chinchilla intching

Question
Our three year old chinchilla is acting strange.  She seems to be itching way more than normal, primarily around her head, ears, and her mouth.  Normally, we're able to pet her and she just sits still but today when we tried, she would sniff us a lot, push us away, and then start up itching again.  We did give her a dust bath (with anti fungal powder mixed with the dust) this morning as well as some new hay so I don't know if either of these things may have helped to cause or contributed to the issue.  She is normal in every way other than the extreme sniffing and not letting us pet her.  Do you have any thoughts about what might be causing the itching and what would be signs to clue us in to take her to the vet.  We obviously want to get her help if she needs it.

Answer
Hi there Jason,

I am honestly not sure what this could be. It could be a number of things really. There is not enough information there or showing to tell.

All as I can say is it may be dry skin, when you overdust them their skin becomes very dry. Perhaps try dusting for about a week or so and see if the itching stops.

As for the extreme sniffing...if you have gotten new scented handwash in your house then your chinchilla will smell it as its sweet. Maybe a showergel or if you have just eaten fruit. Anything like that.

I am sorry I wasn't of much help!

Maybe a vet visit is in need if these things continue happening. Make sure to try the no dust for a while.

Mae.