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[chinsgrandma]

Hi all,
I recently visited a breeder and picked a chin out for my daughter.  Her name is Cheerio (the chin, not my daughter!) and we are loving her to death.  I have a question that I was hoping someone can help me with, though, as I have not found this answer in any books or on any message boards.  Every once in a while we notice an odor from Cheerio.  It's not particularly offensive, but it's a definite odor, and all I read everywhere is how they have NO odor.  So naturally this concerns me, that she could have a health problem causing this.  It is not constant, but we smell it pretty often.  It's a musky type of odor.

If anyone has any input on this topic I would really appreciate it!

Chinsgrandma

[null]

If anything they should smell like their dust bath, but I have heard that they can pick up odors from their surroundings. I recently saw that one person said their chin smelled like steak three days after they had steak for dinner.

[chinchillagrl06]

How often are you cleaning the cage? Should be at least once a week.
Do you do spot cleanings (take out the soiled area)? I spot clean everyday.
What kind of bedding do you use? I use aspen, but pine is another that is very absorbant.
How often do you give a dust bath? I dust mine every 2-3 days and moreoften if it is humid.
What kind of dust do you use? I use and recommend Blue Cloud.

This will all affect your chinnies odor. Regular dusting should get your chinnie smelling back to normal in no time.

[chinsgrandma]

Thank you SO much everyone for your suggestions!!

We clean the cage once a week (taking everything out and replacing bedding, etc.) but I also clean it a couple of times in between.  I use Carefresh bedding because I already had this for my rabbits and thought this was the safest type for small animals.  She does her dust bath every night, we just can't say no to her.  She gazes at the bath like its paradise if we don't put it on the floor for her.  She will go tumble 4 or 5 times and then we'll put it back so it stays cleaner longer. I do not remember what brand of dust I bought. The first kind was more of a sand, but then I got dust which she seemed to like better.

In her little house she has a poof of stuff that came with her Chewbular tube.  Could this be causing the smell? I don't know what its made of, but its some sort of bedding material that they are supposed to like.

[chinchillagrl06]

I would take the pouf of bedding out, just in case she decides it would make a good snack. I am not sure what it's made of, but I always through it out! 
Could be the bedding I have always felt carefresh held in more odor, but I know alot of owners use it.

[chinsgrandma]

Yes I plan to DE-POOF Cheerio's home and see if that might be the problem.  What kind of bedding is ok for them?  I know with my rabbits I did a lot of research before I got them and was severely warned against any kind of wood based bedding because of the possibility of respiratory illness.  Years ago we had a guinea pig and at the time no one talked about the dangers of wood shavings and the vet said he died of respiratory illness from the bedding we were buying to make his cage comfortable!  Can you imagine how we felt, we pretty much killed the little baby in trying to take care of him.  So I am REALLY leery of trying new products with Cheerio.  I knew the CareFresh was safe so I stuck with it, especially since I read that their urine and poo does not have a smell, I figured whatever odor control the Carefresh has would not even be necessary in her case.  Interestingly enough the cage itself does not smell at all, it's just the little fuzzball herself.  It's kind of a sour smell, possibly like spoiled milk or something along that line.

I am going to take the entire cage apart tomorrow and scrub it down.   We have had her about 2 months now and I have not done that yet, I just take all the bedding out and wipe the pullout tray with Sun & Earth or one of those non-toxic household cleaners and replace her bedding.  The cage has been remarkably clean, she only pees in one corner, so I put Yesterdays News litter in the pullout tray in that one area to absorb it, and the rest of it is just poo pellets.

I notice that she has begun shedding in the last few days also.  Does anyone think this might be related?  She will show up with a little puff of fuzz sticking out of her back and you can just pick it off.  She will NOT let me groom her.  She is content to jump on your lap when she feels like it, but we have not been able to handle her yet without her getting EXTREMELY upset.  She is already 3 years old and is new to our house so we are not pressuring her for the lovin' quite so soon.  She has come MILES in the two months we've had her.  At first she would not even come out of her cage.  One night last week my daughter was crying in her bed at night (nervous about a final exam the next day  ) and Cheerio started making these peeping noises at her.  My daughter looked over and the streetlight was shining near her cage and she saw Cheerio sitting upright holding onto the bars watching her and it sounded like she was crying too.  She will now come on our laps or when we are studying on the floor she will come and sit on the book to make us pay attention to her.  But under no circumstances does she want to be touched.  I do hope this changes, but even if it doesn't we just adore her.  She is extremely entertaining to watch especially the bouncing off the walls, that is priceless.

Hopefully the major housecleaning tomorrow will solve the problem, but I do still wonder if the shedding has anything to do with it since both things appeared at the same time?

Hey actually I do have one more question.  In doing the research before we got her, we read about what voracious chewers they are.  She doesn't chew!!!  She has a pumice stone and some pieces of wood, and one of those plastic igloo homes, as well as a wooden ledge that she loves to sit on, but she doesn't chew any of this.  Does this mean I should take her to the vet more often to get her teeth checked for overgrowth??  I know my rabbits' teeth will overgrow rather quickly if they do not chew, but they love to chew and spend a good portion of the day doing so.  I have yet to see her chew on anything but her food.  Anyone else have a non-chewer??

