Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: Sweetnessheart on July 29, 2006, 07:17:44 PM
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How old should a male chinchilla be before checking for hair rings? ::confused::
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I would think from about 6-8 months on, though I tend to be more adamant once they are full grown.
I have only found hairrings in/on good and matured males. Curiouse to see what others find. ::nod::
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6-8 months is what I had heard also, but I just wanted to make sure. I check my boys on the average about once a month. I have only had one male with a really bad hair ring and it was the dickens to get off!
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Ick! I hate doing hair ring checks! Necessary evil though.
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I have one single male prone to them, and loves it when I get rid of it for him.
He gets all excited after it's off, and is great at letting me do it.
Most mine are so used to getting checked, though I have not found very many.
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LOL I'll never forget the first time I had to check for hair rings. LOL I thought my b/f's eye's were going to pop out of his head :o . He thought I was being some kind of chinchilla perv :blush2: rofl It was really funny.
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rofl :D :blush2:
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::silly:: Hi Sweetnessheart!
Good play on words! :blush2: rofl :blush2:
I've been lucky so far ... only two.
My husband cringed and told me to be VERY careful, please. :D
::(:Down:: He has to hold them while I get rid of the ring. ::scaredspeachless::
::wave::
Jo Ann
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I have never heard of the whole hair ring thing when I was given Buddy L I was just told that when he gets depressed he will bite his sac? but I have never seen that but then again I am always playing with him and when I received Snowball she never told me of that either I have heard on the site a mention of hair rings and that they are painful and his thingy will sta out if he has one
Jo Ann you have a pic of what to look for and how to look for it?
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::silly:: One of the articles on hair rings, in the Chinchilla Club Magazine, (on line) even had a short video on it.
:doh: I can't remember who did it, so I looked it up. ::(:Down::
It was Spoiled Chins at: http://www.spoiledchins.net/hairring.htm
Some are very noticeable, while others are not. Your light-fur-colored chins are usually harder to notice. You need good lighting and a magnifying glass. We have a light/magnifying glass combination that clips on the side of the desk and has a movable extention arm. (It's been invaluable at times.)
Some rings are very small and some large ... the size/bulk of the amount of fur involved in making the ring has little to do with the damage it can cause ... it's how tight the ring gets that causes the problem.
The larger the ring, the more noticeable and usually the easier it is to get off.
When the penis gets red and swollen, it is often best to take your chin to the vet and let him/her show you how to remove it the first time.
KY or Neosporin should be used as a lubricate for the penis when trying to remove the ring. And to help put the sheath back over and penis back in where it belongs. Do Not leave it extended and dry.
Please do not use Vaseline (petroleum jelly) it will only make a mess of things and probably cause the problem to return quickly because of the mess it makes of the fur.
It takes two people to do this ... especially if you have to use the scissors ... if you catch it before it gets bad, you can often gently work it off without having to cut it off.
It's best to have on hand: disposable latex gloves, fingernail scissors or medical scissors used to remove sutures, (alcohol to sterilize the scissors, not the chin), Neiosporen (triple antibiotic) to guard against infection and use as a lubricant, and a Band-Aid encase he bites you, if you hurt him.
All this should be in your Chinchilla First Aide Kit.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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I was just told that when he gets depressed he will bite his sac?
That is a new one for me! :D Where did you hear that?
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:) Hi every one,Just checked chinpo for the first time. We had no problems ::silly:: It was kinda funny.
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::silly::Hi Jamie,
Quote from: FluffBall on August 02, 2006, 10:38:39 PM
I was just told that when he gets depressed he will bite his sac?
Quote from: Jamie: That is a new one for me! Where did you hear that?
I haven't heard of it before either ... ???
intrested in knowing where that information came from. ::shrug::
::wave::
Jo Ann[/i]
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Sounds like someone is referring to them giving self pleasure maybe? ;)
They do that you know. :blush2:
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;) one of mine does ::silly::
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Thankx Jo Ann for the info as of the biting his sac if he get depressed the girl that gave him to me told me to keep an eye on it I never heard of an animal doing that either cause you would think that if men even have theirs in their underware wrong they are screaming so why would somthing just mutilate himself in the most painful place possible? but anyway I have never seen him do that and he is very happy and I was talking to my huddy about it and told him that maybe he was pleasuring himself and thought that it was hurting himself anyway I thought it was bizarre too but wasn't sure on it
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::silly::Hi FluffBall,
OK, folks, I came from a different generation ... :blush2: ... y'all can call it selfpleasuring if you want to ... but I've always thought he was cleaning himself, that's what I was told ... they are very clean animals, you know ... which I appreciate ... that way I don't have to fool with fur rings. Below is a picture of a chin that was sent to me by a young lady and I was ask what the chin was doing and I told her "cleaning himself".
