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[Sillychinchilly]

Pixel's dust is driving me nuts. I love watching her take a bath and all, but there's glitter in it, and now there's glitter all over the bedroom!!! I HATE GLITTER!
My question is: Does all bath dust have glitter? SHOULD it have glitter? O.o

[Abby W.]

Ugh! I know how you feel!  I started out using Blue Sparkle which seems to have some sort of glittery substance in it, but I switched to Blue Cloud and that doesn't seem to have it.  The ritterspach website has it in their online store.  I found that a couple of my chins were getting weepy eyes after dusting, and after several vet visits and eye ointments we decided to change the dust, and we haven't any problems since.  So, while I don't know it's bad for them for a fact, I personally avoid dusts with any kind of sparkles or perfumes.

[Sillychinchilly]

I switched to Blue Cloud and that doesn't seem to have it.

Everyone seems to really like this blue cloud... Hmmm, I don't have too much dust left, so maybe I'll order some.
Thanks![/color]

[Asikovsek]

My Vet told me that any glitter or scented dust was not good for the chins...it can cause urinary problems..the blue cloud dust is the best it doesnt have all the extra non needed stuff in it...

[Sillychinchilly]

it can cause urinary problems

O.O
That's horrible. Don't these manufacturers know that the stuff they're making can cause problems??

[Asikovsek]

a lot of manufactures think that chins can be related to rabbits...but rabbits are a lot more immune to things than chins...

[chinclub]

We use Blue Cloud also and I really like it.  Several times I have used the Kaytee dust from the pet store when we were running low and I didn't notice any glitter.  If you don't want to ship (shipping dust can be very expensive) that might be a good alternative.

[Jo Ann]

  Most manufacturers have no idea what chinchillas (or many other animals for that fact) need and what will, or will not, hurt them or what is, or is not, good for them.     They do not do the research ... if an animal belongs in a certain family, they think it can have anything the rest of that family can have.       

Chinchillas are in the rodent family, look similar to a rabbit crossed with a squirrel, so they "assume" (make three words out of that one "word") think, no, lack of thought on their part, that chinchillas can have anything the others can have.  WRONG!   

Pet grade corn is bad for chinchillas, but is often put in the feed made for chinchillas ... there are even "corn wheels" for your chinchillas ... made especially for them ... NOT!  Not unless you want a sick chin.

"Deluxe" food has all kind of additives and treats added to the pellets ... they are like ice cream ... tastes good, but not good for your chin.      He will eat all the goodies and leave the stuff that is good for him. 

    The word "Deluxe" is a selling point to humans, just as the looks of a product are ... but that does not mean they are good for your chin ... it usually means the oppo$ite.  People buy the food, not the pet$, $o they cater to what they think will appeal to humans ... not animals.

   I have seen "starter kits For Chinchillas" that have a hut made of plastic (plastic is a no-no), the shelves and often the ramps are made of plastic ... chinchillas chew and consume these!  Plastic does not dislove and will often cut the insides of a chin.  It usually has a plastic tray, plastic tubes or bubbles, and the wires are much to big for the safety of a kit or a chin that is young.  They don't know any better ... of if they do ... they think you do not or are to stupid to know ... manufacturers are in it for the $$$$.

   The pet stores are just as bad ... they house the chinchillas the same way as the gerbils, rats and hamsters ... chinchillas need normal air flow ... not restricted air-flow.  The feed them a generic brand of small animal food.  They give them chunks of fresh fruit and veggies.  Their food often contains nuts.       Sometimes I wonder    how the little pet store chins survive long enough to get adopted!

   Any time odor controllers, added scents and foreign objects are added to a chinchilla product when it is not needed ... It is rarely for the good of the chinchilla, but only for the eye-appeal and nose-appeal of the human.  These things can and ususally do mean only trouble for your chinchilla.

I could, and sometimes do, go on and on, but ... I'll rest for now.   

  Jo Ann

[Sillychinchilly]

The pet store I work at has recently changed their *chinchilla care* because of me. I'm in charge of everything Chinchilla, including coming in on the weekends and feeding them when they're closed... all because I went on a rant about the fact that they weren't taking care of them right and "did you want to pay that breeder all that money and just have them die before you can even sell them??" Which is not what I was concerned about, but money seems to be the best way to get to my manager's head. They didn't even know what sex the chins were, and they were in glass houses. UGH. The fact that they were sitting right in front of the air conditioner annoyed me too, among a ton of other things.
Anyway, nobody else at the store handles them or even wants to learn how to... It makes me wonder why these people go into a business like that in the first place... Given a lot of them are teens who's moms and dad's said *GET OFF YOUR BUTT FOR THE SUMMER* but still. 

[Summer]

Has any one seen the the chin food they had at petsmart, Kaytee Chinchilla Diet with Dental Bites    I go there to get my hamster food it's Mazuri.  I was mad when I saw this.      They not only make it for chins but all other samll pets too. The manager tried to tell me that it was healther for the chins teeth and that I just didn't know any better. Well needless to say that I had it out with him right there in the middle of the store.    I will not be going back to that store! I keep trying to write a review but it never shows up.


http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441817418&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302035928&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1181857332561&itemNo=2&In=Small+Pet&N=2047887

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I ship in a 50 pound bag of dust every year, cost more for shipping than dust. But it would still cost me way more from the pet store.
$40.00 for 50 pounds of dust, 58.00 for shipping, but if I had to buy 50 pounds at the pet store it would cost me about 250.00, + tax.
I was getting blue cloud but lost my supplier, and am now using blue sparkle.
I have found that the blue sparkle isn't irritating an eye that was bothered by the Blue cloud.
Different strokes for different chins
The blue sparkle is not quite as dusty either and seems to weigh less, so I get more by volume.
As for how it works both seem to be the same to me, I see no difference in their coats or the way they go made for it.
I would recommend either, and think they are pretty equal.

[Abby W.]

I get my dust from the ritterspach e-store because they will send 14 lbs of blue cloud with free shipping.  So I just order my dust in 14 lb amounts, no shipping...yeah!   

[Asikovsek]

I buy LM (animal farms) Chinchilla Dust It is very light and doesnt have anything in it...and I get it 2 LBS for $1...cant beat that thats 30 LBS for 15 bucks!!

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Here is a pic of the 2 compared.
Isn't the sparkle in most just a touch of silica sand?

And there is very little sparkle in Blue Sparkle compared to stuff like Sunseed.

[Jo Ann]

  Nothing is actually free ... we pay for it one way or the other. 
 
If you notice, buying a 50 pound bag of dust costs just under 40 cents a pound + shipping. 

The 14 pound bag with "free shipping" is costing you a little over $1.16 a pound ... that's almost 3 times the price per pound when compared with the 50 lb bag price.      

The 1.5 pound bag costs 86 cents per pound + shipping.   

You kinda have to find out the cost of shipping to see which is the best deal.

As long as you keep the chin dust in an air-tight container, it never goes bad with time.

If you are going to attend a show, it's best to purchase the dust bath dust from a rancher at the show.  Just contact them ahead of time.  Ralph Shoots is great about bringing us our dust at the shows.

 
Jo Ann