Chinchilla Exercise Help and weird sleep pattern

[TessVH92]

Hello, I have just one chinchilla and I love her dearly but I am worried I am not providing for her properly due to some limitations with my current living situation and I am looking for some opinions and tips.

My chin is about 2.5 years old, she did have a sister who passed away because of a virus she caught while at the humane society before I adopted them. She has a cage that I believe is large enough, she has a wheel (yes I'm naughty, but the cage was a gift and came with a metal wheel with a chicken wire style "flooring" so her tail cannot get caught), the cage originally came with 2 shelves and I purchased 2 more so she would have more areas to hope around on. She also has a letterbox that she uses. Then I recently purchased a "bendy bridge" so she would have another thing to chew on and hide under. She also has a hammock that she will not use, she prefers the smallest shelf. she also has a lava rock thingy that she loves, and plenty of things to gnaw on.

My concern is that I am unable to exercise her enough. My bedroom is 10x10 and has enough room for my bed, a dresser, and her cage (which is about 3'x2'x4') and there is barely enough room for me to set anything else on the floor like my backpack. I also have to be careful if I do let her in her ball (again I'm naughty but I watch her closely in it) because we have at least 2 dogs at my house almost always.

I want to take her out and exercise her more but I am not sure what to do. Should I let her run around in my room with the door closed? I have let her out before and that turned into an hour game of chase because my room has a radiator...the water kind so she can't get burned... And it is just big enough that I can't get her out from behind there. She also opened up her cage one day and got out but within 5 minutes she jumped back into her cage.

I don't know how else I can get her out to exercise, any suggestions or tips?

As far as her sleeping pattern, I've noticed every night she naps between 11 and 12. I'm a college student so that is usually when I turn in for the night. Is that normal?

Thank you for your help in advance, I am just try into take the best care of her as I can.

 

[CRG7]

Can you block off the radiator so she cannot get near it? I have my bedroom TV and electronics on a corner stand, and used to have to block it off with an assortment of boxes to keep my little guy from getting back to the wires. I have since dismantled his starter cage, and have that set up as a type of baby gate to prevent him from accessing the electronics-corner.

Is there more room in the bathroom for her to play (and if so, can it be chin-proofed)? I started my boy off by letting him play in the bathroom. My shower has a door, rather than a curtain, so I was able to block access to the bath off that way. I removed everything from the room, and placed towels down over anything the couldn't be removed that he shouldn't get into. Of course, I sat in there with him and monitored him.

Everyone seems to agree that the balls are not safe for chinchillas, so I would get rid of that. Even by watching her closely, you may not be able to see her overheating or urinating in it until it has been done.

If the bathroom or bedroom are not options, I see that people on here purchase playpens to allow their chins to play in a designated area, so that may be an option for having her play in another area in the house.

 

[ninjaturtletayy]

I have a playpen for my apartment. It's small, but it's something. My chin wall surfs it the whole time or jumps on me.

Chins are most active at dawn and dusk, so a nap around then isn't a cause for concern.

Yes, get rid of the ball, and honestly the wheel needs to go too. Even though her tail can't get caught, her fur still can. Plus, odds are the wheel is much too small and can cause spine damage to your little girl.

 

[Donna]

Omg, Wall surfing, is that what that is called? It is an absolute delight to watch!