The females clean themselves, also.
(We do have a wide variety of ages on this forum.) ::)
::wave::
Jo Ann
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:) Yes that's they do! ::silly::
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I have always been told they were cleaning themselves. Most animals to not "pleasure themselves" for any type of sexual gradification. They mate because their instinct tells them to, not for any kind of "pleasure".
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Yes I would have to say 99% of the time it could be cleaning, but I have seen males that I would have to swear were just enjoying the pure pleasure of it. :blush2:
I've checked many times when I've seen them clean, and have never found anything for them to be trying to clean off.
It's most observed when the gals are in heat with my males.
I could also be reading to much into my chins behavior. :D
Just a dirty old women ::rosesforme::
Ewwww love that smilie
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i was wondering just for the heck of, it if some-one would please post a picture of hair ring. :) If some-one has a picture of Hair-ring. I don't. :(
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::silly::MissKitz,
Sorry, I do not have a picture of a hair/fur ring, Or I would post it. But, if you go to the web site I listed before, they have a picture of it there.
I can't take pictures from someone else's web site and post them either, but it's at: http://www.spoiledchins.net/hairring.htm if you want to see it.
Keep in mind the one that is shown is a rather large hair/fur ring and is a black one. It is harder to see one on a lighter colored chin, especially if it is a small one.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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What would be the first sign that there is a problem??? My boys clean themselves but not excessively...at least not that I have noticed.
Alison
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::silly:: Hi Allison,
Male chins should be checked on a regular basis, but I am assuming you are asking what a chin would do differently when he has a fur ring.
The chin is in pain or at the least uncomfortable, so he would probably be irritable/fussy, or could be very quite and not as active, swelling and redness and the fact that it is out more than it is in usually gives it away.
I've only had two here, so I would be interested in hearing other "signs to look for" when a male has a fur ring.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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Male chins should be checked on a regular basis
Thanks Jo Ann. I just checked the boys and they are A-ok. I checked out the web site showing the hair ring and how to check for it...it helped ALOT!
Gadget and Gizmo were NOT pleased...Gadget gave my daughter (she was holding him while I checked) a nip to tell her to BACK OFF! ::taunt:: Gizzie just wiggled so much that finally we put him in a dish towel to hold him still and sang "rock-a bye- baby" ::nod::. For some reason this calmed him down and he was checked in a flash.
Alison
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::silly::Hi Alison,
It's a good video, but the one thing the video does not show, that I think is important, is using Neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment (they soak into the skin and are a preventive to an infection) to help it slide back in the sheath properly. To many people will check and then not make sure it goes all the way back it ... then the chin gets a fur ring because they did not do it properly. Never use Vaseline or petroleum jelly ... it stays on top of the skin and makes a mess of the fur.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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To many people will check and then not make sure it goes all the way back in ...
That is one thing I made sure of. But I will use neosporin the next time just as a safety measure against infection! Thanks for the tip!
Alison
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I have seen a few hair rings,on the same two chins.
One,Cody, has teeth problems and has problems grooming himself.
The other, Waverly, used to get them when he had a Teddy bear, and would try to mate it. I was just thinking after I checked him last night, he hasn't gotten one sense I took out the Teddy. He kept chewing holes in them so I just left it out.
I have never seen any signs in Cody, but Waverly I would see trying to get it off. He just seemed to be cleaning it all the time, so I'd check and sure enough.
He'd get so happy after he'd almost be licking me like a dog. ;D
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I clearly remember the very first time I do a hair-ring check, my hubby who was then my boyfriend was helping me hold the chin screamed: "Stop shaking, you're gonna break it!" rofl
I don't wait to see signs, it's been a routine for many years- every fortnight after weighing them and mind you, my all-boys group tend to get them often than those with females. :doh: