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[FranklintheChin]

I have two problems. First is my chin is always kicking out his bedding and poop. I need something to help prevent this. But I worry about the cage getting to warm because we live in a high humidity area. I thought of plexy glass, so we could still see him, but I worry because I KNOW he will chew on it. The tray is shallow but he also kicks stuff off of his shelves. The second is that we got him a wheel but he never uses it. What can I do to encourage him to run in it?
Since the picture below was taken he has three more shelves and a wheel. The cage is 5' T x 4.5' W x 3.5' D

[GrayRodent]

Plexiglass is dangerous if chins ingest it. It is notorious for causing bowel impactions. Plastic is also not a good idea for the same reason. I recommend getting a metal chin wheel (solid metal only- no wire mesh or spokes which is well known to cause fatal injuries). Also recommend getting a wooden hut. Watch carefully for signs of chewing on plastic. It can kill.

To help get him interested you can put some hay or a small chew toy on it. Some chins won't use them though no matter what so I've heard. Galvanized metal guards may be an option for the mess though not as aesthetic.  Maybe someone can recommend a specific product and vendor. I notice that I don't see any hay in the cage. Perhaps it is hidden in the picture. Chins should have constant access to fresh hay and wooden chew toys or they will develop tooth problems.   Having wooden shelves helps too.

As far as temperature what matters most is the room temperature. From what I understand anything over 73F is dangerous to chins. A window or standalone portable air conditioner may be an option.

[jmdebb]

i've seen some people put chin safe wood around the parameter of some cages [on the bottom], but to be honest, your most likely always going to have poop and bedding coming out of the cage, i have poop guards on all my shelves, but i still find a ton of poop on the floor

[Arrabella]

Hi there. Your cage looks very barren. You need a wood house for your guy to sleep in. I gave up on the bedding, even the care fresh. It all tends to come out of the cage. What was alarming with the care fresh was the powdery like film on everything in the cage. It is a paper product and the miniscule dust that came from it must also get into his lungs so I only use it in his litter pan which is placed in his chosen peeing corner. It works better than the "critter litter" and he seems more inclined to us it. I use fleece on the bottom of the shelves of his cage. I have a ferret nation cage (over five feet high) and replaced the bottom and middle shelf with some kind of metal trays that are about three inches high and this has really helped with flying poop. I. Ordered the trays on line from a chinchilla accessory supplier I found through a chinchilla club as a link. The felt liners are made by a clever woman in Ontatio - "zoeyandlilostoybox.com". I have a few sets and clean them twice a day by brushing up the poop onto a dust pan and change the linings every few days. They wash up beautifully and he doesn't bother with them I.e. chewing etc. they're also easy on his little feet. She has many wonderful accessories for the cage such as hammocks. If you go to her web site and click on satisfied customers, you'll see Bella in his hammock. It's his fav. I've had Bella for over a year and I feel like I have a very efficient system that is easy to maintain and safe for my chin. He loves his house I keep is hay in a ceramic bowl (like a cereal bowl from the kitchen) and then place a couple of little handfuls in surprise spots in his house. He loves to discover these unexpected deposits of hay. It gets replaced and freshened up twice a day.  I hope this very long dissertation will help you. It's an ongoing project of learning and streamlining his house. I'm always on chinchilla sites everywhere looking for new and improved ideas to keep my guy healthy and happy. His toys also get changed up weekly

[FranklintheChin]

Thank y'all for all the help! He does have lots of other things in his cage that just aren't in this picture. (toys, wood house, nutrient log, wood and nutrient chews, hay, hammock,his favorite thing is a hanging tunnel he chills in all the time) He actually use to turn his house upside down, but he prefers the tunnel now.