Questions About Critter Nation Cage and Bedding for Chinchillas

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zaveng7

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2017
Messages
6
Location
Ohio
Hello, as you could probably tell, I am new to this forum. New to ALL forums, actually, so I apologize ahead of time for my small knowledge of how all of this works.
Anyways, I have two chinchillas (male, ages 1 and 3 years approx.) currently living in a cage I built about a year ago. I built it out of kiln dried white pie 2x2's and chicken wire which I attached to the wood frame using a staple gun. However this cage is not very pretty, and its a bit of a pain to clean. My chins also get bedding, food, and poop EVERYWHERE! So it's more or less just a temporary cage till I can get a better one.
So to solve this, on my birthday (which is next week) I plan to be getting a double Critter Nation cage as I hear that they are great cages and are easy to clean and maintain, and are also way more practical and appealing to the eye than the ugly mess of a cage I have currently.
My major question right now is about the cage and bedding. I currently use wood shavings that my local breeder, who I got my chinchillas from, sells in large bags. A lot of the chinchilla owners I've seen on the internet use fleece liners, however, and I want to try them out, it seems like a convenient and easy to clean method. And the pans on the Critter Nation are way too shallow for me to consider using my current bedding without modifying the cage, anyways. If anyone reading uses fleece as bedding, could you please detail how you made and maintain your liners, how to keep the chins from chewing through them, your overall thoughts on these bedding methods, and any other useful tips I should know? And could any Critter Nation owners tell me their thoughts on the cage? (And maybe the cheapest way to buy mine, lol.) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! :)
 
I have one double critter nation and one single critter nation. I love them. I got mine used that is the best way to do it. You can get metal pans for the cage if you want. I use fleece as my bedding it is great. way less mess not wood chips all over the place. I do give them a litter box with wood chips. I just cut fleece and tuck it under the pan. They from time to time like to dig it up. They often give up and leave it alone after I fix it a few times. It is going to depend on your chin on how you keep the fleece down.
 
Hello! I've had a triple critter nation for about a year now. I use fleece liners on all three levels, and trust me it makes your life a whole lot easier! You could also use poop guards which you can really find anywhere online. I don't have these myself but I'm sure since the pans that I'm aware are super shallow, it would help keep in all of the bedding and poop, mostly! My fleece liners have an absorbent layer in them which makes it smell less and have an easier clean up. If you were to buy the liners I'd suggest Etsy or mycritterstore.com, they have pretty decent prices for absorbent fleece liners. Much love to you and your critters! <3
 
Cages for Chins

I have one double critter nation and one single critter nation. I love them. I got mine used that is the best way to do it. You can get metal pans for the cage if you want. I use fleece as my bedding it is great. way less mess not wood chips all over the place. I do give them a litter box with wood chips. I just cut fleece and tuck it under the pan. They from time to time like to dig it up. They often give up and leave it alone after I fix it a few times. It is going to depend on your chin on how you keep the fleece down.

- I'm curious where you found the cage used? I bought a new one but it is super expensive and would be thrilled to return to Amazon before setting up and go used, Thanks.
 
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