What's your opinion on this?

[KelseyLynn]

I posted a little about this in my "Chinchilla Training" thread, but thought I'd start a new conversation about it.

The breeder who I got my little girl from had about 50-100 chins all living in her basement. She had 2-3 chins in cages like this one http://www.buycages.com/prodpx/ma/big/Chinchilla-cage-r-680.jpg
And there were a few cages a bit bigger than that.

When I told her I had bought a Ferret Nation cage for my chin.. she said "Hmm, I always say, the bigger the cage, the wilder the chinchilla." And told me to only allow her in half of the cage until she was older.

What's your opinion on this? Other than the size of the cages, the chins seemed happy and healthy (no plastic or anything like that) and they had plenty of hay and pellets. Of course she probably could not afford to have 20+ cages the size of the Ferret Nation, but does that justify it?

I'd like to hear your opinions. Thanks!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Those cages are really, really hard to clean. I had a couple and got rid of them. I have 3 stacks of 3 levels of the FN cages and plan to switch all to them. When you put 2 in a level then it works. Actually I have 3 is some levels. I love the FN cages because I find them so easy to clean. I use a dust pan to scoop out the dirty pine shavings and replace.

 

[AZChins]

I've heard that before quite a bit, especially maybe about 10 or more years ago.

The way that it was explained to me is that the ancestors of our chins are burrowing animals and they seek out small, confined spaces. When cages are larger the chins do not feel as contained and may stress out a little more trying to cope with the amount of space and territory to protect. This can lead to the chins being more wild. Smaller cages seem to keep them calmer and they make it much easier to introduce chins. They make the chins feel safe like they are programmed to feel in small spaces.

One thing about chins that is very interesting is how when they are placed in a smaller carrier or cage they won't fight as readily as they will in a larger carrier or larger cage.

Pet chins are given the larger cages. If you visit a breeder or rancher, they will often opt for much smaller cages. Not just because of space constraints, but also because it cuts down the risk of accidents. In larger cages it may be necessary to offer places for chins to hide to make them feel safer.

 

[smhluvsmh]

My Gizmo has a FN142 all to herself and she has been in there since she is 6 months old. She is loving and well adjusted not wild at all. She runs and jumps all over her cage but she is a chin, that's what she's supposed to do. I can see why breeders and ranchers would use smaller cages. From what I understand, chins have different temperaments by nature and that is also influenced by nurturing to a certain extent. JMO.

 

[Chin_lvr]

So Susan, what would you recommend for a new chinchilla that you are trying to bond with? A smaller cage or larger? Or would it depend? What do you find works best with your rescues?

 

[AZChins]

I put them in smaller cages when they get here - usually 30"x18"x24" tall cages. You could start with a smaller cage and then get a larger one later after bonding. In the beginning it is all about making the chin feel comfortable and gaining trust...after you have that, you can go to a larger cage. Many of my customers have done just that and it seems to work better. Start small, move your way up as your relationship progresses with your chin, I suppose.

One of my customers has a cage that is about 10 ft x 5 ft x 5 ft tall. The chins spend 90% of their time in a small square section at the top of the cage that is about 15"x6"x8"!

You have to go by how comfortable chins are with their cages. Some chins go crazy if they are placed in a really large cage.

 

[Lillybabe]

My girls have a FN 142 all to themselves. I started them in just half of it for the first month and a half or so I had them. Once they were 3 months old I moved them up to both levels and they are doing very well. They have a fleece tube, fleece house, and wooden house to hide in. They however enjoy the longest ledge right under the top level pan and the wooden house the best. I can't imagine keeping them in anything smaller than half a FN 142 long term. Even in that half they seemed a bit squished. They are super friendly chinchillas. They let me handle them, scritch them, come to me and crawl on my arms, etc. I think chinchillas need space to exercise and jump around. Yes they might like small spaces but that is what hidey houses and such are for. Their whole cage shouldn't be a hidey house. How are they to get exercise if they are stuck in a tiny cage all of their lives? You also need a larger cage to make room for different hidey houses, ledges, hay boxes and food dishes. Had I stuck with just half of the FN for both chins it would have been a tight fit to have two water bottles, two food dishes, and two hay boxes. With only one of each there was the risk one of my girls would become territorial over the food and keep the other away. Since one is already significantly smaller than the other I did not wish to risk that.

