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Author Topic: First chinchilla is this cage fine?  (Read 2476 times)

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dunsparth

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First chinchilla is this cage fine?
« on: December 28, 2014, 03:04:46 PM »

Hello everyone new to the forums and new to the chinchilla world i already own her and shes in this cage its not super big and i plan on building her one im good with wood work and have been reading lots of stuff on DIY cages.
i was wondering if for the time being if this cage is fine http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/cages/all-living-things-guinea-pig-starter-kit-zid36-20366/cat-36-catid-600022?var_id=36-20366&_t=pfm%3Dcategory
thanks

EDIT: sorry if i posted this in the wrong area  ???
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Moxie

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Re: First chinchilla is this cage fine?
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2014, 04:20:38 PM »

Congrats about your new chinchilla. That cage is fine for now, but I would suggest getting a cage with multiple levels and more space because chinchillas are very active and love to climb and jump. A multiple level cage with more room would be the ideal thing, but for the time being that cage would work. If you do use that cage, you might want to give your chinchilla lots of time to run around in an open space so they still get plenty of exercise.

I hoped this helped! Any questions about chinchillas just ask :)
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GrayRodent

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Re: First chinchilla is this cage fine?
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2014, 04:32:04 PM »

Congrats on your new pet. Chinchillas take time to tame as I'm sure you know but the time is well worth the effort. They are very trainable animals too.

There's a couple of things you may want to consider. One is that you don't want plastic construction in a chinchilla cage. Plastic can be super harmful if it's ingested but even more likely is that your pet will chew a hole through it and escape through it. They chew constantly. Another thing is I think the cage is way too small even for a temporary cage.

Most cages will come with plastic shelves and ramps. These should be discarded, replaced with proper wooden shelves, and the ramps removed. Chinchillas do not use ramps and apparently they can be harmful. Wire shelves or ramps are extremely dangerous and should never be used for ANY rodents (rats, piggies, chinchillas, etc). You'll probably need to make your own shelves but it's not that hard if you have some basic tools and purchase some hardware. Your uncle may be able to help you with that. Shelves are a chinchilla necessity and keeps them off the wire floor. I feel that wire flooring is the best cage configuration for chinchillas but it must be a maximum of 1/2" x 1/2" spacing. Opinions may differ.

You are better off with something more like this one:
http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/cages/midwest-wabbitat-rabbit-cage-zid36-5062727/cat-36-catid-600022 (just looking through the catalog with something in the same price range)

This cage should work well as long as your chinchilla is fully grown. If it is less than 350g the 1" bar spacing may be dangerously wide. An all-metal cage design is highly recommended but may more expensive. I strongly recommend having a look at www.tjschinchillasupplies.com as well.
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dunsparth

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Re: First chinchilla is this cage fine?
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2014, 01:43:11 AM »

Congrats on your new pet. Chinchillas take time to tame as I'm sure you know but the time is well worth the effort. They are very trainable animals too.

There's a couple of things you may want to consider. One is that you don't want plastic construction in a chinchilla cage. Plastic can be super harmful if it's ingested but even more likely is that your pet will chew a hole through it and escape through it. They chew constantly. Another thing is I think the cage is way too small even for a temporary cage.

Most cages will come with plastic shelves and ramps. These should be discarded, replaced with proper wooden shelves, and the ramps removed. Chinchillas do not use ramps and apparently they can be harmful. Wire shelves or ramps are extremely dangerous and should never be used for ANY rodents (rats, piggies, chinchillas, etc). You'll probably need to make your own shelves but it's not that hard if you have some basic tools and purchase some hardware. Your uncle may be able to help you with that. Shelves are a chinchilla necessity and keeps them off the wire floor. I feel that wire flooring is the best cage configuration for chinchillas but it must be a maximum of 1/2" x 1/2" spacing. Opinions may differ.

You are better off with something more like this one:
http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/cages/midwest-wabbitat-rabbit-cage-zid36-5062727/cat-36-catid-600022 (just looking through the catalog with something in the same price range)

This cage should work well as long as your chinchilla is fully grown. If it is less than 350g the 1" bar spacing may be dangerously wide. An all-metal cage design is highly recommended but may more expensive. I strongly recommend having a look at www.tjschinchillasupplies.com as well.

Thank's for all the helpful info i plan on building a 3 story cage for her within the week so that she can run around safely the only room i have to put her in currently that she can run around and be free is the bathroom but i dont want to leave her in there and i feel like it stresses her out if im moving her cage around all the time.
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