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[marrria]

I've had my little chinchies for two weeks now and I have been reading that the bathroom can be a good place to let chinchillas run around, if you make sure it is chinchilla proofed.  I look at my bathroom, and I am not sure how far I need to go before it is safe enough for the chins.  For example, what about the thin piping from the back of the commode going into the wall?  I noticed a couple blunt screws sticking out of the commode in that area, too.  Would they chew these and be hurt by them?  hurt themselves running around them?  will they chew the cabinet around the sink?  (it is not solid wood, and i don't know what kinds of woods and other materials it is made of, what kind of lacquer is on it, so i am not sure what they would be ingesting if they chewed on it)  Maybe I am over-worrying as a new chinchilla mom, but those things seem like dangers for them to me.  Has anyone chinchilla-proofed a bathroom?  Am I being paranoid?
Thanks in advance!
--Maria

[chinclub]

Hi Maria,
You don't want to leave your chinchilla in there unattended so you will be able to  shoo him away from chewing on the walls and cabinets.  Mainly you want to close the toilet so he can't jump in and get wet, and remove any soaps or cleaners that could be toxic.  These sorts of things could be deadly even if you  are there because one second could make all of the difference.  You also might want to pick up any plastic like toilet paper wrapping that he could ingest.  My chinchillas have learned that anything they pick up off the floor will be taken from them so when they find a small bit of something they grab it and run!    You don't want him gobbling up a small bit of that while he is running from you.

[ChinchillAZ]

Depending on your bathroom, you may also need to put something beneath the cabinets to prevent your chinchilla from crawling under.  If you have cabinets that go all the way down to the ground, run your hand underneath to see if there is a space that seems like something small could possibly crawl in there.  I've actually had to rip the bottoms of cabinets up to get chinchillas out from the "unused space" underneath.   

[marrria]

Thank you for the suggestions.  I would really like to set up an area where I can let Monk and Leon (my chins) run around for a couple/few hours each day.  I can see how much they love to scurry and leap, and right now I bring them out of their cage each evening and put them in an area fenced in by a small animal playpen fence, but I don't think it's big enough.  I might get a second playpen and link the two together.  They can leap/climb over the fence, though, and run around the apartment where there are things it would be dangerous for them to chew on, so I can't take my eyes off them for very long.

What kind of set-up does everyone have for their chins to run around in each day? 

[Jenova]

We have Cheech in our bedroom and we let him out in there too. We found that just opening his cage door and letting him run out means he goes back into his cage at regular intervals and then after about half an hour to an hour when he goes back in we can just close the door and give him his daily treat as a reward. He doesn't like being picked up although he is very affectionate and loves being tickled so this works best for us.

Chinchilla proofing:
We have wooden boards that we block the bed with so he can't get underneath. They are just old shelves and it also hides all the stuff we keep under there from visitors so it makes out room look a lot tidier anyway.
When he is about to come out we stuff towels or pillows under the clothes cabinet to block it off (and down the side as well). He has learned to squeeze himself down the side of the mattress too so now we just put pillows or towels or a dressing gown down the sides of that too. It only takes a few minutes to set it up and then he has full run of the room. We turn off all electrical equipment he can get to like the PC and unplug the wires. Sometimes he will go up to chew them but as he is supervised the whole time we can tell when he's going to do it and give him a sharp no. He learns very quickly as most chins do, but because they are unplugged if he ever did chew then it wouldn't harm him, but we would have to buy a new wire. 
Just make sure anything like TV remotes are put away safely, and not just on top of a cabinet because your chinchilla after a week or two of getting used to the room will find a way up there and s/he will nibble them! We just had to buy a new control pad for the Xbox 360 because I accidentally left it out on the bed and Cheech took a chunk out of the thumb stick with one bite, and they're not cheap. Bless him.
At first it will seem like a lot of work and take ages to set up, but if you have the same routine ever day then soon it becomes second nature. My boyfriend can even watch TV while Cheech is out because the wires are all behind the cabinet safely out of Cheech's reach and I can watch the little monster in comfort.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I left two in the bathroom one night and ran to answer the phone.
It only took a sec.and when I can back one was running with the end of the toilet paper, while the other was just pulling it off the roll.
They stopped dead in their tracks when I walked back in like they were saying," inches from a clean get away".
 

