Hmmmm.. What to do?

In 2 weeks me and my family are taking our dreaded drive to South Carolina. I didn'tgo last yer, but I did the year before. The year before I only had one chinchilla and had just gotten another chinchilla, and this was before I bcame a member. I had plastic in their cage and carefresh bedding with a small cage. When I go down this year I am unsure what to do because now I have 3 little fur balls! I was thinking of bringing the play pen down and keeping my 2 in there, and my one in the old cage Ihave. I will try to get to a petstore the next day to buy chin safe things. I would get them a babysitter but we are there for 6 weeks so it's almost easier to bring them. Any suggestions?

I would just be afraid that they would get out of the playpen if they were kept in it, but if you've got a cover for it or something, then it'll probably be ok. And I'm assuming that the old cage has plastic in the bottom, so hopefully if they chew you'll have fleece to cover it. In the future (though you may be limited on time/funds now) It'd be a good idea to get a cage that folds down easily, especially for longer trips.

what kind of cage(s) do you have now for them? if they are the kind that are easy to take down/put back together, then i say pack their regular cages.

They will surely chew though the fabric in their playpen over that length of time. I guess I would buy a cage off of craigslist when I got there and sell it on the last day or donate it to a shelter.

Currently they live in CN's so that's too big to bring down especially with all of the packing for a family of 5. We go there every summer.I am planning on making fleace liners down there. And also buying an extra cover for the play pen so it has a top and bottom.if all doesn't work out then maybe ill try to buy a cage down there

Vacation house

6 weeks is a long time, considering you will be there every summer...
I vote for 2nd house.... I mean cage

So I should buy one to keep down there? I might just have to do that

I would probably recommend getting cages that fold easily for storage. That way, you could either keep them at the summer home or just pack them in the car and bring the cages with you each time (if you have room in the car). Quality Cages offer a decent selection of foldable cages. I have one that I keep for emergency use/for vacation use.

do a search for foldable cages. here is one example:

http://www.amazon.com/Folding-Crate-Cage-Kennel-Tray/dp/B004G532DC#sf

if you must take them, bring foldable cages, lots of fleece, at least a hammock or tube. hay, food, bottled water, wood, chew toys, playpen, chillers.
make sure you dont put the carriers on the car floor as it gets very hot. dont leave unattended when going to rest stops. make sure whatever room you are putting them in for playtime is completely secured. all doors & windows closed. i would go so far as putting the playpen in the bathroom. always check cages before bed & leaving. make sure air is on. basically just use common sense, with a touch of paranoia!

BEST investments I ever made: http://qualitycage.com/index.php?ma...t&search_in_description=1&keyword=travel+cage.

Hmm I do have a dog crate like the one above down there and my dog never uses it. Could I try to fix that up and use that and the one cage i have down there?

A dog crate will not work. The bars are too far apart and it's not nearly stable enough to withstand a chinchilla's forceful bouncing. The cage linked above is a chinchilla specific cage.

No they will escape, Silly pancake chin got out of a space 1=1/2 inchs high and 4 inches wide.

My parents aren't too fond of buying a new cage but they will if this plan won't work:
Bring down plenty of toys and FLEACE. In the cage I have down there, take out all the platic and redecorate it with their toys, and put my single chin in there. Then bring the playpen down ( I have this one http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751767) and get a top ad bottom fr it, so there can be no escaping. And before I leave I am going to make a fleace liner or two for the bottom of it and alo bring down toys and put my two in that cage. What's everyone think of that? I need to now soon! Leaving in 8 days! :O

I've never used a playpen before. I'd be worried that they would find a way to get the lid off and escape. If you're going to use the playpen invest in some clips to secure the lid.

Yes, I would clip it down with something

Mookie said:

My parents aren't too fond of buying a new cage but they will if this plan won't work:
Bring down plenty of toys and FLEACE. In the cage I have down there, take out all the platic and redecorate it with their toys, and put my single chin in there. Then bring the playpen down ( I have this one http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751767) and get a top ad bottom fr it, so there can be no escaping. And before I leave I am going to make a fleace liner or two for the bottom of it and alo bring down toys and put my two in that cage. What's everyone think of that? I need to now soon! Leaving in 8 days! :O

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Mookie, I have the same playpen for my chins. It will definitely work for what you are suggesting, although you won't really be able to attach ledges to it due to no horizontal support bars. I would recommend if this is the only option due to money concerns, take enough fleece to cover the bottom of the playpen and either buy a second cover to use as a top, or another option would be to put a sheet over the top of the playpen and use clips of some sort to hold it down every couple of inches. I don't know if your chins have discovered their leaping ability yet, but mine one guy took us by surprise when one all of a sudden he hopped into the bathroom to stare at the BF while he was brushing his teeth one morning. All of them have since realized the playpen is escapable except Sam, who would rather sleep in there during playtime. :laughitup:

If you go the "buy a second cover" route, don't be surprised that its more difficult to fit it on the top of the playpen. The corners of our top one now has holes in the corners and will not work for a bottom since the holes will allow pee to seep directly onto our carpet. I prefer the sheet method myself, but I was tired of always missing a sheet from the cupboard. The fleece should help with protecting the bottom liner from getting too nasty. They are slightly water repellent, but not totally. Just change out the fleece with clean one every couple/few days and wash. Make sure they have a couple tunnels or houses and plenty of other toys to keep busy with. Hope that helps.:thumbsup: