calcium) in precisely the right amounts, Because its processed, we know its not dirty, rotten or moldy and that it doesnt contain parasites, Because it doesnt billow, its less likely to get in your chinchillas eyes, and if it does its not as painful, Its safe to ingest, so if your chinchilla eats some, thats not a problem, Corn starch is available from almost any store, You likely already have some corn starch at home, Fine, so picks up oil better than other kinds of sand, Filtered and cleaned before its sold, because its a product for children, Soft, because again, its a product for children. Do Chinchillas Need Bedding in Their Cages? They suck in air, as fans do from behind before blasting the air forward. Hmm My gut feeling is that the body could much more easily process something like starch compared to a rock dust. Ill keep that in mind! As such, we recommend offering your chinchilla longer or slightly more frequent dust baths, and keeping on top of cage cleaning to counteract this fact. Each tiny particle can soak up oil and moisture, and some of the starch will stay in your chinchillas fur, stopping it from getting damp or dirty between baths. Thank you for your reply! One thing I will say is that you dont have to let the chinchilla roll around in the corn starch, you can manually rub it in, which would mean it wouldnt poof up into clouds Thats common practise with any kind of dust if the chinchilla is unable for any reason to roll, and needs help. Its mined from the ground; the first known mine was the Blue Cloud Chinchilla Dust Mine in California which operated since at least the 1950s, but was closed by 2016. If this tumor spreads to other parts of the body, its classified as cancer. And if any sand is breathed in, it can be coughed up again, meaning it wont permanently damage the lungs. Thats a completely separate issue. The mechanism by which particles are bound and internalized and the reason particles are toxic is unclear. The structure of the dust crystals is such that they can hold lots of water or oil, like a tiny sponge. This page has no products for sale and doesnt recommend the same brands that every other guide does. Blue cloud dust is the common name for aluminum silicate dust which is known to damage the lungs. Aragonite sand isnt something Ive seen before, but so long as it doesnt puff up into the air, it should be fine! Again, though, pure silica can cause pulmonary fibrosis. While no studies have been done on silicosis in chinchillas that specifically relate to aluminum silicate, its possible that it would have the same effect. Sepiolite seems safer than silicate dusts. So, check before you buy. Then afterwards, sweep or vacuum to get rid of as much dust as possible. If these effects continue for many years, whether because the dust is continually inhaled or because it cant be coughed up again, it can cause serious health issues like fibrosis. Amorphous silica, being round, stands much less chance of doing so; it can therefore be more easily coughed out. Several things happen when you inhale blue cloud dust. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Put simply, crystalline minerals form in a different way to amorphous ones. The problem isnt the aluminum or the silica; rather, its the inhalation of any fine powder that cant be broken down inside the body. You can spot this irritation if your chinchillas eyes are red and watering. Chinchillas bathe in dust. I will look for your newsletter and sign up. How could so many people be wrong? For years people have thought that rabbits should eat carrots, lettuce and various other fresh veggies. catanzaro solid wood platform bed; best silicone baby bottles; garnier skinactive facial mist The guide below explores what alternatives there are, why blue cloud is so popular even though it may be dangerous, and what you should do if you intend to keep using it. If you do plan on using corn starch, you can change slightly how you bathe your chinchilla to counteract the drawbacks above. We've published an eBook: Chinchilla Care 101. asthma, Chinchillas overheat in them very quickly, Chinchillas can trap their toes in the gaps in the plastic, breaking them, Chinchillas pee frequently, so will get pee in their fur when inside the ball, We can be sure that its of a consistent high quality, We know exactly whats in it and can therefore give our pets the exact nutrients they need (e.g. catanzaro solid wood platform bed; best silicone baby bottles; garnier skinactive facial mist WebIs Chinchilla dust harmful to humans? You may view this either as a positive or a negative. If you have a reaction to blue cloud dust, that doesnt mean youre allergic, it almost certainly means that the dust is physically damaging your lungs and airways. It also doesnt necessarily mean healthy. Practically every owner recommends blue cloud dust, but we believe that blue cloud is dangerous for you and your pet if it isn't used properly. Its repeated exposure like this that the worker in the picture above is wearing a mask to protect against. Practically every single chinchilla owner, even experienced owners and breeders, recommends blue cloud dust. While it is possible to be allergic to silica, this is exceptionally rare. Silicon is one of the elements of the periodic table. It doesnt clean fur quite as well. While stress can't kill a chinchillaat least in the sense of causing an immediate heart attackthis will make your chinchilla very nervous, and all the more likely to try and escape the next time it's let out of its cage. This will largely reduce the amount that you and your chinchilla breathe in. Some sands you can buy have reviews that say theyre dusty, if you find that yours is, just wash it in a bucket of water and it should be fine. Whats interesting is that amorphous silica seems to cause more damage visible during TUNEL staining than crystalline silica! Its also used for cleaning yellow fur in chinchillas. Silicate dusts affect the lungs in the same way as asbestos, and the damage they cause cannot be reversed. Cleaning and tidying is one way to achieve that. This dust isnt like regular dust; it doesnt break down. Thats because it doesnt trigger allergies like rock dusts, so its perfect for people with asthma or lung disease. Tidy up before your chinchilla bathes so that there are fewer things in your room for the dust to get on/in. This isn't a trick question. Considering that you need to dust your chinchilla frequently, and that the residue of the dust remains long after bathing, this is a genuine problem. This may be slightly less convenient for you. Its in the exact same way that we recommend against using blue cloud dust. But crucially, as they dont contain silica, they wont cause silicosis. switching from evenings to mornings. WebIs