Chinchillas Ears

Question
I noticed that the back of my chinchilla's ears look very dry.  I compared them against my roommate's chinchilla's ears, and there is a marked difference.  Not only do his ears look dry, but it appears the light grey skin on his ears is peeling or chafing and it is completely missing in some places...it is just bare pink.  He doesn't appear to be in any pain, and I am planning on taking him to the vet ASAP, but as a working college student, I'm trying to get an idea of what is wrong so I can know what to expect to pay at the vet's office.

Answer
Hello Kari, I remember when I first got my chinchillas and they had minor things happen to them, that turned out to be nothing but I too took them to the vet. For just an average chinchilla check-up you are looking to pay anywhere from $60-$100. About the dry, chafed ears, what type of chinchilla dust are you letting them bathe in? I at first used the types that came with their bathhouse, but later I realized they would have chunks of rock in their hair and their fur looked dried out. Before you take your chinchilla to the vet first try a different type of dust, such as Kaytee or Sunseed, make sure that their diet is on tract and if it still keeps up see a vet ASAP.
Hope that I helped!!!

Brandy