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[Terri]

Hi Joyce (& All)!

I am new to the chinchilla club and a new mom to 2 chinchillas. Where did you get your cages? I am looking for a wire cage with wood shelves and can't seem to find one anywhere. Right now I have a plastic one that I'm not too happy with, luckily they haven't started chewing on it yet. 

-Terri

[Joyce]

  I really need you around more Jo Ann!!!!!!!!!!  Mike & I posted these pics, yes we finally got our computer to cooperate and do pictures!  But Mike kept looking at them and saying "wow those are really microscopic aren't they"!!!!! 
  See, of course we had no idea you could click on them to enlarge! 

Thanks again for coming to my rescue!

[Jo Ann]

Hi Terri,
    Most pet stores have the metal cages for small pets ... the thing is to find one that has the proper size wire for a chinchilla ... they need 1/2" x 1" or smaller wire.   Many of the cages have plastic shelves.  I find it best to go to the local hardware store/lumber yard and get a 1" x 6" untreated pine board and have them cut it to fit the shelf size needed.  Then get some wood screws and solid "O" rings and install the shelves myself. Hold the shelf in place, put the ring between the wood and the wire and another ring on the outside of the wire and screw it together tightly.  (It's best to pre-drill the holes for the screws ... two for each end of the wood shelf.) 
     The wood that is left over can be cut into small chew blocks for the chins to chew on and play with.  You might want to get a couple of extra shelves so when they chew the original ones, you can replace them.  A couple of pieces of sandpaper to smooth the edges and sand off any stains is a good idea also. 

 
Jo Ann

[chinclub]

Hi terri,
try this site: http://www.qualitycage.com/chinchilla.html  I have their chinchilla townhouse and it is plenty huge!!!  There are great cages and you really can't beat the price.

[tinabeana]

So this poor chinchilla I wrote about below is still at the pet store, I go by occasionally to torture myself. The food in his/her cage is filled with colorful dried fruit and the dust bowl is left in the cage constantly (always full of poop). The cage itself is a single level box, kind of like the super pets ones, but not as tall and not even one ledge, her plastic hut is always overturned.

One time I went in and this guy was there with two kids and walked past the chinchilla and said, "Whats this? Some sort of retarded rabbit?"

At that moment I felt mild irritation, but fear set in as I listened to the woman behind the counter describe them as easy to care for and cuddly. I piped in that I owned a chinchilla and she was neither cuddly nor cheap to care for, the woman replied oh all animals are different. 

Still this chinchilla seems happy, and lets me rub her head. The chin has beautiful beige (I think) fur.

I want to buy her/him so bad and for some reason they've raised the price even more to $219. I'm sure right now we couldn't afford another chin and chin cage but I hope she holds on till we can.

The local pet shop is no better. We go in there to look at the puppies and buy bedding but that’s it, the only other chinchilla products they carry are Kaytee products. We were in there a few weeks ago, and I was shocked they actually had a chinchilla.

The sign said "male and female $199 each or $350 for the pair," but there was only one in the cage. It was adorable, much bigger then Maggie and it’s coat was very nice looking, a lighter gray (I’m not sure of the official name of the color). So I ask the clerk it's gender and age and he says it's a boy and he has no idea how old. "He" was very friendly, ran up to me and sniffed, he let me rub his head even.

So I was there last time, and he's still there, and I ask the other clerk there about him. Well now he is a she, but we still don't know her age. This clerk said the other chin they had in the cage with her was her brother.  She said she wished the person you bought him would have taken this chinchilla too as they had gotten a long so well. I asked if the boy had been neutered and she said no of course not...

I feel really bad for that chinchilla, if we had more money and space I'd buy him too.

[Stacy]

I know how you feel. I go to Pet Smart some times to get different things and I get so mad when I see the poor little chins in there small little cages.

[Joyce]

   Our PetSmart keeps their chinchillas in aquariums and gives them a ton of fresh veggies & fruits! 

