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[Genet]

Hi everyone!

I'm Valerie, a Social Work major. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, then moved to Michigan a couple of years ago.

I am a first-time chinchilla mom. My chinnie's name is Pichu, and yes, it's a pun after the pokemon (not to be confused with Pikachu) and the two geographical features in the Andes with that word in the name, Machu Picchu and Picchu Picchu. One of my friends rambled to me that I should never use puns for my pets, and maybe I shouldn't, but I doubt my chinchilla minds

I'm glad to have a chinchilla. I've actually wanted one since the 4th grade when a peer brought one in, haha.

Anyway, I am facing some issues. Pichu and his supplies were given to me by a friend... and from what I can tell, she bought all of the wrong stuff. The only thing that seems appropriate is the size of the cage.

I have a lot of questions. Please help me!

- CAGE: It looks to be 5 feet high by 4 feet wide. There's three levels. The frames are made of wood (no chew marks) and the top/floors/walls consist of wire mesh. There's a tray below the bottom level for collecting waste. There's also some very small platforms for him to perch on, but he only uses the one on the top level.

Question 1: To my knowledge, Pichu has never been injured by the wire mesh floors. But to be on the safe side, what do you suggest for a light, inexpensive material to put over the floors?

Question 2: To keep him cool and help prevent injuries to his feet, I put some ceramic tiles over the wire mesh of the top level. Is this effective/safe or dangerous?

Question 3: I know chinchillas are agile. Also, Pichu is always on the top level of his cage unless he is frightened (he doesn't trust me yet), so the middle and bottom are basically unused. That said, should I remove the middle floor so he has space to jump and climb? (I considered constructing a new level that has a lot more vertical space, but I'd rather not for my own sake. I'm only 5'2", so the cage is really tall for me already.)

Question 4: I want the cage to replicate natural habitat. Could I use safe woods and rocks? Also feel free to suggest other natural materials.

-TOYS: A hanging toy with wooden cubes and a bell, but I've never seen Pichu use it. He also has something that I...uh... have no idea what it's for. It's a ball that's split in half with prongs to connect the sides.

Question 5: What toys do you suggest? Pichu seems really bored with his stuff...

Question 6: I know it's essential for a chinchilla to have an exercise wheel, but previous owner never got him one. So on the day I got Pichu, I bought a plastic Flying Saucer... and returned it due to Pichu chewing on it (this could have been because he had run out of chew sticks, I don't know). What kind of wheel is good and would he ultimately be safe with a plastic one?

- BEDDING: A plastic house. He also has red cedar shavings, which I read is toxic for pets because of the phenols.

Question 7: What do you suggest for a house? I don't like the plastic house; it worries me because of the chew marks.

Question 8: What kind of bedding should he have? I'd like to avoid Carefresh/related bedding because it's expensive. Could I use old newspaper ripped up into pieces? Or if wood shavings are better, what kinds are safe?

- FOOD: Timothy hay, Nutriphase pellets, and treats (dried papayas, raisins, rosehip buds). I think these are enough for a well-balanced diet, am I right?

Sorry for the flood of questions! Like I said, I'm brand new to having a chinchilla.

Thanks in advance

[kelly1277]

Hello and welcome! Congrats on your chin!
Q1- maybe try laying fleece on the bottom. I made fleece liners that fit in on the bottom of mine.
Q2- I have gathered from the forum they say to use marble tile but I will leave that up to someone else for a better answer
Q3- Maybe post a pic of your cage so we can see how it is set up.
Q4- I know untreated pine for wood is good. I am sure other people will give you more options. Not sure on the rocks I am sure someone else will answer that one.
Q5- Post a picture of the ball thing (there has been posts on the forum about these hay ball things that are dangerous) I have heard the chinchillas get bored easily so he might not be playing with that thing with the bell anymore cause its old news to him. Some of the people on the forum sell toys on a website. Once you get more toys try switching out which ones are in the cage. (sorry I know I really didnt answer your question)
Q6- No plastic its dangerous for them. They have a metal flying saucer. If you browse through I know there has been posts on what wheels to get. My chins do not like the wheels in their cage. They use it maybe once every two weeks but they do get to run in the bathroom everyday!
Q7- They sell wood ones in the pet store or you could make one with untreated pine. Yeah you dont want him chewing on the plastic.
Q8- I personally like pine shavings. I dont know about the newspaper but I wouldnt. I dont blame you for staying away from carefresh...it is pretty expensive. I
Food Q- I dont know about the nutriphase but alot of people on here recomment mazuri, tradition. I know there is more I just cant remember someone else will fill in the rest. Timothy hay is great and so are the treats you named as long as you dont feed them to many treats. My chins also love plain cheerios so maybe you can try them too.

