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fluffycupcake

fluffycupcake

New Chin Parent
Joined
Oct 28, 2011
Messages
97
Location
TN
Hello all. First of all let me say that this forum is wonderful. After looking over everything I'm kind of feeling a bit overwhelmed with new information & questions, because I am slightly OCD, I need to know every detail & have things semi planned out in my head!


I don't have my chinchillas yet, but I'm going to be getting 2 soon. I'm going to buy the Ferret Nation cage, I believe its a 142. I really hope it isn't a pain to assemble. I am not the best assembly person, so this could get ugly once I try and craft something like that.
Anyways, I saw a thread about making your own shelves. I noticed in the pictures that they left the edges squared, does everyone have the squared edges or do you prefer to round the edges off?
I also plan on ordering those pans, Bass pans I believe they are called? Anywho, I also want to try my hand at crafting some fleece items for them. Is there a certain kind of fleece that I should buy? I don't know too much about material, so I don't know if there are different "kinds" of fleece or not. Also, what about the insides of the fleece, what should I put inside of those? And if you make the fleece items for a bed, do you pad it with something different or just make them all the same?



And last of all, if you want to link me to any other threads or anything where I might learn some new info, please do.



Oh, I lied, that wasn't last, this is : What temperature is best for Chinchillas? And should I buy those cooling platform things that they sell in stores? And if so, what is the best place to put them in the cage?





Sorry for all of the questions, I tried to think of everything to put in this post instead of making a whole bunch of posts as more questions popped in my head!!
 
i cant really comment on anything OTHER than the assembly process since i JUST set up my cage yesterday.... it took me about 45 minutes to do by myself, and it wasnt too terribly difficult.. youll need a philips head screwdrive but thats it... its pretty easy... good luck!
 
I personally dont round the edges on my shelves because the chins just chew them anyway (they're suppose to). The Bass Pans will make a HUGE difference in clean-up, most of the mess will stay inside the cage! Most chins love the marble chillers and you can try different spots to place it in the cage until you find the perfect spot for you and your chinnies. For your fleece accessories, just use fleece (no padding), you wouldnt want your babies to eat it and get sick! You will probably want to invest in a wheel or flying saucer in the future, most chins love running! Good luck and congrats! :thumbsup:
 
fluffycupcake said:
Hello all. First of all let me say that this forum is wonderful. After looking over everything I'm kind of feeling a bit overwhelmed with new information & questions, because I am slightly OCD, I need to know every detail & have things semi planned out in my head!


I don't have my chinchillas yet, but I'm going to be getting 2 soon. I'm going to buy the Ferret Nation cage, I believe its a 142. I really hope it isn't a pain to assemble. I am not the best assembly person, so this could get ugly once I try and craft something like that.
Anyways, I saw a thread about making your own shelves. I noticed in the pictures that they left the edges squared, does everyone have the squared edges or do you prefer to round the edges off?
I also plan on ordering those pans, Bass pans I believe they are called? Anywho, I also want to try my hand at crafting some fleece items for them. Is there a certain kind of fleece that I should buy? I don't know too much about material, so I don't know if there are different "kinds" of fleece or not. Also, what about the insides of the fleece, what should I put inside of those? And if you make the fleece items for a bed, do you pad it with something different or just make them all the same?



And last of all, if you want to link me to any other threads or anything where I might learn some new info, please do.



Oh, I lied, that wasn't last, this is : What temperature is best for Chinchillas? And should I buy those cooling platform things that they sell in stores? And if so, what is the best place to put them in the cage?





Sorry for all of the questions, I tried to think of everything to put in this post instead of making a whole bunch of posts as more questions popped in my head!!
Click to expand...


I have two FN 142's. Their not rly hard to put together. You only need a screw driver. Its pretty much large peices. A mistake or two might happen but its not hard to back track if it does.

