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kellyzoo

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Hi all,
I manage a small zoo in MD. We recently are having two chin's donated and are working on making them an awesome enclosure.

I'd love to have some advice and tips on how to make the enclosure the best it can be. The space we have is approximately 12 feet tall, 6feet wide and about 4 feet deep. It is made out of galvanized wire and pressure treated wood. It has a roof and a shade tree overhead.

The Chin's will be moved into an air conditioned area in the summer heat.
I'm new to Chin's , so any advice, tips or super cool ideas for an enclosure would be fantastic!

Also, I am trying to find out if they can dig?If so, I will use pavers along the bottom of the enclosure so they cannot get out.

Thanks in advance.
 
I would make sure they can't access the wood. I understand that you want to make sure it lasts, but they will chew it even through the wire. I could just maybe see about lining it with metal, like a post wrap.

Chins don't really dig per se, they love places to hide, they love to jump and climb. I would put a lot of chin safe branches and rocks in it.

For food a good plain pellet. I'm not sure what's readily available in MD, but Oxbow is good if you can get that. Also hay and water ( bottle or valve system, not a bowl). Chins don't need fruits or vegetables.

They need dust to keep clean.

If it is a male and a female make sure the wire is small enough no babies can escape. Adults need no bigger than 1" x 1" or they can squeeze through.

Sounds like it's plenty big for them! If you want people to kind of awe at them in full motion you can put in a wheel as well. Check out flying saucers. With that size of space they necessarily need it for exercise but they would probably run on it anyway. Make sure they have a lot to chew on, like pine blocks or pumice stones to wear down their teeth...
 
Could the chins be kept inside all year? They aren't really good outdoor animals since they really aren't wild chinchillas. I'd be very worried about them chewing out when they are outside. Also, I am not sure about the chemicals in the pressure treated wood. Chins need to have wood that doesn't have chemical treatment - that can be very dangerous for them.

I am sure people will give you lots of tips and suggestions. I'm just not too sure about the idea of keeping them outside in a zoo...
 
I would be wary of keeping them outside as well. They really shouldnt be in a draft or in the sun. I know you mentioned a shade tree but chins over heat very quickly. They like their hidey houses alot. If you get males be sure you have someone checking for hair rings on a monthly basis.
I'm pretty sure Oxbow is available just about everywhere, so it Mazuri which is another good quality pellet. Most of their diet should be hay though. Timothy and orchard grass are what I personally use. I wouldnt give them Alfalfa simply because the pellets are alfafa based.

I have never seen a chin dig except in their dust bath, and thats more of a "gathering" motion. Also be sure you dont leave the dust bath in the enclosure all the time. Once ever 2 or 3 days for 15 to 30min is sufficient.

Good luck and hope all goes well with your new additions!
 
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Will there be anything to catch them, like a hammock or something, in case they slip and fall from the top of the enclosure? Typically owners who have tall cages design them so that if there are any mishaps, the chin only falls down a short section of the cage, rather than all the way to the bottom. I've been told that chins dont have the best depth perception, and my chins still occasionally slip or sleep-roll off the top ledges. Twelve feet is a long way to fall..
 
Welcome, you have found the best place to learn about chinchillas. Please post pics of the area, that would help. Don't house them with other animals. It will be worth the effort, they will be very entertaining and cute for your zoo visitors.
 
I highly doubt that someone is going to make a 4 x 8 hammock... Usually zoos try to replicate their natural environment which doesn't contain bright pink hammocks.

The easiest solution would be not to put any high shelves or branches in.
 
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Thank you all for the tips and suggestions. They will only be outside if the temps are lower than 75-80 degree's..they will have an indoor air conditioned area for hot days.

Although the cage is very tall, I decided to keep everything down low, at about hip and lower level...tree limbs--safe one's , branches, lots of rocks, some tunnels and ramps for them as well. I also made two hide boxes,,and filled them with timothy hay for if they want to get away from being seen. They also have two sides of the enclosure sealed off as a wind protection..
Thank you again for the tips and advice!
I'll try and snap some pictures soon
 
So would this airconditioned area be attached to this outside area or it that some place to move them to, like a seperate cage?

