Chin cage help

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ninamenke

Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
9
Hello I am a fairly new chin owner. I got him about 10 months ago. He was 8 or 9 weeks when I got him. He has a pretty large cage, its a ferret cage and I do believe it is made out of galvanized steel. This cage is maybe 5 or 6 months old. I read about how the cage floors can cause their feet to crack and cause ulcers so I was wondering what I could buy to stick to the floors of the cage to protect his feet and something he cant pull up and chew on. I was thinking maybe linoleum tile that has a sticky bottom to stick to the cage? Would that be safe?

This is his cage

https://24.media.tumblr.com/d0f0af183322bbde78b59892dd0ecd10/tumblr_myy7gwOFPR1qbea0po1_500.jpg


https://31.media.tumblr.com/7f43d17ccd9ea6254598141249af375d/tumblr_myy7hijX361qbea0po1_500.jpg
 
I'm not sure how the tile would do, but you NEED to cover up that grate ASAP. You could place fleece on top of it I suppose. It would be best for the chin if you cover the grate with something, even if it's just temporary until you get something permanent to cover it with or if you choose to get a new cage.
 
You can get ceramic tile for pretty cheap and that will work well.
 
The wire spacing on the cage looks alright. It's 1/2"x1/2", right? If so, it won't cause any stress concentrations on the feet or any problems with the legs being injured. I have all my chins on 1/2"x1/2" wire floors and shelves and I don't have any problems at all. There can be problems when you go with larger spacing, but the 1/2"x1/2" is small enough to support the feet for sure. You could get some ledges and things for the chin to hang out on, they love those...but you don't have to remove the shelves or cover them completely.

With any cage you need to make sure to keep it clean, of course. Any cage can cause foot issues if it is dirty or the chins are allowed to sit in wet areas.

But, really, that cage is fine. I wouldn't worry about his feet being harmed by the wire since it is the right size and safe for chins.
 
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