Havnt rly heard anything from square edges vs rounded ones. I defenitly would make sure you dont have any sharp edges tho. And either way you go, expect your chins to chew them up a bit anyway. I dont visualize much problem with a rounded edge except maby a chin losing ballance on a jump occasionly. But mine do that some times anyway with a normal FN shelf.

The fleece i beleive is an Anti-Pill or blizzard fleece. But im not much on fabrices myself. Iv ordered mine from people. I no the point of it is, that type of fleece doesnt leave lose fabrices around that a chin can get a hold of and chew/rip/ingest. Their also supposed to be sewn a certin way to hide the thread you use so the chins cant get ahold of that and do the same thing.

Highest temp for chins is around 70F. If it gets higher then that at your location then youll need an AC of some kind. Chins dont get along well with heat. I keep two chin chillers in my fridge, but i honestly dont use them that often. If its hot enough for them, then the AC should probably be on. Of course its always good to have them as back up if something happenes.

The chillers however are heavy! If they were to fall on a chin, it would be disasterous. So i would suggest placing them on the bottem of the cage. Its not uncommon for chins to try and move them around, so make sure theirs nothing for them to knock it off of.
 
fluffycupcake said:
Hello all. First of all let me say that this forum is wonderful. After looking over everything I'm kind of feeling a bit overwhelmed with new information & questions, because I am slightly OCD, I need to know every detail & have things semi planned out in my head!


I don't have my chinchillas yet, but I'm going to be getting 2 soon. I'm going to buy the Ferret Nation cage, I believe its a 142. I really hope it isn't a pain to assemble. I am not the best assembly person, so this could get ugly once I try and craft something like that.
Anyways, I saw a thread about making your own shelves. I noticed in the pictures that they left the edges squared, does everyone have the squared edges or do you prefer to round the edges off?
I also plan on ordering those pans, Bass pans I believe they are called? Anywho, I also want to try my hand at crafting some fleece items for them. Is there a certain kind of fleece that I should buy? I don't know too much about material, so I don't know if there are different "kinds" of fleece or not. Also, what about the insides of the fleece, what should I put inside of those? And if you make the fleece items for a bed, do you pad it with something different or just make them all the same?



And last of all, if you want to link me to any other threads or anything where I might learn some new info, please do.



Oh, I lied, that wasn't last, this is : What temperature is best for Chinchillas? And should I buy those cooling platform things that they sell in stores? And if so, what is the best place to put them in the cage?





Sorry for all of the questions, I tried to think of everything to put in this post instead of making a whole bunch of posts as more questions popped in my head!!
Click to expand...

the cage isnt hard to set up its rather easy.

me personally i'd round them just a tad just so that they arent razor sharp

yes they are called bass pans, and they will work wonders. kinds of fleece you are able to get is Anti Pill or Blizzard. (me personally i think Anti Pill looks better). nothing is inside of the fleece. if you want to make a fleece pillow of fleece hidey house that has the pillow inside. what you stuff them with is fleece scraps. never use stuffing!

temperature can go up to 75. but i wouldn't go past 70 myself. Pretty much either way you will more than likely need an air conditioner of some sort.

the chin chillers, yes get them. but they are expensive. what i would do is go to your local Home Depot of Lowe's and get a granite or marble tile from them. break it so it's a little smaller or just leave it as one big tile doesn't matter. put it on the bottom of the cage though as in you don't want it crashing on your chin (yikes!)
 
Thanks for the links.

I don't remember seeing these questions answered anywhere, but if they are & I just over-looked them, then I'm sorry.
Anyways, what is the best type of cleaner to use on the cage when it is time for cleaning? Also, what type of stuff should I wash the fleece liners with? Should I get an un-scented type of detergent?
 
When you clean the cage, you should use a mixture of vinegar and water. With the wooden shelves, you can just use sandpaper to sand off any pee stains.