I really appreciate everyone's help!!

[chinsgrandma]

Hey forgot to ask for some newbie support - how do I fill in profile information?  The HELP menu tells me to click on my username but that doesn't work..... :-[

[chinsgrandma]

Just trying out the features on the board, don't mind me....I want to see if I know how to post a photo..........

[chinsgrandma]

Wow they are awfully big!!  This one is my favorite, though, even though its cut off a bit.  She's a cutie-pie.

[chinclub]

I have a question.  When you notice the smell are you holding her?  One thing I have noticed that no one ever talks about it the musky smell a chinchilla can give off when it is scared.  My husband says it is sort of a buttery smell. We don't handle our breeding females and we often notice it when we have to take them out of the cage for something.

I hate Carefresh.  We used it for awhile with some of our chinchillas in the house because it doesn't track all over the house like aspen would.  I find that Carefresh smells very musky and I hate the smell so I can't use it. We use aspen in all of our cages.

As for helping chinchillas smell nice I think Desenex Athletes foot powder smells a lot like baby powder.  You can sprinkle some over the top of her dust before you give it to her and it will make her smell nice.  It will also prevent fur fungus

[chinsgrandma]

Thank you SO much for the tips.  Yes, I agree that I definitely smell it when we attempt to hold her, but you know what - she will come and sit on us voluntarily and we will still smell it.  So maybe along this same line of thinking, even though she is making "the first move" so to speak, she is still nervous and not sure whether she really wants to be sitting there, or is anticipating my trying to hold her even if I am not going to.  She is not a breeding female (which, lucky for us, made her price lower than I had anticipated it being) so I don't know if that makes a difference.  I agree with the comparison to a buttery smell, I can take it a step further and say that it would smell this way if it were overcooked, like maybe being around a popcorn machine in a movie theater too long.  That smell can get obnoxious, this is kind  of like that.

I am going to hit PetSmart tomorrow and get some aspen before I do her housecleaning and not use the Carefresh for her anymore.  I am not thrilled about using it for my rabbits at all, but I am so concerned about their health that I just use it anyway.  I would love to have something more aromatic in there because their pee can smell if they go in the bedding (they are about 90% box-trained, but sometimes I think they are just too lazy to go to the box and I will find a wet spot in another part of the cage and it doesn't mask the odor at all).

I'm glad I found this board, you guys are so helpful!  Looking forward to coming on here and hearing about everyone else's chins.  Cheerio is not even really mine, she is my daughter's, but I've become so attached to her. I like the fact that she sleeps all day so I don't feel like I am neglecting her by not being up there in the room with her.  We have our two rabbits and then there is my Pacific Parrotlet, Huey, who is the spoiled boy of the house.  Plus I have my son, can't forget him, who is 3.  So if Cheerio were not a nocturnal creature most likely I would not have felt comfortable bringing her here.  I stop in to see her a few times throughout the day, she pokes her nose out, then goes right back in.  It's like she's just trying to be polite by acknowledging me but has NO desire to hang out with me at all!

Getting late- time for sleep.  Thanks again for your input and if anyone thinks of any other helpful tips I am all ears.  On the other subject - if anyone has any input on the non-chewing issue please send me your thoughts?  I get a little concerned that her teeth might overgrow if she is not filing them down naturally.

THANKS!!

[chinclub]

She is probably just still getting used to her new home, and some chinchillas chew more than others.  Keep an eye on that plastic house.  You don't want her chewing plastic because her body won't be able to digest it and eventually it could cause a blockage.  If she is enjoying the house and she doesn't chew it you don't need to take it out.  Just look it over everyday as you feed and water her and if you ever notice any chew marks you can then replace it with a wooden house.

Many of my chinchillas will not chew on those hard pumice blox.  They all prefer wood and the smaller softer pumice pieces.  You can also buy your chinchilla a variety or loose hay and hay cubes.  All chinchillas will chew them and the simple act of chewing these will help keep healthy teeth.

[chinsgrandma]

Thanks so much!  I am soaking this all up like a sponge, and passing it on to my daughter so she is not as concerned about Cheerio now as she was before.  Cheerio is quite a different creature than our other "babies" so we have more to learn that what we were able to read in the book we bought.  Oddly enough this morning when I was cleaning her cage out she sat with me the whole time even when I had the vacuum on, and I smelled nothing.  You would think the sound of the vac would not only send her scambling but she would let off some of this musky scent out of nervousness, but nothing.......so she is keeping me guessing.  I have not seen a single chew mark on her house, and I am glad for that because she loves it and I would hate to give it up.  I put a small piece of wood on the "floor" of the igloo so she does not lay on the cage-bottom and I did notice this morning that the sides were all chewed.  I was never so happy to see chew marks on wood!!  We give her those alfalfa cubes, usually one or two a week, and she had now just started gnawing on those too.  The pumices are little triangle shaped pieces in different colors.  My daughter said she has seen Cheerio carry one into her igloo, so maybe she just prefers to do her chewing in private!  I will however keep a close eye on the igloo in case she ever decides to make a chewtoy of it. I had a wooden house when I first got her (which is now in 4 pieces and serve as the floor to the igloo) but she was too big for it.  The package said it was a chin  house, but she went in it and not only was she too big but it fell apart!  It had pieces that slid together but they did not secure, so I didn't care for that at all I thought she could get hurt.  I saw one wooden house that was $20 (!!!) but it was too big to get through her upper-level door anyway.  She fits really wel lin the igloo, its enough to shift positions in comfortably.  Hopefully she will realize the value of her igloo and not eat it!!