Chinchilla Dust Harmful to Humans? We know better than our chinchillas and can provide for them better than they can provide for themselves. It will cause breathing difficulties and coughing. Its also a dust that is marketed for chinchilla use and is used extensively in the chinchilla breeding/owning community, with a history of success and chinchilla safety. At the same time, they will prevent the dust from entering your lungs. How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce: Tips for Canning Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe, Executive Coaching: Job Description & Salary, Five Characteristics of a Successful Event Planner, Motivating Salespeople: What Really Works, Persistent coughing that continues after the dust dissipates, Tightness and dryness of the skin (because the dust dries the air, and dries out the skin on contact), Shortness of breath and/or rapid breathing, Worsening of symptoms from related respiratory issues, e.g. Thats why builders and tradesmen who work in environments with lots of silicate dust in the air can stay safe just by wearing a respirator. Its only in the face of repeated exposure that silicosis becomes a real possibility. But markers for cytotoxicity (cell death), plus markers of DNA change, have been found after exposure to amorphous silica too. This one, for example, similarly looked at the effects of amorphous silica. But that mine has since closed. If you do plan on doing this, dont use a surgical mask or a cheap face mask. There are two core issues related to the inhalation of silica dusts. Each tiny particle can soak up oil and moisture, and some of the starch will stay in your chinchillas fur, stopping it from getting damp or dirty between baths. P.P.S. Some owners will swear by one brand, other owners by another, but broadly they all do the same thing with roughly the same level of effectiveness. This is, at least, something you dont have to think about with other dusts. Great site! If there is a difference between amorphous and crystalline silica, it will be due to the difficulty with which they can be expressed from the lungs. Thats exactly what blue cloud does. On the one hand, that means the starch will still be there between baths, stopping the fur getting greasy. The orange-red color of a healthy chinchilla's teeth indicate that it is getting the right amounts of iron and calcium. While it isnt clear what effect aluminum silicate has on chinchillas, we know that silicate dusts can cause silicosis in other rodents, and that the chinchillas respiratory system is just like ours; we therefore recommend steering clear of any dust that could harm your pets health. (I'm the one on the left). These cant absorb dust, but they can pick up small amounts on their surface. Hi all, I hope you can help me out on these two questions that my wife is curious about. If you take a look at this news report on the original Blue Cloud Chinchilla Dust Mine, youll see that the worker packaging the dust is wearing a respirator dust mask. Its that same reasoning that applies to Blue Cloud dust. Cancer begins when DNA in a cell is mutated, and spreads to form a tumor. Quote: Inhalation of crystalline silica is known to cause an inflammatory reaction and chronic exposure leads to lung fibrosis and can progress into the disease, silicosis. They can still damage the lungs if inhaled frequently, but this is less likely. Silicate dust causes: You may experience one, some, or all of these symptoms. The link between amorphous aluminum silicate (blue cloud) and cancer is less clear. They state that: Animal inhalation studies with intentionally manufactured synthetic amorphous silica showed at least partially reversible inflammation, granuloma formation and emphysema, but no progressive fibrosis of the lungs [Ed: which is the core issue that silica dusts cause]. While chinchillas arent reptiles, rodents can use this same kind of sand. What color should a chinchilla's teeth be? Whether thats because of outdated advice or because of Bugs Bunny isnt relevant; what matters is that rabbits do far better on a diet of hay than of vegetables. This causes silicosis. My apologies if I missed it while viewing the site on my phone. All you have to do is wear one when your chinchilla is bathing, and you wont breathe in any of the dust. And general silicosis has been demonstrated in other rodents, too. Pumice is made of amorphous silica just like blue cloud, but it may contain other things besides if it isnt perfectly pure. Chinchilla dust baths can sound like a strange thing to us humans, after all, dont you need shampoo and water in order to get a clean coat? and the borates that the cellulose is treated with are non-toxic to humans. But that doesnt mean its 100% safe. Read the research below, especially the scientific papers linking amorphous silicate dust to serious health issues, and come to your own conclusion. Quote: The increased TUNEL staining in epithelial cells of the amorphous silica-exposed rats supports this suggestion. But pure silica dusts are just as bad, if not worse, than less-processed dusts. It does also have certain advantages, and is completely safe, with no chance of causing silicosis/pulmonary fibrosis. This doesnt provethat amorphous silica can cause cancer, as studies showing this link definitively havent yet been performed, but its an interesting result nonetheless. As such, the only guaranteed-safe options that we can recommend are corn starch or sand. At first it was perfectly healthy, but now it seems to not want to eat its pellets any more. On a microscopic level, crystalline silica is more jagged and rough than amorphous silica, which is round. WebNo. There are reasonably well-known brands that use pumice. It will then stay there until its dusted away, and when its disturbed, youll breathe even more of it in. Cracking open the window an inch isnt enough to fully ventilate a room. When this is caused by silica of some kind, the condition is referred to as silicosis, and its serious. Owners report that its not quite as effective, but it is much safer because it doesnt cause the same damage as crystal/rock dusts when theyre inhaled. There are many such deposits across the United States, however, so blue cloud dust is still available. Would I stick my head in a jar and snort some up? What happens is that when the tiny particles are inhaled, they cause inflammation. The lungs then have reduced capacity and can even get infected. For years people have thought that rabbits should eat carrots, lettuce and various other fresh veggies. So its perfect for people with asthma or lung disease long as it trigger. Though, pure silica can cause pulmonary fibrosis its in the same time they. 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