I just use a standard detergent.. nothing special. I'm not sure if that's the best choice, but my chins have been doing fine with it.
 
in regards to the chin chillers, if you get marble tiles from Home Depot or Lowes' you can actually get them cut there for free (at least my local Lowes' does...) - they will ask you to mark them (and provide marker/ ruler) then cut 'em up for you (I had them split several 12 by 12 tiles into 6 by 12 halves (and in some cases split the halves into a 6 by 8 and 6 by 4 piece))... and the tiles were a shade under $2 each...
 
Is there a certain amount of vinegar to put in?

I wasn't sure if there could be an allergy to a certain detergent or a certain scent. I'll probably just buy un-scented detergent, if I have to clean the cage with vinegar.. I'd hate to mix scents. Eww. Haha.

Thanks for that tip dcfluegel! That is probably the route I'll take with those. I never thought about that because its hard to think of places doing anything for free now-a-days.


Two more questions.. is there a "too cold" temp for chinchillas?

And I saw the thread about the DIY shelves and such, & I wanted to make one of those little bed things, with the little trim things around them. Its like a little platform type thing that you can put a little pillow in for them to sleep in. Not sure how well I explained that one. Anywho, how can I connect the pieces of wood together? Is it okay to use nails?

I feel so embarrassed asking all of these questions, sorry.
:(
 
white vinegar and water is known as 50/50. so you use half water, half white distilled vinegar.

don't use nails. use wood glue or white elmers glue (both should say nontoxic on it).

lowest temp for chinchillas is 55 degrees. but they feel comfortable in the 65 - 70 degree area.



*don't feel embarrassed about asking questions. we've all had to ask questions somewhere down the line. asking questions just means you want the best life for your chinnie :)
 
I really don't have anything to add, as you have already received a lot of great info, but I want to commend you on doing your research and homework prior to getting your chins. The more you know, the better off you and your chins will be. Can't wait to see pics of your soon-to-be furballs!
 
Thank you LoveBug for the response. :)

I'm really glad I found this forum, the information & the people are awesome!

And thank you Jenn. I want to make sure my future chins have the best things available so they are healthy & happy. I don't want to be scrambling around for information or have to go out and buy something different once my chins arrive. I want everything to be perfect for them & have everything all ready. I feel like I'm expecting a child or something. Which I guess in a way I really am! Haha.
:)


Once again, I thank you all for answering my questions!
 
I use unscented detergent because I'm not sure if it's healthy for them to have the scented type. When you clean the cage it'll smell like vinegar for a little while but once it's dry you won't be able to smell anything. Oh and when you make your liners or other fleece items, make sure you wash and dry the anti-pill fleece before you start sewing, that way they don't shrink after you've made them and will still fit nicely in your cage. One other thing you might want to do before getting your chin is to start putting together an emergency kit for if something goes wrong and you can't get to the vet immediately. http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18258&highlight=emergency+kit, Or look at this website for ideas, http://qualitymutationchinchillas.com/yourchinstoregalore/medicalsupplies.html

Good luck with everything!
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all of those tips rainey! :thumbsup:

Especially about the Emergency kit, I hadn't even thought about something like that.. I'll check it out & start stocking up on some items.
 
Okay, so 2 new questions... I didn't want to make a new topic, so figured I'd just post right here again.
:)


Anyways, what types of animals can pass on diseases to chinchillas? And can you give details if any are known or links would be good too. (;

Also, how many chinchillas would you think could live comfortably in a FN 142 with 2 levels?
 
and a quick side note on the shelf/ ledge/ bed assembly - I picked up a doweling kit (drill bit, collar, and 2 metal dowel plugs along with some dowels (1/4" size) for about $5 at Home Depot (could not find em at Lowes for whatever reason...)... I tend to use dowels and wood glue (elmers non toxic, my favorite flavor) for house/ shelf assembly and the doweling kit makes it pretty easy to drill 2 holes, put the metal plugs in and use them to mark where on other board I need to drill to match them up (I actually ended up getting several of these kits so I can do multiple sides at once, but that is my OCD getting out of its cage...) - to me, provides a bit more stability with chin safe products and not a whole lot of extra work...

:)
 
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