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Is it safe for a 2 week old gerbil to use a chinchilla sand bath?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
If it is a 2 week old gerbil, than its still a baby. I would say one should not be put in a sand bath until about 6-7 weeks, when they're more mature.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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What can chinchilla be washed in?
A sand or dust bath.
What types of dust do you use for your gerbils bath?
A gerbil dust bath is actually making use of chinchilla dust and sands, available at places like Petsmart and Petco. Pour a couple of inches of the sand into a bowl and place your gerbil in it. The gerbil should run and roll around, kicking up dust, making a mess, but getting clean. The fine dust captures dirt and grease that may be on their fur and leaves their coat shiny and smooth! It keeps their coat clean by removing grease and grub from it. Gerbils should always have a special place for digging in which helps to keep their fur nicely maintained. For a dust bath, use chinchilla bathing sand in a container. They will dig and roll around in it and it will keep their fur clean Please note that this is the only type of bath you should give your gerbils, as water will rinse off natural oils that insulate the gerbil and it could get sick or chill to death!
What is a dust bath?
A gerbil dust bath is actually making use of chinchilla dust and sands, available at places like Petsmart and Petco. Pour a couple of inches of the sand into a bowl and place your gerbil in it. The gerbil should run and roll around, kicking up dust, making a mess, but getting clean. The fine dust captures dirt and grease that may be on their fur and leaves their coat shiny and smooth! It keeps their coat clean by removing grease and grub from it. Gerbils should always have a special place for digging in which helps to keep their fur nicely maintained. For a dust bath, use chinchilla bathing sand in a container. They will dig and roll around in it and it will keep their fur clean Please note that this is the only type of bath you should give your gerbils, as water will rinse off natural oils that insulate the gerbil and it could get sick or chill to death!
How do you clean adult gerbils that smell and look grubby?
My gerbils love a "dust" or sometimes it is referred to as a "sand" bath which keeps their coat in lovely condition by removing grease and grub from it. Gerbils should always have a deep area for digging in (like an aquarium filled with hay / dust free sawdust /some people use peat etc) which helps to keep their fur nicely maintained.For a dust bath, use chinchilla bathing sand in a container, they will dig in it and kick it all over the place and roll around in it. I make sure that mine always have access to a dust bath, if you have a cage like a rotastak or something similar with high walls (as opposed to bars) then putting a layer of sand into the bottom of it of about 1 inch in depth gives them good constant access and stops them being able to kick it straight out of the cage like they would through bars.If you have a barred cage, place a large sweet tin / chinchilla dust bath / large dish filled with chinchilla bathing sand in it. Your gerbs will love it and after a few days it should improve his / her coat dramatically!They're supposed to clean themselves, DO NOT GIVE THEM A BATH. Take them to the vet, they're probably sick if they're not cleaning themselves."Sand-bathWhen you don't have sand as bedding in your gerbil cage, you still have to give your gerbils the possibility to take regularly a sand bath. Mongolian gerbils really love to take a sand bath ones a while. This way they keep their fur clean and fat-free, what is necessary to have a fur that isolates well. Besides, it is also amusing to see how the gerbils roll in the sand during their bath. You can find more about this behaviour at the Behaviour page.As a sand bath you can use for example a dish, tray, and even a fish bowl. You can also screen off a corner of the cage, which you fill with sand.You can leave the sand bath permanently in the cage, but you can also place the sand bath at a particular part of the day in their cage. When you use a permanently sand bath it is bet to place it on a raised platform or on brick, etc. This is best, because this way your gerbil won't foul the sand bath with bedding material. It is also best to use a sand bath with a high rim, so that the gerbils cannot throw out the sand when they dig in your permanent sand bath. Besides sand bathing your gerbil can also use their sand bath as a toilet. My