[kelly1277]

Sorry I couldnt help with everything I am also a new chinchilla owner so I am still learning myself. Once again congrats on your new addition!!!!!

[Blondy40]

Congrats on your new chinchilla!!!! I am sure that you will get lots of wonderful advice here at this forum....I do have a few things to interject...DEFINITELY GET RID of the CEDAR shavings!!! VERY VERY VERY bad for their breathing and can give them severe respiratory problems which will ultimately lead to death!  pine bedding or aspen is really inexpensive (i buy in bulk from Walmart..pine bedding and it lasts a good long time....like $7.50 for a HUGE bag.  I would guess that Pichu needs some time to get use to his new home and his new Mommy and then he will probably be more apt to use every level of his home...he probably feels safest right now on top. My females cage is wires but I buy mats etc to cover them not completely but enough that they are not consistently standing on those grids....I am sure Jean will be on here...but she has a store that i LOVE!!!...tjschinchillasupplies.com...check it out! I use marble also..."a chin-chiller" is great..I place them in the fridge for a while and they love it!! Mine are so spoiled and have lots of treats and toys...going to Jean's store will give you TONS of idea for your new baby!

[Genet]

My females cage is wires but I buy mats etc to cover them not completely but enough that they are not consistently standing on those grids

What kind of mats and where can I buy them?

[RollinEK]

First of all, welcome to Chinclub.

As far as a mat for the floor, you can just buy fleece from a fabric store and line the bottom with it. I use kiln dried pine for my bedding, its really cheap. The cheapest place will be at a feed store. As far as a house for him/her, you can buy a little click-together pine house from Petsmart if you want it now. I do most of my business through www.lonestarchinchilla.com/ they are awesome. For the wheel, a metal flying saucer or a chinspin seem to be the best. I have a chinspin from www.qualitycage.com. They are pricey, but chins love them and they are basically silent. As far as rocks, they really wouldnt mess with them much. So i would think as long as they arent small enough to eat, it will be ok. As far as the branches, I would recommend using apple branches.

As far as your food, this is important.. Nutriphase isnt very good. There are a bunch of places that sell good brands, Mazuri, Nutrena ( i use Nutrena ), there are lots more. Normally, you can buy them for about a dollar per lb. Which is cheaper than your Nutriphase.

Most of all, enjoy your new friend

[Hoppinchins]

Welcome to the forum!

1. fleece down
2. marble is good, but if its up on a shelf, you have to make sure it can't move or fall down.
3. not sure about that
4. I don't know about rocks and  untreated pine wood is safe for them to chew
5. They need to have a lava rock in their cage at all times, mine like apple wood sticks, you can look at a few website and see if the pet stores have them so you know its chin safe and its cheaper, thats what i do.
6.In order to get a good wheel, you'll have to buy it online. A saucer is better for their back, one with no wires. The website mentioned is where I got mine from someone else
7. you can buy a wooden house for them at pets mart, also cardboard boxes are safe for them
Any plastic in the cage is bad.
8. you can use fleece, you can also have some pine shaves and try to liter train him. I used to buy it at wallmart but I'v been having trouble finding it, but you can get it anywhere for a few bucks and it lasts me about a month.
Rasins are bad for them because they are fatty. You can give him one or peices of one every once in awhile. Oxbow and muzila is a good brand for food and hay. Nutraphase isn't that good, but you have to mix it in with the new food to get him used to it.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Welcome to the world of chins and the club. 


You've gotten great information so far I just wanted to add that all my chins spend most of their time on the top levels.
I put a house or some kind of hidaway up op for them. Either hanging one form the roof or putting a piece of pine along part of the top shelf, so they van hind behind it. More so they don't roll off when they are sleeping. But they do like a place to hind away and sleep.
Though they will sleep right out on the shelf too.