cracks will appear on it. The rodent will itch all the time, feel itchy and uncomfortable. All this will lead to stress, which, in turn, can provoke the disease.
• After the bathing procedure, check the tank for the presence of extraneous debris, remove it. Sift the sand to facilitate the procedure. All sand needs to be changed every three months.
• If the sand bath is constantly in the pet’s cage, then the contents should be replaced after 15 bathing procedures.
• Every month, use the igneous volcanic dust in the oven or microwave to disinfect it from bacteria.

In a container for one animal, pour a teaspoon of the product. Fungistop effectively disinfects the contents of the bathing suit. While the animal is washing in special sand, the owner may not be afraid of dust in his ears. These animals in the ear have a membrane that tightly closes the entrance and does not allow the ingress of small particles.

Only high-quality sand can clean the pet's fur, make it clean and well-groomed. Indeed, not only its beauty, but also the state of health, mood, sociability, and a sense of comfortable life directly depend on the hygiene and sanitary conditions that contain the chinchilla.

You will learn about the rules for bathing chinchillas in the video below.