Health
Fungal Infection
One of the most common infections to affect chinchillas is simply referred to as fungus. More accurately, it is actually a strain of ring worm that is also found in cats, dogs. I would recommend avoiding animals that are showing symptoms of fungus as it is highly infectious, and very hard to get rid of. It usually first appears as a bald spot around the nose or eyes, and rapidly spreads to the legs or body. it needs to be treated rapidly before it spreads to other animals. Remove the dust bath and discard the dust as this will contain spores that will either re-infect the chin or spread the condition to other animals should you be foolish enough to use one bath for several chins. The condition causes red itchy spots leading to a loss of the chins fur in that area of it's body.
The chin will need to be seen by a vet who will recommend a ringworm treatment suitable for your chin. Spores are very difficult to eradicate and are able to live for quite some time between hosts. The cage and all surfaces near the cage will need to be disinfected before they can be used again. Ask your vet for a suitable pet safe disinfectant.
Fungus infections can be prevented by adding athletes foot powder to the dust used in the chins dust bath. NOTE this only helps to prevent NOT treat fur fungus. Athletes foot is caused by a fungal infection, and the powder used to treat this condition is also useful in preventing fungus in chinchillas. Alternatively, use anti fungal powders such as Tinactin. Put 1 table spoon of the powder in 1 1/2 cups of dust. Also there is an oral medication that is used that is called Griseofluvin, though this has been linked to liver problems in some chinchillas. Also you will need to apply a topical treatment such as Pannalog, Lamasil AT (cream form is best though it is available in a pump/spray form), or Surolan to the affected area. Lamisil is simply the most potent antifungal on the market today. Lamisil is a sophisticated third generation antifungal medication containing an allyamine compound called terbinafine. Unlike most antifungal products, Lamisil with terbinafine actually kills fungus rather than just stopping its growth. The ingredients to look for in an anti fungal powder are clotrimazole, 1% tolnaftate, and miconazole nitrate.
In addition to treating the infected areas with lamisil, wash the chinchilla twice a week using Hibiscrub. This can be purchased from your vet. Hibiscrub contains chlorhexidine gluconate which is effective against the fungal infection. Care must be taken to avoid contact with the chinchillas eyes as it is possible that the hibiscrub will cause irritation leading to eye damage. Should this happen wash the eye immediately. Use sufficient hibiscrub to produce a lather, and ensure the entire coat including the belly fur and tail is covered. Allow this to stand for 10 minutes, then rinse it off. Towel dry the chinchilla, then dry the fur thoroughly with a hair dryer. Your vet may recommend Malaseb® as an alternative to hibiscrub. Essentially it is the same medication, but contains a bactericide that can be helpful if the infection turns out to be bacterial rather than fungal in origin.
Virkon S disinfectant is very effective against fungal infections. I would recommend treating every cage with this disinfectant until the infection is cured, and also every chinchilla to prevent spread of infection.