This one, for example, similarly looked at the effects of amorphous silica. But that mine has since closed. Hi all, I hope you can help me out on these two questions that my wife is curious about. However, the result suggests a mechanistic difference between FcRIIA receptor-mediated and non-opsonized silica particle phagocytosis. Chinchillas bathe in dust. Further study is needed to claim that its perfectly safe. Webis chinchilla dust harmful to humans. That doesnt happen with sand. If there is a difference between amorphous and crystalline silica, it will be due to the difficulty with which they can be expressed from the lungs. Until recently, it wasnt even thought to be possible. Make sure any bag you buy doesnt contain unusual additives; you want pure sepiolite. Theyre used on building sites to prevent silicosis. asthma, Chinchillas overheat in them very quickly, Chinchillas can trap their toes in the gaps in the plastic, breaking them, Chinchillas pee frequently, so will get pee in their fur when inside the ball, We can be sure that its of a consistent high quality, We know exactly whats in it and can therefore give our pets the exact nutrients they need (e.g. It doesnt clean fur quite as well. Blue cloud is commonly marketed as 100% natural, which is true. When a chinchilla rolls around in it, the dust billows up into the air. The list below breaks them down into simple English, which scientific studies often dont! Amorphous silica has been considered to be a less toxic form, but this view is controversial. There are lots of different kinds of silicon-based dusts that are known to cause problems in the lungs. But experienced owners call these death balls because: Here, experienced owners can see that just because something is popular, and just because a popular brand manufactures and sells something, that doesnt mean its suitable for chinchillas/chinchilla owners. You can use a shallow dish or tray filled with chinchilla dust, or you can buy a special dust bath container made for chinchillas. But amorphous silica, being round, is more easily gotten rid of. It wont billow up when your chinchilla bathes in it, so it cant be breathed in. Thats great. Theres a reason for that. And instead of fifteen minute baths, consider half an hour. Thats exactly what blue cloud does. WebIs Chinchilla dust harmful to humans? But that mine has since closed. We know better than our chinchillas and can provide for them better than they can provide for themselves. Furthermore, sand is less likely to get in your chinchillas eye and cause irritation. But not everything we think we know about chinchilla dust is true. There are many such deposits across the United States, however, so blue cloud dust is still available. They're the best by far. We know better than our chinchillas and can provide for them better than they can provide for themselves. But markers for cytotoxicity (cell death), plus markers of DNA change, have been found after exposure to amorphous silica too. But crucially, as they dont contain silica, they wont cause silicosis. Alternatively, get somebody to help. Aluminum silicate is commonly used as a dry and absorbent material, for example in cat litter. Thats really interesting, Ill have to do some more research on corn starch too then! This doesnt provethat amorphous silica can cause cancer, as studies showing this link definitively havent yet been performed, but its an interesting result nonetheless. Think you know everything there is to know about chinchillas? We recommend slightly more frequent, longer dust baths if youre using corn starch. So, sand it will be for our chillas! This effect was shown by scientists working with mouse cells, which means the same likely applies to our cells. Thats because it doesnt trigger allergies like rock dusts, so its perfect for people with asthma or lung disease. It was long thought that amorphous silica cant be dangerous because of its shape. What color should a chinchilla's teeth be? The problem isnt the aluminum or the silica; rather, its the inhalation of any fine powder that cant be broken down inside the body. Its that same reasoning that applies to Blue Cloud dust. About 80,000 This paper from 2011 aimed to prove that we underestimate the risks of amorphous silica, and that products which contain it should be changed. 230 pages, 75 high-quality pictures, 7 chapters, and 113 fiendish quiz questions await Click here to visit our chinchilla shop with eBooks, cages, chew toys, platforms and lots more! White teeth indicate that it isn't getting enough, while black teeth would be the result of rotting. By far the most common kind of dust used for bathing chinchillas is blue cloud (often stylized as Blue Cloud). In plain English, this means that both amorphous silica and crystalline silica cause the same problems, even if they cause those problems in a different way that we dont quite understand. While it remains in the lungs, however, it seems that the two kinds of silica do the same damage. It can be found in pet stores or, alternatively, hardware/DIY stores. The condition takes years of repeated exposure to reach this stage, so its highly unlikely that your health has been severely affected if youre a new chinchilla owner. This will get rid of much of the dust. As mentioned above, the jagged and sharp nature of crystalline silica allows it to catch and stick onto the walls of the lungs. Easily the best way to avoid breathing in dust is to wear a respirator. how to unfold a neon vector scooter; replica sailing day smells like ChillDust settles faster than other chinchilla-marketed dusts and is only classified as a nuisance dust by OSHA. ChillDusts manufacturer, Hess Pumice, has a plethora of helpful product information available on their website, including human safety analysis information. As such, weve made some recommendations below that should