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[JessyGene]

Hi, my name is Jessy. I have pet rats but I've never had chinchillas. However, a friend of a friend has one that I would like to help. The chinchilla is living in a VERY tiny one story cage. The owner isn't too motivated to do much for this chinchilla's habitat so I offered to help. The cage used to have nothing in it but some sticks, a food dish and a water bottle, but I've already added a fleece hammock (I sew lots for my rats), a clean rock, one of those wooden log domes, and empty toilet paper rolls to shred. The chin has perked up SO much since I put in these few items; he seems way happier already.

However, I still feel terrible about his tiny living quarters so I'm gonna give him one of my extra cages. Its not much bigger than his, but I'm planning to stack the two cages so he will have some more room. I wanna set it up really nice but I have a few questions:

1. Can I use pine wood for the levels? I know pine shavings are not ok to use, but is pine wood ok for the shelves, a house, and maybe some chew toys?

2. Can I paint the levels to prevent pee from soaking in? I have zero VOC non-toxic paint that I bought to paint the ledges in my rats' cage; is this ok to use?

3. Is a large PVC pipe fitting a safe toy/hideout for a chinchilla?

4. Are ladders dangerous? Should I just use ramps, or nothing? (I read that those hanging bridge type things are very dangerous for chins)

5. This chinchilla is 13 years old, but looks really healthy. Will he be ok hopping from one level to the next, or should I take some extra precautions?

6. The owners use pine shavings (not the kiln-dried kind). Is this as bad for chins as it is for rats?

7. Is it ok to put in paper or paper towel for nesting material? Do chins like to have nesting material? Is hay just for eating? or for sleeping in too?

8. I have a crabapple tree in my yard, and Id like to put a branch in the chin's cage. Is this ok as long as I bake it first?

9. Do chins need to have a salt or mineral lick or anything like that?

10. Is it necessary to have a wheel for the chin to run on? Will this chin use one if it hasn't for the last 13 years?

11. What are some other suitable chew toys or other accessories for chinchillas?


Thanks for reading!

[JessyGene]

Here's a pic of the cage he's in now. Isn't it tiny? And all it had before was those sticks. Poor thing...just breaks my heart. I wish I could adopt him

[GrayRodent]

I think that's cool you want to help out like that. That cage is definitely small for a pet chinchilla. I hope they let it out to play often. It's getting up there in years so it sounds like it's been well cared for.

1. Untreated and kiln dried pine is a popular material considered safe for chins.

2 Are these levels made of steel mesh? If they are is there a way you can remove them and use pine ledges instead? It might be a bit little safer. Otherwise you can paint it if it's plain steel and not plastic coated like the cage I see in the photo. Any non-toxic paint should be fine.

3. I think PVC or plastic is not a good idea for any rodents since they'll likely chew it and it can cause bowel obstruction if swallowed. It's nice that this chin doesn't seem to chew the plastic on its cage. If it ever really wanted to it could chew its way out in a matter of minutes. A wooden hutch would be a good alternative to a PVC tube. Cardboard boxes are okay too. Just remove any tape or staples. If it looks like it eats a lot of cardboard then you'll need to limit it to prevent malnutrition.

4, 5. Ladders are a bad idea for chins. They can get their feet through the bars and it is known to result in leg fractures. If it needs a ramp to get around it has a serious problem. An average chin can land on a ledge 6 feet high.

6. Non kiln dried chips is considered bad for chins too. It doesn't mean it will cause problems but it's probably a good time to change it since its lungs aren't getting any younger.

7. Chins don't need nesting material. Pine chips are sufficient. They might like to tear up paper though.

8. Crabapple is generally considered safe. Bake it to sterilize it and get the bugs out. However make sure you haven't used a lot of pesticides.

9. Do not use a salt or mineral lick. It is unnecessary and potentially harmful.

10. Wheels are not necessary but are nice for exercise. They must be properly installed so the chin cannot climb or land on top of or get behind it and get injured. Some use wheels and some do not. Unfortunately the only kind you would want is expensive and has a solid running surface-not wire mesh.

11. I recommend this website for ideas on chin treats:

http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/chinchilla%20wood%20chews.html

Hope this helps

[Marip]

this chinchilla as been in that cage for 13 years?

[LaurenKrisitne]

After putting all this work into the chins cage, you should adopt it! It's great to see you helping it, but the owner needs to step up to the responsibilities of owning a chin. They're high maintenance and need to get out and run around and play. That cage is entirely way to small. I have a 3 story cage and I feel like it's to small for mine lil guy sometimes!

I've found that my lil guy loves Lava Ledges to chew on, cardboard tubes to chew on once in a while and he also has wood ledges to hope around on and chew. Chewing is important so their teeth don't over grow. as long as he gets out and can play and chew things and has a healthy diet, everything should work out for the better.

Again, I'm glad someone is willing to help a chin in need!

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Why don't you buy him a new cage?