I thought it might be helpful to some people to show them how to check for a hair ring on a male.  It is important to do this on all male chinchillas at least once a month.  A hair ring can cut of circulation and cause severe health problems.

This picture shows how to hold the chin when you are checking him.  Unfortunately, my husbands hands are in the way! 

I have my one hand around his back under his arms.  The other hand is holding his tail with one finger moving his little leg out of the way.

I'm holding him in a "cradled" position.

This is a picture of a fully extended penis with no hair ring

Here is a picture of a male with a hair ring still on his penis:

Click here to see a video that demonstrates how to extend the penis to check for a hair ring.  In this case, this chin did not have one.  Had he had one, we would have had to remove it.  It is important to make sure that hair does not get stuck to the penis when it is retracting. 

If you get a penis that will not retract, you need to keep it lubricated, with KY jelly 3-4 times a day until it does retract.

Send mail to kmammone@spoiledchins.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Spoiled Chins