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[JustKikinIt]

Hello all! I am new to the forums and a new Chin owner.

My girl, Lilly, was sold to me about a month ago from someone who couldn't take care of her any more.

They were keeping her in a small rabbit cage and I'm looking into getting her a much bigger house.

I was just curious if this would be a good choice for a place for her to call her new home:

http://www.hayneedle.com/more/pets-&-animals/ferret-cages_critternationdoubleunitwithstand.cfm?ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=MH154-1&source=channel_intelligence_gbase&afsrc=1

Also, she had a horrible temperament when I first got her but she's calmed down a lot now and loves to be rubbed behind the ears.  She's still very cautious though and won't step onto my hands even though I spend at least an hour a day with her.  Any suggestions?

Thanks.

-Justin and Lilly

[dianah]

congratulations on your new addition! i think the cage is good, although i would take the ladders out as i'd be quite scared she'd get her legs trapped. instead i'd put wooden ledges in so she could get to places. i'd also put fleece down on the shelves as all metal surface can be a little harsh and cold.

perhaps someone else here will have experience with using ladders?

[Hoppinchins]

Thats deff a good size cage, especially for one chin. I don't know much about ladders. From what i'v read on here, chins don't really need ladders. They like to jump around, so ledges would work just fine. Thats what my cage is.

[jmdebb]

yes that is a good cage, just like the fn142, but you will need to take out the ladders, they can get their legs caught in them and then need amputation.  also take out any plastic and replace with safe wooden shelves

congrats on your new baby.

[JustKikinIt]

Thanks for all the great responses! I found a site that makes dried pine shelving custom fit, so I will be buying those to replace the other shelves with.

If anyone minds answers, I have a few more questions (sorry to be a pest, but so far I'm probably the over protective parent of my girl)

I bought her a wheel tonight but she jumped on top of it and started running, panicked and got stuck between the wheel and the cage...luckily I was standing right there to help her get out of the pickle.  A lot of sites say they need a wheel to exercise, will she eventually figure it out or is it dangerous to put the wheel back in there?

Also, I bought her Aspen bedding tonight to replace the paper bedding that her former owners gave her to me with, is that a good type of bedding to get?

Also, any suggestions on food/toys/treats?

Finally, is getting a little hammock for her good or do they prefer the wooden houses?

Thanks again!

-Justin and Lilly

[Jhenderson27]

I have two of the ferret nation versions of that.  Save yourself 100 bucks and buy the fn142 unless you intend to have babies in there.  I have 3 boys in one and 4 in the other.  They have tons of room and what not.  I built inserts to go under the ladder to prevent the kids from getting their feet stuck.  They use theIr ladders a little when they want treats other wise they hop on their ledges.  Please if you have any questions about the cage or putting it together ask. My gf and I have done 2 and love them.  Our chinnies love the cages.  I made custom floor pans to replace the crap plastic ones that come with it.  I can give directions to do this if you want.  Get in touch with me through pm and I'll get you some pics of our setups.

Justin/Venessa

[Jo Ann]

    Welcome to the Chinchilla Club Forum!!!  Always glad to see new chin-parent faces that are wanting to learn what is best for their little ones!
I'm not much for ferret cages ... the wires are not close enough together.  Kits can fall out between them and and if that isn't enough, chinchillas bouncing around (as they always do) can break a leg if their paw happens to land between the rungs of the cage.  1" by 1 1/2" is the best for chinchillas.  You might want to check out the pages on this site/page:  http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/chinchilla/
You're not being over protective, just trying to take the best care of your little one with advice from old-timers like some of us here.   

Thanks for all the great responses! I found a site that makes dried pine shelving custom fit, so I will be buying those to replace the other shelves with.
If anyone minds answers, I have a few more questions (sorry to be a pest, but so far I'm probably the over protective parent of my girl)
I bought her a wheel tonight but she jumped on top of it and started running, panicked and got stuck between the wheel and the cage...luckily I was standing right there to help her get out of the pickle.  A lot of sites say they need a wheel to exercise, will she eventually figure it out or is it dangerous to put the wheel back in there?
Also, I bought her Aspen bedding tonight to replace the paper bedding that her former owners gave her to me with, is that a good type of bedding to get?
Also, any suggestions on food/toys/treats?
Finally, is getting a little hammock for her good or do they prefer the wooden houses?
Thanks again!
-Justin and Lilly

   No, please do not put that wheel back into the cage ... if anything ever looks like it could cause them harm ... get rid of it ... "when in doubt, throw it out".
As far as toys ... No plastic or aluminum, please!
Dried papaya, mini wheats (plain, not coated with sugar), elbow macaroni (dried),cranraisins, raisins  and Cherroies are among my little one's favorites.  Try each one for a week to make sure there is no allergic reaction or runny poops ... after a week, try another kind.  Remember only one or two treats per day, not not one of each!
Toys ... they are just as happy with an empty toilet roll tube as they are with store bought toys. 
They also love (and need) wood (pine) chew blocks and a Sonora stone ... These are a must for the little one to ... to help her keep her teeth worn down properly.
She would probably like both the hammock and the hut .... but ... learn to make your own ... they chew them up in no time!   Please check out this page on my website: http://luvnchins.com/ChinchillaSupplies.html

   Jo Ann

[Lindsey]

That critter nation cage is what I have for my chins and I love it, they love it too  I chose that over the ferret nation because the bar spacing is a lot smaller. I took out the shelves and latters it came with and replaced them with pine shelving. I though of making custom pans for the bottoms, but decided instead of spending more money on the whole setup (the cages are pretty pricey on their own not including all the modifications!) I would try fleece for bedding. What I do is take a large piece of fleece fabric and fold it in half a couple times and put it on top of the plastic pans that come with the cage and tuck the ends around the edges. It's a nice comfy bottom and they can't get to the plastic pan to chew on it because it's all covered. It's super easy to clean, just take it out and machine wash and reuse. I just have a couple and change them out for when one is getting washed. It saves you money on buying bags of bedding in the long run. I would recommend trying that. Just make sure your chin doesn't chew on the fleece and rip off pieces.

[dianah]

what type of wheel is it? my lot have the metal flying saucer wheels and i don't think there's anywhere they could get stuck. they absolutely love them.

i think we're all overprotective. we're responsible for their wellbeing and we love them. we need to make sure they're safe, well and happy

[Serenity]

The critter nation and ferret nation cages are wonderful high quality cages. I used a single critter nation cage for my rats that my new chin has moved into.