Hair Rings on boys


Hair stuck on chinchilla penis Chinchilla Hair Ring

All male chinchillas get hair rings and will clean themselves to get rid of them.


Rarely you will find one where the chin could not retract his penis. This is a pretty extreme case, I have only had three like this in the last 16 years. This one I found as I had seen the male cleaning himself repeatedly and he may have gotten it off by himself eventually. These can potentially lacerate the penis or cut off the blood supply so if you see them it is a good idea to provide some assistance.

When removing one by yourself, wrap the chin in a towel and cradle him on his back. I cover my fingers in KY jelly and go about extending the penis and removing the ring. As you can see, they can be extended about 1.5 inches.

The chin in the second picture was neither calm nor friendly and bit. It can take up to a half hour to wrangle them, so take your time. It is best if you can have a breeder walk you through how to do it the first time, the things act like they are jointed and can bend 90 degrees. There's nothing like thinking you've broken your chin's manly bits!

*Note: the yellow stuff on the genitals is just tough skin that has been built up from rubbing on shelving.