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[olivia41]

hi guys! sorry its been awhile, everything has been going well. liv and indy are getting along very well and are happy to have each other. one question though...my boyfriend and i put together a nice new cage for them with chicken wire around it and lots of levels and everything. they were used to their old cage but they seemed to like the new cage when we put them in last night and today. however, it seems like everytime i go to let them out of the cage they dont seem to be too eager to come out and when they do come out they just sit and sleep. any explanations?

[Jenova]

Is the cage much bigger? Maybe they're getting lots of excersise in there.

[olivia41]

it is very big there's lots of shelves and a wheel so theyre running alot i suppose?

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Chicken wire is not a good choice for making cages, they can and will get their heads stuck in those large octagon shaped holes. I have seen it happen, so please do not leave them in that cage unattended.
 

They just don't want to leave a big cage and go back into a smaller one. Most really don't want to go back in their cages after their run either.

[Jo Ann]

   I agree with Debbie ... chicken wire just does not get it for chinchillas.

As Debbie said ...

they can and will get their heads stuck in those large octagon shaped holes

And ... if you have noticed them when they run and play, they will often bound off the side of walls ... they tend to do this inside their cage also.  With chicken wire, a foot or leg could be easily go through, get hung,  and/or broken, possibly leaving your little one hanging upside down.  Most will go into shock and die when this happens.  This is another reason we stress using 1/2" x 1/2" and/or 1/2" x 1" wire when building cages.

   Jo Ann

[olivia41]

the chicken wire is only on the outside of the cage, the cage itself was an old dog crate that we used and the spaces were too large so we found wire to put around to make sure the spaces were small so they would not try to get out. i suppose i used the wrong word i guess its not chicken wire because the spaces are very small. don't worry we're learning more and more everyday! we know how to care for them

[Jo Ann]

   We're all learning ... that's a big part of what this forum is all about.  No matter how many years you have chinchillas, or how much you study, it always seems like the more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn.   

   Jo Ann