Health
Fur Ring
Fur rings are more commonly seen in younger, less experienced males after breeding. It is always recommended to check your males (both young and old) every so often for these. You may notice the sheath becoming red, inflammed or swollen. If this is the case I would recommend checking for a fur ring.
During mating it is not uncommon for fur to stick to the penis. The male normally removes this before it retracts into the sheath. If he does not it can form a ring around the base of the penis that can cut off the blood supply or prevent it retracting fully.
To check the penis for fur rings you may need the help of another person. Ask them to hold the chin upright with it's back towards them, supporting it fully. With wet fingers gently pull back the foreskin. Make sure your fingers are well lubricated, use either KY jelly or vaseline, do not let the penis dry out at any point during this procedure. Fully extend the penis and remove any fur you might find. Hopefully this should only be a few stray hairs, but in some cases you will find a thick grey band. This will have to be removed with scissors.
Fur ring removal with scissors is something to be done very carefully and gently. Do not force the scissors underneath the fur ring to remove it with one cut. Slowly snip your way through the fur ring removing hair as you go. Make sure you use round pointed baby scissors to avoid stabbing the penis. Care must be taken not to cut into the penis itself, keep the blades at 90º to the body of the penis.
Having removed the fur ring make sure the penis is well lubricated and replace it. Make sure that it does not pop straight back out (prolapse).
If the
penis has become swollen or blackened urgent veterinary attention is required.
The swelling will need to be reduced and antibiotic treatment to prevent infection.
If the penis has become necrotic i.e. due to gangrene then it may need to
be amputated. If the chinchilla is strong and healthy this should not cause
it too much trouble in the future unless you want to use the male to breed,
which for obvious reasons will not be possible.
If the penis has been out for some length of time you may find that the male
has problems keeping it inside due to stretching of the sheath opening. In
this situation the vet may need to insert a purse string suture to hold it
in.
I would recommend using an Elizabethan collar for a few days after wards to
prevent the chinchilla worrying the penis and preventing healing. You vet
may have these in a size to fit your chinchilla, otherwise I import suitable
collars from
If you are unsure how to remove the fur ring or if the chin has damaged itself in any way, contact your vet and have them remove the fur ring and check for/treat any damage.