I am still a little nervous about the idea of them being outside. 75-80 degrees is too hot for a chin to be outside especially if the humidity level is greater than 50%. That is not uncomfortable for them it is dangerous and could create a heatstroke situation.

They simply should not be outside IMO - they really require a climate controlled environment. Optimal chin keeping temperatures are between 50-70 degrees.
 
Chins need to be in an environment that the temps are in the mid 60's. Above 70 degrees F. and they become too warm and they have no way of cooling themselves and can die pretty quickly. It sounds like it gets too hot outdoors in your area for a chin to be outdoors. Indoors only. They need (Blue Cloud) dust to roll in, hay (Timothy), high quality pellets, wood chews like apple sticks to keep their front teeth trimmed, places to hide, a wheel or saucer for exercise...they are chewers so anything they are exposed to needs to be safe for chins...
 
Above 70 degrees F. and they become too warm and they have no way of cooling themselves and can die pretty quickly.
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This is not true. Chins can regulate the temperature in a small enclosed area. Not sure how they do it, but they do. They can also acclimate to considerably higher temps.

The boxes, if on the ground with a small hole would allow them to regulate themselves.

It's all about acclimation. Granted you don't want people visiting the zoo thinking they are outdoor pets. They also start to lose a noticeable amount of weight in association with exerting the energy cool themselves when it gets to 80 and above.
 
I know that chins can live in warmer temps, but I think that a zoo of all places should work to provide them with the ideal habitat. If you're having chins outside on a 80 degree day, you're going to have people coming to the zoo, seeing them in that weather and assuming they can do the same. A zoo is there to educate, why not help educate as well on the proper care and climate for a chin? I mean, if you're going to have chins, you might as well talk about their native habitat which is in a cool desert. You could easily incorporate the proper care of a chin into that by saying that chins do best at lower temperatures due to them being native to a cool climate.

I will say that given a big enough enclosure, chins don't need a wheel for exercise. Is one fun? Yeah, but if it's a good zoo, they're going to want it to look semi-native and a wheel doesn't do that. Enough perches, branches and things to climb on will keep them occupied.

Here are some pictures of the chinchilla exhibit at the National Zoo for inspiration.

DSCN1688.jpg


DSCN1687.jpg


DSCN1686.jpg
 
It's a little strange to see a beige chin in a "natural" environment like it was wild! :) That's a totally domesticated animal there.

Chins should not be kept outside at all. There's so much fluctuation in temperature and humidity that it wouldn't work out well. Yeah, they can be acclimated to being over 70 degrees...but how do you acclimate for a 20 to 30 degree temperature swing that can occur out of nowhere? So, you have a chin that is used to being at 72 degrees and then it gets down to 45 because there is a storm or the weather changes suddenly overnight. That type of change would scare me.

Being outside isn't something that really should happen with domesticated chinchillas. I had some not so smart customer tell me it was ok to leave them outside in Phoenix, Arizona because they were outside in the wild. The chins we have aren't wild and even if they were, we'd have a heck of a time replicating their natural environment if we depended on the weather to provide the proper temperature and humidity.

The enclosure probably needs to be set up with some type of ventilation with maybe air conditioning, possibly heating and definitely some type of dehumidifying system. Just leaving it up to the weather and hoping that it will be nice enough isn't a good idea.
 
I mean, they keep lots of other animals in climate controlled environments at zoos (snakes, reptiles, penguins, etc.) I don't see why chins would be different....
 
Spoof said:
This is not true. Chins can regulate the temperature in a small enclosed area. Not sure how they do it, but they do. They can also acclimate to considerably higher temps.

The boxes, if on the ground with a small hole would allow them to regulate themselves.