mitigate some of the risks associated with its use. Lets begin with what we know. While we dont recommend it, we do recognize that blue cloud dust is easily the most popular among chinchilla owners. There will always be owners who swear by it and have never reported a problem, so will continue using it. Then, when youre done dusting, open the windows to allow a through draft in. It will then stay there until its dusted away, and when its disturbed, youll breathe even more of it in. This means the body cant get rid of the dust specks easily. Blue cloud dust is the common name for aluminum silicate dust which is known to damage the lungs. Many common chinchilla dust brands are made of pumice powder, and its seen as a viable alternative to blue cloud. Kaytee, a popular brand among chinchilla owners, make exercise balls supposedly suitable for chins. Here are the most common types used: The finer the dust, the better it cleans. We recommend childrens play sand, as this sand is: Even generic play sand is typically fine. and the borates that the cellulose is treated with are non-toxic to humans. Cancer is primarily associated with crystalline silica, and no studies have, as of yet, proven a definitive link between amorphous silica and cancer. No idea if they were supplementing with blue cloud or cornstarch, so we will see how well it works! Cancer is primarily associated with crystalline silica, and no studies have, as of yet, proven a definitive link between amorphous silica and cancer. This is therefore one of many ways of assessing how something damages a cell. Authors note: When I started writing this guide, Id planned it to be short and simple. If this tumor spreads to other parts of the body, its classified as cancer. Whats interesting is that amorphous silica seems to cause more damage visible during TUNEL staining than crystalline silica! On the one hand, that means the starch will still be there between baths, stopping the fur getting greasy. Its easy to break down, and its mined in great quantities, so its available almost anywhere. WebIs Chinchilla Dust Harmful to Humans? Because of the frequency of dust baths required, and because the dust is so easy to breathe in and settles around the room, these are real risks. However, silicon-based dusts are known to be dangerous to inhale. Sand could still get into your chinchillas eye, but its big eyelashes should stop that happening. Blue cloud dust is made from something called rhyolite. In some of the forum discussions I found, it sounded like there were several chinchilla owners who were using it with success. Thats why owners report that when they use sand, their chinchillas fur is still greasy afterwards. Chinchillas. There are lots of different brands of chinchilla dust available; while most generic dusts are the same, some are made from different materials with graded levels of coarseness. Then, when youre done dusting, open the windows to allow a through draft in. Thats because we believe that chinchilla dusts may be dangerous to use. Damaging the DNA in cells is how substances cause cancer. They do go on to say, though, that one study disclosed four cases with silicosis among subjects exposed to apparently non-contaminated amorphous silica. The kinds of dust that chinchillas like are fine, but are also exceedingly dry and absorbent. The guide below explores what alternatives there are, why blue cloud is so popular even though it may be dangerous, and what you should do if you intend to keep using it. It can therefore result in the same sudden flare-ups as crystalline silica, but without the same long-term effects. This powder, whatever it is, scratches and scars the lungs. There are lots of different elements that can be crushed into a powder found in rocks and clay. We will be avoiding blue cloud dust going forward. If it makes things easier, consider changing the schedule by which you bathe your pet, e.g. The key selling point of using corn starch is that it cleans fur in the exact same way as regular chinchilla dust does. We also dont know exactly where the various brands of blue cloud dust get their dusts from. Thank you again for your guidance! Whether thats because of outdated advice or because of Bugs Bunny isnt relevant; what matters is that rabbits do far better on a diet of hay than of vegetables. We do have a newsletter, and there should be a form you can find at the top of this page. These clean a chinchillas fur in the same way as blue cloudin some cases not quite so well, but not to the point that your chinchilla would be greasy after it bathed. But its the fineness of this dust thats also its biggest drawback. On the one hand, that means the starch will still be there between baths, stopping the fur getting greasy. This rhyolite is then processed to get rid of anything that isnt aluminum silicate. But the more I read and researched this topic, I felt that there was more to the story than just which brand is best. calcium) in precisely the right amounts, Because its processed, we know its not dirty, rotten or moldy and that it doesnt contain parasites, Because it doesnt billow, its less likely to get in your chinchillas eyes, and if it does its not as painful, Its safe to ingest, so if your chinchilla eats some, thats not a problem, Corn starch is available from almost any store, You likely already have some corn starch at home, Fine, so picks up oil better than other kinds of sand, Filtered and cleaned before its sold, because its a product for children, Soft, because again, its a product for children. Thats why builders and tradesmen who work in environments with lots of silicate dust in the air can stay safe just by wearing a respirator. Webcrocs kadee flat size 9 / essential streetwear pieces / is chinchilla dust harmful to humans. 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is chinchilla dust harmful to humans