Respirator/masks?

[Midwest Exotics]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I would assume that chinchilla dust would be slightly harmful to humans in the long run.
I know its not recommened to have any other animals roomed with the chinchillas for that reason. So same would be applied to humans i'd think?

Anyways.....
My question is (to 10+ chinchilla owners) do you use a mask or respirator of some kind while cleaning cages & or dusting your chinchillas?

I have been wearing a mask or respirator lately because i have noticed my throat & nose becoming rather dry if i dont use one. Its rather uncomfortable & im starting to wonder if that could cause long term effects?

[Cinder and Me]

I don't have that many, but when I was at the breeder's house picking up food, he had his cleaner boy in the chin area. He was sweeping and changing cages, and he was wearing one of those little white masks. The ones that look like what doctors use, sort of like a cup with a strap around the head. LOL Not sure if that makes sense...

[Midwest Exotics]

Yeah, we have those, the flat ones, & then a nice respirator Chris had from when he worked at the body shop painting. I'd prefer to wear it, but its so bulky.. Hahahaha Not to mention im SURE the chinchillas are like, 'ehhhh what is she doing?' hehe

[Virginia]

I have 8 right now and when I dust them, I leave the room. But cleaning the cages and room is NOT fun for me, and its becoming more of an issue. So Im thinking Im going to have hubby leave me some of those little paper masks he has for work, and try them. The last time I went in and cleaned the room, I coughed for like two days and when I took a deep breath, my lungs hurt almost..plus the hay dust kills my allergies! I cant win :(

[The Animal Farm]

Actually wearing a mask while dusting or cleaning would be a good idea whether you have allergies or not if you have more than a few chins. Dust does not belong in the lungs, you cough because it's trying to remove an irritant. Coal miners for years suffered with Black Lung until someone wised up that inhaling all that coal dust wasn't good for the lungs. Chin dust isn't the same as coal certainly but still the principle would apply I think.

[Midwest Exotics]

I totally agree. I was just curious how many people dont use them verses people that do. I couldnt imagine not wearning one. Between the fur, their dust, the bedding dust, etc, thats harsh on the old wind pipes! Especially when you have multipule.

[kmc]

Ive never given much thought to wearing a mask before.

I can always swipe some from work. It makes sense though.... the dust gets over EVERYTHING.. why wouldnt it build up in your lungs as well?

Thats a great idea! Thanks for bringing that up! I'll probably start wearing one, it'll save me in the long run.

[SquishyChinchi]

I have 3 air purifiers in the chinchilla room (living room actually) to minimize the dust from the chins.

Before the air purifiers I had to go see a doctor because I would cough nonstop. I would cough and cough until tears come out of my eyes! The doctor gave me an inhaler and some cough medicine but didn't really work.

The coughing miraculously stopped when I got the 3 air purifiers. :) So yeah I would definitely recommend wearing a mask, especially during cleaning or even when you let the chinchillas have their sandbath.

[ChilisMom]

hm...I have never thought of this before...I mean I only have one chin but when you think of it dust isnt good for you even if it is just the household kind so im sure chin dust isnt good for you...Chilli is in my living room...he dusts while we all sit there. lol...Hmm...something to think about i suppose.

[Midwest Exotics]

Yeah, i thought it was a good subject to bring up.

We have a pretty decent ventilation system in there that does suck up a lot of the dust, etc, but there is still a lot floating around in there. I dont have a purifier in our chinchilla room, but we do have one in the living room. Its pretty gross to see what that picks up sometimes. Ewwww & breathing it is even more gross! =0

But we love them too much to give them up because of it. Im just hoping for an outdoor barn one day! =]