own Mongolian gerbils do this too. That's why you have to renew the sand regularly. A screened off corner and a fish bowl with a curled rim do prevent that the sand will be kicked out and won't be mixed with the bedding material. When you choose for a non-permanent sand bath, you will have to led them bath each day for a while, and the sand can be recycled after sifting the sand, and if it was kept dry. After 3 times of recycling the sand, you will have to renew it.Bird-sand and/or chinchilla-sand is most suitable for using in a sand bath, but you can also use sand that will be used in sandboxes, from sand dunes.Bird-sand, which normally is used as bedding in birdcages, contains little pieces of shells and aniseeds. The aniseeds will mostly be filtered from the sand and eaten by your gerbils. Sometimes they will also eat from the little pieces of shells to provide themselves with some extra calcium. Sometimes people say that bird sand is too coarse for gerbil and can damage the fur and eyes of your gerbils. This is NOT true! Gerbils don't have any problems with bird-sand, unlike for example chinchillas, which have such fine and thin hairs that the pieces of shells can damage their fur. That is why they have made special sand for chinchillas: chinchilla-sand. But as told before, it is NOT harmful for Mongolian gerbils.Chinchilla-sand is made from grind clay, and is available in different texture, from fine to robust. For gerbils is chinchilla-sand also very suitable. This sand has only two disadvantages: it will rise in clouds and make a lot of dust, and it is relatively expensive. A good solution to these problems is to mix chinchilla-sand with bird-sand.Sand for sandboxes, building houses, and from sand dunes are somewhat coarser, which it makes great to use it is a screened off corner or half your gerbil cage. Besides to use for a sand bath, gerbils can use this sand also to dig burrows in. A disadvantage of sand for building houses and from dunes is that you will be not sure if it is clean or polluted. It can contain toxic matter or can be infected with diseases brought in by rodents living in the wild. So be sure it is clean before using this kind of sand! Sand for sandboxes is normally clean, because normally little children have to play in it safely. To be really sure that you purchase clean sandbox sand, you will have to purchase only this sand when it is in a closed plastic bag. You can of course recycle this sand also after sifting it, and again after 3 times recycling, you'll have to renew it."
Can you make my hamster not smell by using chinchilla bath dust?
Giving your hamster a bath in a container of chinchilla sand is fine every couple weeks. This should be done by placing your hammie in a plastic bin or shoe box with about 2-3 inches of chinchilla sand in it. Remember ONLY use chinchilla sand! The DUST will make your little hammie very sick with respritory illnesses. Giving them baths gives them better hair conditions. Getting a potty and litter for your hamster will reduce smell in the cage too.
Where can you get chinchilla sand for your hamsters?
the store
Do gerbils take baths?
yes they take sand baths. you can put a 1inch tray fill it with chinchilla bathing sand and they may roll over in it or not, if they do then they need to take a bath 1-2 times a month.
How often do chinchillas need a dust bath?
Never! In the wild, gerbil take sand baths, it keeps their fur clean and fluffy. But I would not recommend actually giving them a bath. Gerbils are not big fans of water, and could easily drown. I you really want your gerbils to look nice though, buy them bath powder and put it in a container. It's adorable to watch them roll around in it! You could also brush them with an unused toothbrush.
Do hamsters get fleas easily?
probably not that easily. You should buy them Chinchilla dust. It's a sand bath and they wash themselves and never wash them with water because they get cold easily.
Your gerbil hates sand baths what should you do?
some gerbils would rather use it as a toilet make it possible for the gerbil to exit the sand
What is Chinchilla sand?
basically it's sand like substance that you put in a tub and your chinchilla rolls in it. it how it stay dry and stays clean. you don't want to get your chinchilla to wet it can die if it doesn't get dry quick enough.
Can you use chinchilla dust for gerbils?
Yes you can. As long as its not clumpy and there is no wee or poo in the sand it is ok. Best way to do this is after your Chin/s have had their bath is to pour the sand back into its bag or another container using a sieve (sifter) This will stop the poo and hay going back in the sand.
