Causes of Chinchillas Hair Loss

It's never a good sign when a chinchilla develops bald patches. In the wild, bald patches could lead to death from exposure to the harsh climate of the Andes Mountains. Chinchillas groom themselves as often as cats, so any sign that they have stopped grooming needs to be seen as a health emergency.

  1. Types

    • There are three main reasons why chinchillas develop hair loss. The first is due to stress and obsessive grooming; they may even go so far as eating their own fur. The second is through injury. The third is ringworm, which is a fungal infection and not a worm.

    Identification

    • No matter what the reason for the chinchilla's baldness is, the animal still needs treatment by a vet. Ringworm needs to be diagnosed with a black light or a microscopic skin scraping and the animal needs to quarantined, as ringworm is highly contagious. The chinchilla usually has red, itchy skin as well. If a fight with another animal or an injury rips away a lot of fur, the chinchilla needs to be checked out for shock or internal injuries. If the chinchilla hasn't been injured and doesn't have ringworm, then it's usually stress.

    Considerations

    • Since chinchillas are a prey species, they instinctively try to hide whatever might make them look sick to a predator. Predators know that sick chinchillas are much easier to catch than healthy ones. Therefore, even if they are sick, they will try to act normal. This is why you need to inspect your chinchilla every day and watch to see what its normal behavior is like. Any deviation from that behavior, such as scratching a lot or getting bald patches, is a sign you may need to call the vet.

    Warning

    • Do not bathe a chinchilla. Their fur cannot handle water well and you may wind up making the chinchilla much worse. Because their fur is so dense, fleas can't get in. When the fur is wet, that gives fleas an opportunity to get to the chinchilla. The best way they can bathe is by rolling in a dust bath. Commercial chinchilla dust is available in most pet stores and online.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Hair loss from injuries can be left alone as the injury itself is treated. The fur will grow back by itself in time. Ringworm needs to be treated with topical powdered shampoos for at least eight weeks. Be sure to wash your hands after each time you touch the sick chinchilla, because you can get ringworm. A stressed chinchilla is a little more tricky to care for. You need to be sure the chinchilla is eating good food, is not grieving for a recently deceased chinchilla friend or isn't just bored. Chinchillas need time to play and interact with people and other chinchillas, although they need to be housed in separate cages.