The main way they keep their fur beautiful and clean is through dust baths.
If you’re not sure what a dust bath is, read this article and come back here after you’re done.
Chinchillas can’t take traditional baths with water, because they have extremely dense fur.
To take a dust bath, they need special formulated dust designed specifically for chinchillas.
If you are a new chinchilla owner, you are probably wondering what the best chinchilla dust is.
Keep reading to find out the best type of dust for chinchillas, along with our top 3 recommendations.
Contents
What Is The Best Dust For Chinchillas?
I have now been raising a chinchilla for the past 5 years and here is what I can tell you on this topic.
Chinchillas must use dust explicitly designed for chinchillas. Blue chinchilla dust is the most common and best dust to use for a chinchilla.
Okay, now that we know that blue dust is the best dust for chinchillas, I’m sure you are wondering what other options you have. Here you go.
Best Chinchilla Dust Compared
The table above will allow you to navigate to Amazon for more specifics on the products, if you are in a hurry.
However, if you have time to spare, I also have a quick break down of my three best-recommended chinchilla dust options below, as well as answers to some frequently asked questions.
3 Best Chinchilla Dust Options Reviewed
Here are brief reviews of my favorite chinchilla dust options. I generally recommend the first one, but you might find one of the other two more to your liking. All three are great, so you can’t go wrong either way.
#1: Lixit Chinchilla Dust
Lixit Chinchilla Dust is what I currently use. And I’m not alone. It’s probably the most commonly used dust among chinchilla owners.
It’s designed explicitly for chinchillas and comes in either 3-pound or 6-pound jugs.
Due to needing to give chinchillas a dust bath several times a week, I’m a believer in just purchasing the 6-pound jugs, but that’s 100% your decision.
It’s 100% natural dust and a trusted brand overall. It is my top recommended pick, thought the next one is almost the same.
#2: Kaytee Chinchilla Dust
I personally like anything that Kaytee offers for my chinchilla and recommend Kaytee products regularly.
This product is almost the exact same as the one above.
The main difference is that this chinchilla dust only is offered in a 2.5lb container, which is why I ranked it just below the Lixit dust.
If you go with this option, I recommend ordering 3 to 4 of them to last you for quite a while, before needing any additional dust for your chinchilla.
Apart from the lack of a larger size, it’s every bit as good as the Lixit.
#3: Petpost Natural Pumice Chinchilla Dust
This Petpost dust has been starting to make more of a name for itself in recent months. When I first adopted my chinchilla, I honestly don’t even remember this being an option.
Regardless, I always want to provide the readers and followers the best information possible. So when a reader brought it to my attention, I tried it. It is another great option for your chinchilla dust.
It is offered in two sizes: 1 pound and 2 pounds. However, the two-pound bag is only slightly more expensive, making it the much better deal.
Even if you get the larger bag, this dust sells for a much higher price than the other two above. That is because it is made from 100% natural pumice, which sets it apart from most other offerings, which use the blue cloud dust.
Many say that pumice is better. My chin seemed to prefer the other two, but if pumice dust really is better for their health (I need to look into this more), I might end up switching.
For now, I rate this one below the others simply because it costs so much more. The other two options above are a better value.
Don’t Forget The Chinchilla Dust Bath House
Unless you want to use a kitchen bowl or some other home remedy, you are also going to need a chinchilla dust house.
I’ve tried using a bowl, and surprisingly, it works decently. The problem is that it causes a mess. I highly recommend ensuring you have a proper chinchilla dust bath house inside which to place the dust.
The enclosed houses trap a lot of dust and debris, making your cleanup that much easier. I have a post on the best chinchilla dust bathhouses that you can see here.
I currently use this chinchilla dust bathhouse:
It’s cheap and probably not the most glamorous option out there, but it gets the job done for me, and I’m okay with that.
You can also refer to my post here about how to give a chinchilla a dust bath correctly.
Can You Reuse Chinchilla Dust?
Yes, you can reuse chinchilla dust. Make sure it’s still quality dust, and those poop droppings are strained from the dust.
It’s recommended to only reuse chinchilla dust 2 to 3 times, before replacing it entirely.
It’s as simple as that. It can be reused, and I do the same. No point in burning through additional dust if you don’t need too.
Can Chinchilla Dust Be Left In The Cage?
Yes, chinchilla dust can be left in the cage but not without supervision. Chinchillas will overuse chinchilla dust left in the cage, causing their fur and skin to dry out.
It may also cause dust to get inside of their food bowls and cause their cage to dirty up much faster than usual. Overall, you can leave chinchilla dust in the cage if necessary, but I do not generally recommend it.
Other Tips For Chinchilla Dust
The only other big critical tip I have for you when it comes to purchasing the correct dust is to ensure you use it. 5 years into owning my chinchilla and her dust bath is still her favorite thing to do.
Not to mention, it helps keep your chinchilla clean and healthy. Outside of my recommendations above and that essential tip, just ensure you have some fun with it.
It’s fun to watch and surely worthy of a quick video to send your family and friends. Also, always remember that a chinchilla is inside of their cage a good majority of the time.
Some time out to roll in the dust is about all it takes for your chinchilla to build a bond and show affection towards you.
Finally, some people purchase chinchilla dust to use for other rodents. This is fine, but you have to be careful with a lot of rodents, like gerbils, for example. Can gerbils use chinchilla dust? No, it is too fine for them. But chinchilla sand is fine for gerbils.
Best Chinchilla Dust: Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, you have no need to consider any other chinchilla dust, apart from the 3 recommended options listed above.
They are what I would consider the big 3 when it comes to the best possible chinchilla dust. Period.
Not many other options even exist, and the ones that do come from unknown brands. These 3 are all from the most trusted brands when it comes to chinchilla accessories.
Ensure you are allowing your chinchilla a dust bath 2 to 3 times per week, and best of luck with your new chinchilla.
What is your favorite chinchilla dust?
Have you used any chinchilla dust not discussed above? Do you have different tips or advice you can share with other readers?
Be sure to share your stories, thoughts, and concerns by dropping a comment below.
As always, Chili and I appreciate you stopping by and reading. We will see you next time. 😊
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