I've had a chinchilla for a year now, and recently I noticed that after she bathes in the sand, her fur gets a bit damp and sticky. I thought the sand was too wet, so I switched brands, but it's still the same. Is that normal or is something wrong?
I have a chinchilla at home and the exact same thing happened to me at first, so don't worry. It's normal for the fur to be a bit dusty after the sand bath, but if it's damp and sticky, the sand probably has more moisture than it should or your chinchilla might be sweating more than normal due to temperature or stress. Make sure the sand is completely dry before putting it in the container, that the room temperature doesn't go over 24°C, and that your chinchilla isn't anxious during the bath; if all that checks out and it's still the same, it might be worth taking him to the vet to rule out any skin problems.
I have one of those little guys at home and went through the exact same thing when I brought him. At first I was worried because his fur looked sticky after every bath, but I looked into it and it turned out that's totally normal. Chinchillas have incredible fur density - like 60 hairs per follicle or something - and when they bathe in sand, all that amount of fur traps particles that can leave a damp and matted feeling if the sand has any residual moisture.
What matters is that the sand is as dry as possible. I keep mine in a sealed jar so it doesn't absorb moisture from the air, and that helps a lot. Still, it's normal for the fur to look a bit dark or compact after the bath while it dries. Leave him in a place without cold air currents and you'll see how in a few hours the fur loosens up and looks fluffy again. If besides being sticky you notice your chinchilla scratching a lot, has dandruff or the smell is strong, then you could check if the sand has mold or if there's a humidity problem in the cage. But if it's just that temporary sticky feeling after the bath, don't worry about it.
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