In the process of raising chinchillas, fungus can be said to be a common disease, but due to its rapid spread, many new poop scrapers always change their color when they smell "fungus". Today, the nanny will show you Come and discover the ins and outs of fungi and how to deal with them.

[Judgement of typical fungi]

The judgment of typical fungi needs to meet the following two points :

1. There is a certain area of ​​completely exposed skin, and the boundary between the exposed area and the unexposed area on the side is clear;

2. The exposed area spreads relatively quickly, and can be seen with the naked eye within two or three days. Noticeable enlargement of the exposed area was seen.

Some other notes:

Dander: Dander is not a criterion for typical fungi. The presence of dandruff does not necessarily mean that there is fungus, and the presence of fungus does not necessarily mean that there is dandruff. There is no necessary connection between the two.

The difference between stress shedding and fungus: Stress shedding can usually be found as a whole bunch of lost hair, and the fungus will basically scatter and float away or be adsorbed on the mat or other places.

The difference between scratched hair loss and fungus: the hair in the scratched area will become sparse, but the skin will not be completely exposed, and there will be no clear boundary with the edges.

The difference between fungi and mites: There is not much difference in the performance of the two, and they can be treated with the same treatment plan.

[Fungal manifestations in different parts]

Fungi can be roughly divided into the following categories according to the location, and the manifestations will also be different:

The first category: nose and fungus around the eyes

Cause of the fungus: chinchillas will burrow everywhere and rub the tip of the nose and face into unclean places;

Fungal manifestations: mainly concentrated on the head and eyes , nose, in front of ears and bus, etc., the spread is rapid in the first few days, and the subsequent spread is slower, and the scope is not too large;

Treatment characteristics: relatively easy to treat, insist on taking medicine for a period of time, 1- Recovery can begin in about 2 weeks.

Category 2: Fungi on the ends of limbs

Cause of fungus: touching unclean things on the feet;

Fungal manifestations: The area is not large, only in The end of the limbs, or the inner part of the upper limb, has a relatively small range and slow diffusion;

Treatment characteristics: It is relatively easy to treat and control, but the hair on the extremities is sparse, so full recovery is a relatively slow process.

Category 3: Fungus at the base of the tail

Fungal cause: the tail rubs urine or dirt on the floor and other places;

Fungal manifestation: tail There is a line or ring of hair at the base that is gone, and the skin is completely exposed. The spread is not obvious, and some even have broken skin;

Treatment characteristics: The treatment cycle is very long, 1-6 months, easy to relapse, and some cats will bite the affected area. If the skin is broken, you need to apply a layer of iodophor or fairy water to the affected area before applying medicine.

Category 4: Fungi on hind legs and abdomen:

Cause of fungus: unknown, may be related to urine staining the abdomen;

Fungal manifestations: main range In the lower and rear areas of the body such as the genitals, abdomen, inner and outer thighs, etc., the spread speed is extremely fast, the exposed area is large, and the symptoms are more serious. In severe cases, the entire legs will be hairless in one or two nights, or the entire abdomen will be hairless;

Treatment features: The treatment effect is obvious, but due to the large area, complete control and improvement require 1- 2 months.

[Key Points of Fungus]

Fungus is just a minor problem, but the treatment cycle is relatively long. The treatment goes through two stages: the first is the control stage, which is to control the continued expansion of the exposed area, which takes 1-2 weeks; the second is the recovery stage, which is when villi starts to grow on the exposed skin, which takes 2-4 weeks. You can stop taking the medicine when the exposed skin begins to grow velvet.

There is no incurable fungus, it just requires the owner to be patient. Fungal treatment time will be relatively long, ranging from 1-2 weeks to 3-6 months. Especially fungi at the base of the tail generally take a longer time to cure. So be mentally prepared for a long period of treatment.

[Treatment Plan]

Apply medicine once a day. You can choose Petanine or Fairy Water. Note that the medicine should be applied to the exposed skin and the hair roots on the edges. Try not to spray the medicine, because the spray cannot control the range and it is not easy to reach the hair roots.

Take a bath with sterilizing bath sand half an hour after applying the medicine. It is recommended to spread the sterilizing sand in a thin layer that can be rolled, and change it after washing. Fontaine bath sand has a relatively good bactericidal effect.

Keep the environment clean and tidy. Clean every day, clean the cracks and corners, and disinfect the cage furniture 1-2 times a week. If possible, reduce humidity as much as possible.

[Other points of note]

The fungus is contagious and can be transmitted to other chinchillas. Therefore, it is best for chinchillas with fungus to live alone, with separate cleaning tools and bathtubs.