[Jenova]

I would love to have seen that!
I love chinchillas. Impulse buying Cheech was the best buy I ever made. 

[chinclub]

We have a pack-n-play child's playpen for our chinchillas.  We can set it up in the den and take turns letting the chinchillas play. The mesh sides make it easy for us to keep an eye on the chins while watching TV.  So far no one has tried to jump out, although I figure it is only a matter of time before they do.  We are careful to give them only chew toys and a few small box tunnels.  We don't want to add anything high that could help them jump out.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I like hall ways and stairwells that are closed in too.
I can close all doors and just sit with them.
Funny Jamie, but I find if they are having fun were they are they don't bother trying to get out.
I now have a room for my chins, but rather than close the door when they were out and stopping any air floor, Hubby made me half a door. They never bother trying to jump it.
I have even forgotten to close it and a scattered one get out, they just play in the room.
Or rather hunt for treats and enemies. I fine droppings on top of everything, and treat dishes tipped over. 
My next room will be bigger and have a playpen type area though.

[Leslie]

After years of making enclosures with cardboard boxes folded out and velcro....and many irritating holes being chewed in them....many escapes....

I finally just bought a Marshall's deluxe animal play pen and I LOVE it!  I can't believe I lived without it.  We bought the cover/mat as well but it's a pain in the butt to put on, so we soon learned that a fitted sheet sits on top just as well so they can't hop out.

Trust me, you'll have your chinnies for a long time.   Buy the play pen and you'll never have to worry again.  The deluxe size is more than enough room for them to get exercise.

[Jo Ann]

Where can you get the Marshall's Deluxe Animal Play Pen?  I'd love to see how it's made.

Amanda & Darren (Fuzzy Chins) built a great play area in their basement/chin room for their chins ... you can see it at: http://www.fuzzychins.com/setup.html   This is the set-up in their old home. 

When they had their new house built, they made a built-in play area in their chinchilla room ... it is gorgeous!!!

BTW  Amanda ~aka~ "Outback Chins" was due to have her little girl (Jillian) on the 23rd of this month. 
Jillian is being stubborn and refusing to come out. 
Amanda says if she does not come out by the 27th ...
She (Jillian) gets "evicted"  on the 28th!   

 
Jo Ann

[Leslie]

I bought the Marshall play pen a few months ago....but I can't seem to find the "Deluxe" version of it anymore....I wonder why?  I bought it from theferretstore.com and it looks like this Marshall Play Pen but the Deluxe one has three more panels, so it's much roomier.  There is a different brand you can buy called Midwest that has an expansion pack to make it bigger as well.

I highly recommend it.  It's very safe and very convenient.

[Abby W.]

Yes, I have the midwesst 11-panel playpen for my guys.  It works out beautifully.  It is tall enough that I have never seen one escape, though plenty have tried.  And it is easy to fold up and put away in the coat closet.  This way playtime can happen without hassle in the living room so we can watch them and interact with them without disrupting the rest of our evening.

[ChinchillAZ]

I had my stepfather build a playpen using hardwire cloth and pine for the "frame."  I needed it so that I could have a way for my vet tech classmates to interact with the chinchillas when I gave my exotics presentation.     It has five full size panels (4 feet high by 3 feet wide) with two on each "side" and one at the "back."  The two "side" panels are hinged together so that they have more stability but can be "broken down" and folded for storage when not in use.  The "front" panel is actually two 2 feet high by 3 feet wide panels hinged together to fold down so that I can step inside.  The four corners and kept together with really thick cable ties.

I'm really not sure if I'm describing this well enough to make sense...  If I get a chance, I'll put it together and take pictures. 

Recently, however, I decided that it was just too much work to keep using the playpen.  They're able to climb up the sides and I haven't had a chance to construct a good top for it to keep them inside.  So...  I moved all of my bedroom furniture into my livingroom, all my livingroom furniture into the dining room, and all of the chinchillas into the bedroom.  Yes...  I live in a one bedroom apartment and the chinchillas get the bedroom.   

[Summer]

I have all 23 of them in our bedroom!  . I am still in the process of making them their on room.