How To Get Paint Off A Chinchilla? (4 Safe Methods)

What do you people do to your poor pet?

Just kidding. I know accidents happen and there are a whole bunch of ways paint can get on your chinchilla.

But still. I get asked this question far more that I probably should.

It seems there are a lot of people with painted chins.

If you’re one of them, we’ve got you covered.

Keep reading to learn how to get paint off your chinchilla. We’ll give you several different methods and suggest you try them in the order presented.

 

What To Do If You Get Paint On Your Chinchilla

If you have accidentally gotten paint on your chinchilla, it might be tempting to use a standard paint remover like turpentine.

That is not a good idea.

Harsh solvents could irritate your chin’s skin and could even be toxic, if your pet ingests them. Here are several safe methods to remove paint from your chinchilla.

Start with the first one. If it does not work, move on to the second, then the third, and so on.

 

Method 1: Brush Or Wipe Off The Paint

In many cases, you can simply wipe the paint off with a damp cloth, or brush it out of the fur with a regular pet brush or comb.

Materials Needed

• A small pet comb or brush
• A premoistened tissue or a damp cloth (not soaking wet)

What To Do

• Examine your pet’s body carefully. Observe if the paint is present in between its paws and on its belly. Try and determine if it has reached the skin underneath your chinchilla’s soft fur.
• You can use a pet comb or brush to part the hair gently.

• If the paint is not dry, gently wipe it off with a damp cloth or a tissue. Also, wipe its paws gently with the tissue.
• If the paint seems dry and about to fall off, brush it out with a pet comb or brush. Run the brush gently through your chinchilla’s coat.

Tips

• Be gentle when you groom your chin.
• It is best to be proactive. The sooner you take the steps to remove the paint, the easier it will be to get it all off.
• Make sure the damp cloth is only just moistened and not soaking wet. It is better if chinchilla fur does not get wet.

 

Method 2: Trim The Painted Fur

If the paint is only present on a small part of the chinchilla’s topcoat, you can trim off the tips. If you decide to do so, make sure to use rounded scissors for the job, so you don’t accidentally nick your pet’s skin.

Do not do this if the paint has seeped deep into the fur. You would need to remove too much. Can you shave a chinchilla? Sure, but it should be a last resort only.

Materials Needed

• Pet-safe rounded trimming scissors or an electric shaver
• Comb

What To Do

• Trim or clip the painted hair while gently pulling the fur away from your pet’s body with the help of a comb.

• When trimming the fur on your chinchilla’s face, be extra careful to not hurt its eyes and mouth.

Tips

• If you’re unsure how to trim your chin, please take it to a professional groomer or the vet.

 

Method 3: Give Your Chinchilla A Dust Bath

If the paint has reached deeper areas of the coat, then might want to try bathing your little pet. But we are not talking about washing it with water. You need to wash it with dust.

Dust baths do a great job of removing unwanted debris and oils from a chinchilla’s fur and skin.

You can get high-quality commercial dust specially made for chinchillas at pet stores and also on some retail sites. This closely mimics the dust found in their natural habitats.

Materials Needed

• A plastic, wood, or ceramic bowl or a dust bathhouse
• Chinchilla dust (100% volcanic mountain pumice, dust-free)

What To Do

• Place the bowl/bathhouse filled with bath sand in a safe room outside your pet’s cage, preferably at dusk when chinchillas are most active.
• Let your pet out into the room with the dust bath.

• Your pet will flop, flip, and roll around, and that should get out most, if not all, of the paint. The dust will also dry the paint faster so it will fall off easily.
• Let your chin play around in the bowl for 5 minutes or so.
• Return your pet to the cage after it is done.

Tips

• Do not let your Chinchilla take too many or prolonged dust baths, because the dust can be extremely drying for their skin.
• Never bathe your chinchillas with water, since their dense fur can take forever to dry. If the thick fur remains wet for prolonged periods, there is a risk of fungal skin infections.
• Two or three-weekly dust baths are great for chinchillas to keep clean.

 

Method 4: Use Petroleum Jelly Or Oil

For removing dried paint from a Chinchilla’s fur, you might need something stronger, like petroleum jelly, butter, cooking oil, or mineral oil. These can make paint removal easier and painless.

Materials needed

• Petroleum jelly/mineral oil/cooking oil/butter
• Cotton balls
• Cornstarch
• Comb or brush

What To Do

• Use cotton balls to apply the oil/jelly/butter over the paint. Allow the oil to soak through the paint and soften and melt it.
• After a few hours, sprinkle cornstarch powder on your pet’s coat. This will absorb the liquefied paint and excess oil.
• You can now comb the fur to remove the dried paint from it.

Tips

• Do not use this method for removing paint from your chinchilla’s face.

 

Method 5: Take Your Pet To The Vet

If none of the above methods not work, it is best to take your pet to the vet.

What To Do

• You want to be ready with information such as what kind of paint got on your chinchilla’s fur, and how long ago it got there. This will help your vet take the right action.
• In the meantime, you may also want to make sure that your pet does not lick or ingest the paint. Protect your chinchilla by wrapping it up in a towel.

 

How To Get Paint Off A Chinchilla: Related Questions

Here are some common questions related to the topic at hand. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment below.

 

Is acrylic paint toxic to chinchillas?

Generally, acrylic paint is not toxic to chinchillas. However, the paint could contain lead or other toxic ingredients.

If a chinchilla happens to lick and ingest too much of the paint, it could be fatal. Chinchillas do not have the ability to throw up, so it is very important not to let your pet ingest the paint.

 

What do I do if my chinchilla licks toxic paint?

Please take your chinchilla to the vet right away or call the USA/Canada Pet Poison Helpline number, if you are in either of those countries:  855-764-7661.

 

How do you remove paint off a chinchilla’s paws?

If your chinchilla accidentally walked over paint, quickly wipe off its paws with a damp cloth. If the paint is dried, you may want to soften it with cooking oil or butter and then wipe it off with a paper towel.

For stubborn paint, you could use pet shampoo diluted with water to gently wash your chin’s paws. If you get your pet’s fur wet, this article will teach you how to dry chinchilla fur.

 

Getting Paint Off Your Chinchilla: Final Thoughts

Getting paint on a chinchilla seems to be far more common that I thought. Luckily, you can generally remove the paint without too much trouble, if you act quickly.

And if it is not a crazy amount of paint. If your chin falls into a paint bucket and is covered head to toe, I doubt any of the above methods would work.

You need to get your chinchilla to a vet as soon as possible. You should also get it to a vet if you’ve tried all of the other methods given above and none have been effective at removing the paint from your chin.