This seems like a great educational opportunity for chinchilla lovers and potential owners. That idea that a chinchilla will die if it gets wet? It’s a doofy myth. Chewie here is about eight years old and this is probably the fifth or sixth time she has managed to dunk herself over her lifetime.
And before anyone yells at me for “letting this happen,” I would like to point out that I was in that bathroom with her for several flippin’ HOURS of her bouncing around, as happy and agile as can be, only for her to finally mistime a jump and do a looney tunes slide into the water. Much to my momentary alarm and later amusement.
Anyway, she has never suffered any ill effects from her watery encounters; I just dry her off and keep her FAR away from her dust bath, as I assume that would create Problems until she has dried off naturally. So if you let your chinchilla loose in the bathroom with the toilet seat up or the bath drawn, don’t fret! They just jump out again and they dry off like any other mammal. (Yes even the tub; I think I can safely confirm from two incidences that chinchillas know how to swim. But of course don’t leave them ALONE in a room with a bath, better safe than sorry! They can 100% jump out of toilets though, can confirm.)
This has been a myth-debunking PSA with Pikachewbacca. I’m gonna go give her a pretzel stick to console her in her dampness, though she seems quite philosophical and has just finished a refreshing run on her wheel.
