2 New Chins- Housing?

[blondiebabe54]

I was looking at different websites- and I was wondering what kind of cage to get for TWO chinchillas. They are both babies, therefore I'm not sure whether I should get two ramps or three? how many floors? slide-out pan or drop in? balconies? Any other basic supplies I will need? THANKS

 

[charliebearmama]

I personally prefer drop in pans to keep their little feet off of wire. I would recommend maybe getting a one level ferret nation and adding on when they get bigger. As for ramps, I would just use leaping ledges and add between the levels.

 

[Rickman]

In my experience, if you get a empty cage, maybe 30" wide x 15" deep x 30" high, with a pull-out pan and no wire floor, and install your own kiln-dried pine shelves, ramps and a wheel the way you think your chins would want them, you'd be better off than getting one with all that installed in wire anyway. You'd just have to remove it and start over again!
Just remember to allow enough room to make cleaning easy!
Don't forget a water bottle for filtered water and a feeder for good pellets!

 

[tunes]

Here's a very nice cage set up that Brandon just posted. It should give you an idea of how some people set them up: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1364

A lot of people like Quality Cages and Ferret Nations. Neither is cheap, but both are very nice and built to last. I agree with not getting the shelves and stuff inside. Just order the basic shell of a cage and decorate it yourself. It's just a waste of time having to get rid of all the wire after the fact.

My pans are pull out. I don't want drop in and I don't want wire bottoms. Pull out are nice and easy when it comes to cleaning. Drop ins seem like they would be a pain in the butt with that big cage on top of them. But, if that's all you can get, I'd choose that over wire any day.

Lots of hammocks, chubes, shelves, bridges, leap-n' ledges, etc. It will give them lots to do as well as hopefully break any falls between ledges. Ramps don't really do any good, because chins don't use them. They mostly just hop between levels.

 

[Brandon]

I agree with Peggy (tunes).
Quality Cages (www.qualitycage.com) and Ferret Nations (www.ferret.com) seem to be the most popular on the forum. The cage that Peggy posted from me is actually a Quality Cage Townhome and can comfortably hold two chinchillas.

 

[JennyBug]

I have a Ferret Nation 142 model and I love it... it's nice because it has two levels that you can close off from one another to give each chin his/her own apartment (if they decide not to get along one day), or you can put both in one section to clean the other section then switch to finish cleaning (I hope that makes sense...). Since both of your chins are babies, I'm assuming they are related and/or have spent lots of time together, so you know they get along. What you could do is purchase a one story FN then add the FN 143 as they grow. Tons of room for them, ease of cleaning for you!

 

[Tillygizmo]

I have an older wire cage and I have been putting my own untreated pine shelving on top of the wire shelving because I have no real pine shelves. My problem is that the cage is only 15 inches wide and I cant find any that size. Anyone know where I can get them or have suggestions?

 

[cherylslittleangels]

tillygizmo,

contact Carise at www.geocities.com/forchinatechins/chincessories
her boyfriend makes ledges to your size specifications.

Cheryl

 

[iayla]

Also - if you buy your kiln dried pine from Home Depot - they'll cut it to size for you. (I suggest making it slightly smaller than the inner dimension of the cage tho, to give you a lil room to manuver it into place.
~Barb~