It's all about acclimation. Granted you don't want people visiting the zoo thinking they are outdoor pets. They also start to lose a noticeable amount of weight in association with exerting the energy cool themselves when it gets to 80 and above.
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Ok, I agree that that isn't entirely true, but, isn't it safe to say that they prefer cooler temps, and 75-80 seems a bit high to me. I just think that being indoors, in a climate controlled room, is a safer environment for them. Keeping the temp consistent.
 
VolunteerChin22 said:
I mean, they keep lots of other animals in climate controlled environments at zoos (snakes, reptiles, penguins, etc.) I don't see why chins would be different....
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This is what I was thinking. It also just seems more logical to only have one indoor habitat, instead of having an outdoor enclosure that would only be used when conditions are ideal. Sounds like a waste of space to me.

I agree with what everyone else said. Make sure you're only using chin-safe woods. I've misplaced the list. Could someone post a link to it?
 
Wild chinchillas = Natural Habitat

Domesticated chinchillas = temp/ humidity controlled cage, no rain, etc..

It seems like it would be similar to putting a shi-tzu in a wolf habitat? Domestic chins have been bred out for so long they really aren't designed the way the wild ones are any more.

Wild Chinchilla:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3fgCHCLd-wMX6Ttwak06Rg

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/t6wCncCzM_Y5NlKIFwXKNA

Domestic Chinchilla:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=246&pictureid=3368
 
I'm in MD and I would think that outdoors here is way too humid and inconsistent for them. I would want them inside all the time where the temp and humidity can be regulated.

If you want to contact me I'd be happy to come out and help you out, or have you visit me.
 
This is not true. Chins can regulate the temperature in a small enclosed area. Not sure how they do it, but they do. They can also acclimate to considerably higher temps.
Click to expand...

I constantly feel the need to argue this point. Yes, a chin "might" acclimate to higher temperatures, but that's for your convenience and not theirs. My barn got down to 49 degrees the last 2 days. My chins were absolutely spastastic, running, surfing, playing, bright eyed, and bushy tailed. Let that barn go above 70 degrees and they are quiet, sleeping, hiding in their houses, etc. You will never convince me or other experienced chin owners, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say large ranchers, that 80 degrees is beneficial to a chin.

Whether or not they can acclimate is different from whether we should force them to do it. As Allison pointed out, a zoo is there to educate. These are not wild chinchillas, these are domesticated chinchillas. Their needs are completely different from a wild chin, therefore, their habitat should reflect that. Yes, throw in the branches and the rocks and so forth, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with a dark green hammock or providing them with the proper, and well known to be safe, environment.

Anything that zoo shows, John Q. Public is going to assume is a-okay when it comes to owning their own chin. We would shred someone who came on here stating they kept their chins outside in those kinds of temperatures, because we (the collective forum, as well as ranchers Tara, and you know that) would disagree that it's okey dokey to keep chins at 80+ degrees just because you get them used to it.

Kellyzoo - Moon (Monika's) offer is a good one. Please take the time to visit with her, see her set up, and see the kind of temperature, feed, watering set usp, etc. that are good and safe for a chin. She's good people and she won't steer you wrong. I think it's wonderful that you are setting up a habitat for a chin and want to educate people on them, but please, educate them in the right way with what is safe for them. They need to be inside in a climate controlled area.

Also, please don't get sucked into the mindset that most zoos have that chins need fruits and vegetables and all other manner of crap foods. They don't. Again, these are domestic chins. They need a good quality pellet, good quality hay, and fresh water, preferably from hanging bottles, not bowls. Nuts, raisins, dried fruits, fresh fruits, vegetables, overloads of alfalfa hay, etc. are just not good for chins. Zoos will argue this, because they read it on the internet somewhere or they saw a picture of a chin in the wild gnawing on a fig or something (I have no idea what's in that region, just throwing that out there :) ), but the domesticated chin is not used to a diet loaded with those kinds of foodstuffs. Pellets, hay, and water, that's it. It also makes it a heck of a lot easier to eliminate things if there is a diet related issue causing an illness, than if they have everything but the kitchen sink in the food bowls.
 
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