Print

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

[MotoGT]

Good morning all,

I am Ian, from (not so sunny) England, I have had my boy, Gizmo, for just over a year.

After taking a look around on this forum I decided he was due an upgrade to his living area and so I have purchased him a 1mtr wide, 0.75mtr deep, 1.85Mtr high parrot cage to convert.

It is a lot bigger than what he has at the moment and I am looking for guidance on how many shelves etc I should put in, whether his hide should be up high or down low and what sort of hanging tunnels are best to use please?

Obviously I understand that some of you guys will be in America and will link american sites, but I just need ideas

also what are your views on wheels. Basically we have a new cat, he has the run of the house and letting Gizmo out to play is becoming ever increasingly hard.

Cheers in advance. 

[GrayRodent]

Welcome to the boards. I have experience with converting a parrot cage. I space my shelves about 13" apart. The spacing should enable your chinchilla to comfortably jump onto them or between them. Shelves can be constructed from white pine boards and stud bolts fastened with fender washers. I've built all of mine.

As far as wheels I recommend one with a solid running surface no smaller in diameter than 14". 15" would be better especially if your chin is over 550g. I won't link to any sites but I'll recommend the chin spin. If you have a small chinchilla you can use the Silver Surfer. Flying saucer designs are also good. Mesh running surfaces must be very fine mesh to prevent entanglement if used. Do not use plastic wheels. They are flimsy and their bearings will get destroyed. Also plastic, if chewed and ingested, can have lethal consequences to your pet.

Most parrot cages will have a floor that is unsuitable for chinchillas. Floor spacing must be 1/2" x 1/2" mesh or less. I have solved my problem by mounting construction cloth in a wooden frame and making it one section of the floor. The rest of the floor is solid. If you do it your pet will urinate through the mesh.

Here is a link to my setup: http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,4091.0.html

[MotoGT]

Thanks a lot,

I hoped you would reply  I have been looking at your set up and that is what made me decide to go for a parrot cage 

Ok so I will hit the Hardware store and get some pine shelves and some screws and washers.

I have been looking at the 16" wheels for a while, but they are pretty much all over the pond, unless I want to go for wooden, not sure how good that will be though...

[GrayRodent]

Cool. I like my cage setup. It does take a little skill with making that wire frame structure but it's been two years now and the only problem I have is the frame underneath the floor frame needs to be replaced occasionally because it will get urine in it and deteriorate.

From what I know the chin spin is a wheel that is wooden but has a metal running surface. Most users of the chin spin don't complain of problems. The rim prevents the animals from getting to the wood. Any wheel larger than 14" will work. (well, as long as your pet can turn it!)

[MotoGT]

I am looking at getting a sheet of small builders mesh and making a frame at the weekend.

I have purchased 3 lengths of  145mm wide timber, 25mm thick for the shelves and will be putting them in at 12" centres on all sides, staggered.

I have him a 12"x12" piece of polished granite coming for the summer months when he needs to cool down and I am trying to work out what water bottle to get as yours is not easily available over here.

I also purchased a 13 quart feed pan and a lazy susan bearing to make him a wheel as I reduse to pay £100 ($151) for one over here! 

I will hopefully get his shelves done and transfer him over this weekend.

I am presuming that it would be prudent to transfer the contents of his litter tray to the new tray to make him feel at home?

[GrayRodent]

I don't think you'll have to transfer litter. That's for trying to coax chinchillas to mix with each other. He'll make himself at home by chewing the edges off of all of the shelves. It will keep him occupied for weeks. It's a universal chinchilla hobby.

Chinchilla wheels are expensive. They go for around $100-200 USD here as well. I'm glad you have a way of fabricating one. You can probably sell them pretty easily.

Most water bottles made for pets will work. The key is to build something to protect the water bottle from getting chewed. In my case I just took some strips of sheet metal, cut them, and bent them up with pliers to hook over the cage bars. I know that glass bottles are also available that you don't have to do that with.

[MotoGT]

Was looking at this bottle.

http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/content/userfiles/IMG_2764%20ezi%20chin%20medium%20500.JPG

Same sort of spout as your bottle, but with a standard bottle on the back end.

I am working on the floor at the moment as a lot of people in the UK appear to allow the chins to walk on the substrate of absorbent material.... I am not sure I like the idea of that and would much prefer having a small area of mesh to allow his business to drop through... The question is would he just pee where ever, or would he naturally pee over the mesh?

[GrayRodent]

That looks like a good bottle there. Definitely a gravity fed valve like mine. Be careful not to let the water level drop below 2" or there may not be enough flow rate.

If you use bedding I recommend exclusively wood shavings either pine or aspen. I don't trust paper beddings to be safe although there is debate on that.

I've had this mesh floor setup with two chinchillas (my first was euthanized after he was diagnosed with malo) and in 2 years I can only remember 2 times where they actually urinated on the board instead of the mesh. It really wasn't a big problem even when it happened. If you have trouble put a pan of bedding over the mesh (you'll have to secure it with bolts or c-clamps or it will get dumped) and once your pet is used to going there it will continue to do that when you remove the pan. Chinchillas typically pick one place to urinate. The exception seems to be when the cage is not properly maintained. They typically avoid urinating on hard surfaces.

[MotoGT]

Thanks again.

All info is very much appreciated The mesh doesn't appear to be as readily available as I had hoped to be honest. Which is a pain!

[MotoGT]

Hope my pic works.... All fitted out, just waiting for the feed pan to land then I can make his wheel

[GrayRodent]

That is very cool. Looks like you have a nice big chinchilla too.

[MotoGT]

Cheers

I am going to weigh him this week and see how big he is