THANKS AGAIN for your help!  I wish I had done this 2 months ago!!

[Jo Ann]

Hi Chins Grandma,
   
   Welcome to the Chinchilla Club! 

   You're getting all kinds of good advice here!  Most of your questions have been answered so far.

   On the non-chewing ... some just take a little longer to decide it's OK to chew on the things they have ... once they do, it's usually no stopping them after that!

   A chinchilla will have mild odors, none as strong as most animals except for one ... that one you never want to smell ... it is related to giardia ... a parasite that will sometimes take over their system when they are sick or weak.  It is a rotting/spoiled odor.

   Sometimes a chin will have a urine problem ... for this, I use a second bottle with 1/2 and 1/2 water and Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice ... they love it and it works great.     I also use it for my nursing moms.

   Being 'in season' is also an occasional oder you may smell.  It usually lasts for 7 to 10 days every 28 to 34 days.  Most chinchillas are very clean and you will usually see her cleaning her self more often, if not almost constantly, during this time. 

   Blue cloud is a great dust bath dust and the Desenex Powder works wonders.  Please never use a dust bath sand ... it is much to harsh for a chin's fine fur. 

   Often you will see many things that say they are safe for chinchillas that are not ... I would not use the puffy stuff in the tube with your chin.  It is a bedding for small animals like gerbils or Guenna pigs, not chinchillas.  :-[

    We use pine bedding for our chinchillas.   

    Cedar and beddings that have added 'odor-controllers' are not acceptable for chinchillas and can cause them to have a respiratory infection.  Cleaners with added scents to them can have the same effect.  Steam cleaning the cage and/or pan is about the best I know to do.

     Cheerio and your daughter must have bonded more than you realize.  Often a chinchilla will share the emotions of the one/ones they love.  Next time, you might suggest they have a little chat with each other.  Chins are great listeners and will never tell anyone else your secrets.  They will usually try to get your spirits up and by the time you are finished, you've forgotten all your problems (at least for a little while) and are much more relaxed and happier.   

 
Jo Ann

[chinsgrandma]

Hi Jo Ann,
Thanks so much for contributing to my growing list of chin friends here.  I can't tell you how valuable this information is to me.  I did also find the booklet in my email box, and am printing it out to show my daughter.
I did take the bedding out that came with her Chewbular tube but although I went to the pet store this morning to buy aspen shavings as someone else had suggested I came back only with a container of bath dust (I never did use the sand I originally bought.  I stuck my finger in it, hated it, and brought it back to the store.  I was not sure why they would market this type of product for a delicate little animal, but at the time I did not know the difference between sand and dust, so I picked up the wrong thing). 
I am so leery of using any kind of wood after the tragedy of our little guinea pig. I see you recommend pine and to be sure there is no cedar in it - this is what scares me, I guess I don't trust what the bag says when it comes to something that can actually kill her.  I heard a while back from my vet (he's an exotics vet, because I only have exotics) that KayTee had been cited for using materials in their products that were harmful and did not disclose this on the package, and I just never forgot his words to this day.  Apparently they are also a paper manufacturing company and were combining low-quality woods (that were not suitable for paper production) in with their animal bedding products and the consumer was totally unaware.  Gives you a chill - you try to do best for your pets and there is just no way to know these things unless someone tells you.
With the Carefresh bedding even though other materials would be better at least I know its only paper and can't hurt her.  Hopefully in time I will not be quite so cautious as I am right now and will get the pine bedding as I think she would like it more and it would have a fresher scent.
Thank you for the tip on the cranberry juice, I am going to keep that in mind.  I am inclined to think she does not have a urinary problem because the cage itself has no smell, and sometimes if she pees from the top level of her cage some of it will drip onto the plastic under the cage, and I would definitely smell that as there is nothing to soak it up.  The plastic is just a large sheet of heavy vinyl to protect the carpet, but I have found pee spots on it a couple of times.  I am hoping that it is just the nervous scent that someone else had suggested and this will just pass in time.  If she has her period  well, we've all  been there, and we can be totally sympathetic to that!!  My daughter actually had asked me if she would get a period and I said I figured so, since she was not spayed.  The only other female pet we have is one of our rabbits, and she is spayed.
Thank you again so much for the booklet, it just finished printing and I will staple it and leave it on my daughter's desk for her to read later.
Cheerio says thank you too!!!