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[shelverman]

I have the Ferret Nation cage. (See image.) For a while now, my chinchilla has been peeing in the back right corner of his topmost shelf, where I have the hay feeder attached. I'm not happy about that, but it doesn't do any harm.

Suddenly, the last two days in a row, he has backed his little butt all the way up to the corner and peed straight out of the cage. I have hardwood flooring (which now needs to be repaired), so this won't do.

For the time being, I'm going to remove the shelf entirely... but that leaves him with less space, and it makes the cage less attractive. I'd really like to have the shelf back in there, but I'm afraid (after two days in a row) that he's going to keep doing the same thing.

Is there any way to discourage a chinchilla from peeing in a particular spot?

[GrayRodent]

It's probably because the hay feeder is where loose hay is piling on the floor. The urine gets into the hay and it compounds th e smell. The smell of urine attracts the chinchilla to go there. You may just need to take the soiled hay and put it where you want the animal to urinate.

In the meantime you can take some boards and fasten them to the cage with stud bolts, fender washers, and wingnuts. Set up the boards right where the problem area is (just bolt them to the inside of the cage along the edge of the shelf) and it should prevent urine from splashing off the shelf. Clean the shelf each day.

Some pet owners have had success with taking a small metal pan (such as a cake pan) and putting wood chips in it. (Kiln-dried white pine or aspen is recommended). Chinchillas prefer to urinate on a medium that is not solid and flat. You can transfer a part of the soiled chips back in when it needs cleaning.

[shelverman]

Thanks. I had the same thought about hay piling on the floor. Ironically, the recent "shootout" happened right after I cleaned up the hay and cleaned the shelf.

Even though I'm not excited about the aesthetics, I decided to buy Bass Equipment Co. stainless steel shelf pans (to go with the large pans I already have). Now I have to figure out how to install them so they won't clang around. Maybe I can get a thin sheet of wood cut to the right size...

[GrayRodent]

The key to eliminating noise is using the fasteners to their fullest potential. If the fasteners are not gripping flat on the bars there is going to be noise. You may be able to drill some holes and add some hardware if you can isolate the problematic points.