[Summer]

  and

[ThreeLilChins]

Here it is

[Stacy]

I bet they love there cages. It looks like they have a lot of ledges and things to play with.

[tinabeana]

Okay sorry to bring this up again. I couldn't help myself I went back to the pet store and the chinchilla is still there. Today there was half a fresh orange in her very dirty cage.

 

I told they guy, you know its not a good idea to give them fresh fruit, especially oranges and definately not that much. He said, "she looks fine."

 

I left. Should I buy her? She still costs the same amount. Should I tell them I want her but refuse to pay full price because I see her how poorly she is kept?

My husband feels bad for her as well. I think we are just leery of spending so much for a chinchilla especially because we know how poor its diet is and how much it could cost in vet bills. I don't want to get a chinchilla that we can't afford to take to the vet, but I don't feel good about leaving her there.

Should I not buy her, just to withhold money from the store and not support them? I don't want the chinchilla to suffer just so we can take a stand against the pet store.

I don't know what to do. I could probably put her on a credit card but not until monday.   

So this poor chinchilla I wrote about below is still at the pet store, I go by occasionally to torture myself. The food in his/her cage is filled with colorful dried fruit and the dust bowl is left in the cage constantly (always full of poop). The cage itself is a single level box, kind of like the super pets ones, but not as tall and not even one ledge, her plastic hut is always overturned.

One time I went in and this guy was there with two kids and walked past the chinchilla and said, "Whats this? Some sort of retarded rabbit?"

At that moment I felt mild irritation, but fear set in as I listened to the woman behind the counter describe them as easy to care for and cuddly. I piped in that I owned a chinchilla and she was neither cuddly nor cheap to care for, the woman replied oh all animals are different. 

Still this chinchilla seems happy, and lets me rub her head. The chin has beautiful beige (I think) fur.

I want to buy her/him so bad and for some reason they've raised the price even more to $219. I'm sure right now we couldn't afford another chin and chin cage but I hope she holds on till we can.

The local pet shop is no better. We go in there to look at the puppies and buy bedding but that’s it, the only other chinchilla products they carry are Kaytee products. We were in there a few weeks ago, and I was shocked they actually had a chinchilla.

The sign said "male and female $199 each or $350 for the pair," but there was only one in the cage. It was adorable, much bigger then Maggie and it’s coat was very nice looking, a lighter gray (I’m not sure of the official name of the color). So I ask the clerk it's gender and age and he says it's a boy and he has no idea how old. "He" was very friendly, ran up to me and sniffed, he let me rub his head even.

So I was there last time, and he's still there, and I ask the other clerk there about him. Well now he is a she, but we still don't know her age. This clerk said the other chin they had in the cage with her was her brother.  She said she wished the person you bought him would have taken this chinchilla too as they had gotten a long so well. I asked if the boy had been neutered and she said no of course not...

I feel really bad for that chinchilla, if we had more money and space I'd buy him too.

[tinabeana]

... oops

[Abby W.]

tinabeana,

I know how frustrated you feel.  Unfortunately there a fair number of people in this world who feel mishandling/neglecting animals is perfectly ok to do.  They see animals as less than living creatures with feelings and needs, and more as things to be used for one's own gain or pleasure and then discarded.  As far as I am concerned there should be a licensing procedure for pet ownership.  But there isn't, and we just have to accept that sometimes there are going to be some that we just can't save no matter how much we want to.  You cannot put your financial stability on the line, because that could ultimately lead to the suffering of not only that chin, but your other pets as well, not to mention yourself and the other members of your household.  So, if it is something you can reasonably afford by all means go for it!  But if it's not, it doesn't make you a bad person to turn away, even if it is very frustrating.  If I were you though I would definitely try to educate people about the store's practices and let the manager know you are doing so, and that you are going to tell people not to shop there if they don't stop mistreating their animals.  A businessman will always respond to any threat to the bottom line.

[hope]

The trouble is when this chin finds a home they will probably get another chin in & on it goes!

[hope]

Here is a pic of my chin room