Personally, I think it's inhumane to keep a chinchilla in the same size cage as you would a hamster. I have seen chinchillas houses in cages equivalent in size to a 10 gallon aquarium. I was told the minimum a chinchilla needs is 2 by 2 by 2 per chinchilla but I think that's a bit small. I think how well a chinchilla bonds depends on the personality of the chinchilla and how much time is put into bonding with them. Patience typically pays out. Also if a chinchilla is handled a lot as a baby it is more likely to be tamer as an adult if handling is continued. I am not sure of the reasoning of keeping them in tiny cages. In the wild a chinchilla would have lots of space and would be in a large herd. I read that they traveled in herds of 100s. Surely they had plenty of space to jump around and would only burrow or hide in small crevices when they slept. Or possibly when caring for their young.

 

[AZChins]

They get exercise in smaller cages. They move around a lot in smaller cages as they would in a larger cage. I never said to keep them in a cage the size of a hamster cage - hammie cages are usually too small for a chin to even turn around. They are less territorial in smaller cages, that's for sure.

Lilybabe, you purchased your chins as babies. Many of the chins that I get are older and mistreated and do not trust people at all. I don't like to use houses in my cages because they run to them when they are frightened...especially at first. Rescues have to be treated much differently than babies, that's for sure.

The large cages you use are a new thing that ranchers didn't use for decades. They had chins that would make it to be 15 to 20 years old with great frequency and without health issues in cages that are 1/4 of the size that pet people use now.

 

[Lillybabe]

Susan, I am completely sorry if I came off as aimed at you. There's nothing wrong with a small cage temporarily or a cage that is small for a chinchilla who is in distress, getting use to a good environment after being in a bad one, bonding with another chin, etc. I am sure you do everything in your power to provide the absolute best for your chins. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about them and you in general. I was talking about people who just buy them a tiny cage filled with plastic. Or pet stores that keep them in aquariums. Even watching on YouTube you can see teeny tiny cages people keep chins in. I understand even why breeders use runs and such, but those chinchillas shouldn't spend their whole life in the run.

As far as ranchers go I think there are also plenty who had a high death rate as well. There are ranchers especially 20 years ago who just kept the chinchillas in barns without AC or anything. There are all sorts of horror stories of hundreds of chinchillas being rescued from such places. Many of the "starter" kits for chinchillas have cages that aren't really even large enough for a small rabbit let alone a chinchilla. I am also not sure I understand not using houses in cages. Isn't the whole point for them to hide in the house when they're scared? Shouldn't every animal have someplace to go when they are frightened that makes them feel safe?

Yes, I know I got my girls as babies, but my first chinchilla was a rescue. I got him when he was nearly a year old. He'd been mishandled by the humane society and most likely his previous owner. He was very skittish when I first got him, but I treated him the same way as I have the girls. He had the whole FN 142 from about a year after I had him. The cage he was in before was about half to a third of the size of a FN 142. He had a wheel, etc. Yet he warmed up to me fairly quickly. He was the most laid back little guy after a while. Even the vet was surprised by how easy going he was. I'm just not sure keeping them in a smaller cage with or without a house makes a lot of difference. I think it is all about how they are handled and how patient those who are working with them are. In a safe, friendly environment I think most chinchillas will come around. How can they move around a lot in a smaller cage though? There isn't anywhere for them to move. Not much space for ledges to jump up and down, etc. My girls use every inch of their cage and my little malo guy used nearly all of it as well.

 

[Chin_lvr]

Thanks Susan!

Seems like this thread could probably go to the debate threads. I find it one of the more interesting questions that many of the new members (and old) could learn from. It seems most of the conversation regarding "bonding with my chin" is the same advice, it's refreshing to consider it from a different perspective (especially with some of those more bratty chins that can have a challenging personality). I would imagine that rescues, ranchers, breeders and pet owners would have different thoughts. I'd be interested to hear other long time chin owners perspectives. I hope we get to hear from them as well.

 

[ticklechin]

I have always had large cages, never had a problem with bonding.