Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[furry tank]

hello all!  i've just found your forum after having my chin (his name is tank  ) for about a year now.  he's still kinda skitish but he and i are working on that.  i'm not sure how old he is.  the pet store didn't say and i'm not sure how you can tell.  anyway!  thats my little intro.  i'm currently looking at getting another cage for tank.  i got suckered into a mediocre choice for a cage at the time of picking up tank and i'm not happy with it anymore.  however, i'm an indecisive person and after looking on the internet i am even more confused on what i wanna get than when i started!  can anyone offer any advice on where to look, or what i am looking for?  i know that plastic is bad, it needs to be large, and preferably not have spaces in the floor for him to hurt his feet.  but i can't tell very much about these from online or the boxes at the store.  plus i don't really trust them to tell me the right cage anyway.  any help would be greatly appreciated!!

also, if this is in the wrong discussion spot, i'm sorry!  i wasn't sure if it should go here or in the general chin talk.

[kelly1277]

I see alot of people on this forum recommending martins cages. Dont know if that helps

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Cages come in so many shapes and sizes, and many of us make our own.
It just has to be chin safe,easy to clean, and fit where you want to put it.
Many of the store bought cages contain plastic shelves so you may need to replace them all with pine.
It's nice to have a pull out tray, but none of mine have them.
I keep my eye on the local second hand sites, have seen some awesome parrot type cages that would work well for one or 2 chins.
Get the biggest you can afford.

[jmdebb]

where do you live and how much do you want to spend?

i have access to Pruvue cages.. FIesty Ferret.. bottoms are plastic but can be covered.

FN 142 and 141.. different sizes... bottoms are plastic, but bassquiptment.com carries metal replacement plans and they fit perfect [i have the 142]
martins
quality cages are great
some people find used birdcages and they work out great.

check your local craigslist and maybe you will get lucky on any of these cages.. but anyways, these are just a few of the main cages i always hear and see people using...

best of luck,
jean

[furry tank]

i live in chattanooga, tn.  which is almost to georgia/alabama.  my current cage is about 36" high, 24" deep and wide.  i'm kinda kicking around the idea of combining this cage on top of whatever i buy this time just to give tank a little extra space so its good to know that a lot of you build your own and me trying this out isn't out of left field.  i was hoping to not spend any more than 200.  150 would be preferable.  i'll keep my eye out on craigs list and start browsing these recommended companies.  thank you all so much! 

[furry tank]

another question i've been having looking at some of the awesome cages y'all have built, how are you attaching the shelf to the cage?  i've been lookin and lookin at the pictures and can't seem to see how they are held up.

[chinclub]

Its just a basic screw and a large washer.  Place the washer outside of the cage to catch against the bars.  Hold the wood against the bars and just use an electric screwdriver to screw through the washer..through the bars..and then into the wood.   (Of course you will need two or three screws and washers to hold full shelves.


Also, don't worry about posting in the wrong section.  We don't get caught up in strict rules around here.

[furry tank]

oh wow how simple.  after a lot of looking around, i'm thinking building my own cage may be the way to go.  it doesn't seem nearly as hard as i had imagined, and will cost less than what i could buy a premade cage for.  plus i kinda like to build stuff 

y'all have been so helpful!  thank you!  this forum has really helped tank and i just within the last week.  he used to seem always peeved at me for some reason, but after reading and doing some adjusting on my part he's just as sweet as he can be here lately.  he even got back in his cage twice tonight without a fuss!  he got out unintentionally and i started to worry, but tried to stay calm and he jumped up onto me, onto the floor, and back into his cage both times!  i was so impressed!  he's gotten a treat and a dustbath all pretty close together, he's so happy!

[flynhawaiian]

For the wood shelves I become a little more creative in case that I want to move them.  I build the shelf then make the holes and drill them out.  Then I use threaded inserts in the holes.  This allows for machine threads to be used so taking it and moving it is much easier.  I also get wing nut screws in stainless and washers in stainless.  This works well.

[furry tank]

sorry for so many questions but this might be one of the last ones (for now  )

when i'm constructing my cage, are y'all using a small mesh wire bottom with a pull out tray under it or are the chins able to actually get on the pan?  or is there a better way that i'm not seeing?  i'm trying to figure out how i will be able to slide the pan in and out for cleaning without tank seeing it as play time.

[flynhawaiian]

**Warning use at your own risk, I disclaim all express and implied warranties** 

I am assuming that you have a wire cage cube.  Under the cube, take the same wire and make a carrier not more than a 3" opening.  This way the tray will not be cantilevered and has a nice place to sit.  I would recommend using c clips to attach it.  So basically, if I failed to explain this correctly, you are going to have something like this |_______|

You are going to bend the | at 3" and the ____ length will be the width of the tray.  Once you have manufactured this aspect, I would recommend having bass equipment make you some stainless steel trays.  I believe they are 2.5" tall, this will work well with the 3" gap.  Note, you can adjust the gap.  If you have a concrete step you can bend it on that pretty easy by taking a 2x4 and sitting on it or stand on it while bending.  Make sure to mark off to make sure the bend will be straight.  You can also use a metal brake if you have access to one, this will make for a nice straight bend.  Also, once the tray is done, I would recommend putting down a paper bag (open it up if you have to) and place the shavings down, it will make it much easier to clean.

Furthermore, if you would rather not order the pull out trays if you have access to purchase stainless and you have a spot welder and a metal brake you will be fine.  19 gage stainless should be sufficient.  I believe that bass charges 29.99 to have it made.

Hopefully this has helped.

[jmdebb]

ok being in the states then you will have access to the places i mentioned if you are interested. i just don't know if they ship to other countries.

jean

[furry tank]

thanks for all of your help!  i'm doing some planning and waiting on a paycheck to start rollin on this project 

[Zipfelmuetze]

I don't have a chinchilla, I'm thinking about getting two.  Right now I have to hairless rats who are housed in this wonderful cage:



I found this cage on Ebay for $95.  no shipping/handling costs.  I thought it was a good deal for this 5 level cage.  It is 30'' wide like most other cages, so it doesn't take up much room and just stands, I think it was 55" tall.