Chinchilla Dust Bath : A chinchilla dust bath is one of the things a chinchilla loves to do and they seem to have a lot of fun with it also. To take a dust bath is just part of the natural behavior of a chinchilla. In a chinchilla’s natural habitat, they bathe in volcanic ash, and there’s no other way for them to keep clean other than that. A dust bath taken regularly is necessary to keep your chinchilla’s luxurious coat as smooth, clean and healthy as possible.Now if you’re new to chinchilla care & just getting started, you simply need to know that you should never bath your chinchilla in water. Water is going to remove natural oils that protect your chinchilla’s skin, which also helps them to regulate their body temperature. You can buy special dust bath made just for bathing your chinchilla. Some are made to make the chinchilla feel they are in their own natural habitat. You can get vanilla scented, but scented are not recommended because of the oil they add to your pet, but some people prefer the scented to unscented. If you get regular sand or powder, it may not be as good as special dust made just for the chinchilla to penetrate their coat down to their skin.Get some kind of a deep dish or sturdy tip-resistant bowl, and pour the chinchilla dust into it. You can also get a chinchilla bath house which is made especially for a chinchilla dust bath. If the bowl you're using doesn't fit in your chinchilla's cage, then put it in an area covered with newspaper or use an enclosed container similar to a fish bowl so the dust won’t go flying all over the place. It’s better not to leave the dust bath inside a chinchilla’s cage on a consistent basis as they can get in the habit of bathing a little too much. This will dry out the chinchilla’s skin and can also cause infection or inflammation of your chinchilla’s eyelids or eyes. Dust can be used a couple time in a row, but you should clean out any waste left behind from your chin (we use a netted strainer) and you should throw out the old dust when it’s looking clumpy or dirty and replace it with fresh new dust. Give your chinchilla a bath about two to three times a week. They love bathing in the evening because that’s when they’re most active. However, feel it out – if your chinchilla ever starts looking too oily or damp, then you should increase the frequency of dust baths to several times a week. This may be more the case if you live in a climate with very humid weather. A drier climate requires fewer dust baths for your chinchilla. Give your chinchilla about 10 – 15 minutes to bath. And remember, if your chinchilla’s skin ever starts looking flaky, dry or itchy, you should cut down on the bathing time and maybe also the frequency.It can be a fun experience to watch your chinchilla enjoying and rolling all over in their dust bath. They just look so adorable with their unique natural behavior. Glass containers (we use a 10 gallon aquarium) are the best to watch your chinchilla enjoy their bath.