Mochi's Dusty Ballet

Mochi (another chinchilla) approached her dust bath with the focus of a ballerina preparing for the stage. We would place the bath house in her cage, and she would pause, sniff, then enter with deliberate grace. What followed was a five-minute routine of rolls, flips, and shimmies, each movement designed to coat every inch of her dense fur in the fine volcanic dust. She would emerge, shake off a cloud, and then often hop back in for an encore. Afterwards, she would sit on her highest ledge, fluffy and pristine, grooming any stray hairs with delicate paws. The ritual was daily, predictable, and utterly captivating. The dust bath sits unused now, a relic of a beautiful, dusty ballet.