Cage for 2 chinchillas?

[ChinAndShep]

Hello there,

I am new here so please bear with me. I am going to get 2 chinchillas soon, and I do not know if the cage I have bought is big enough.

It is 104cm high, 70cm in length and 42cm deep, I was only going to get 1 chinchilla but no breeder sells them alone here and now do not know if it is big enough for 2.

Many thanks,
ChinAndShep.

 

[Smidgeyy]

Are these chins already bonded? Even if they are, you should have another cage in case you have to separate them. You never know when they will decide they don't want to live together anymore.

As far as the size goes... Personally, that seems too small to me. I would invest in a double Ferret/Critter Nation and keep that cage as a spare. I have two CN cages and I absolutely love them. They're so roomy and easy to clean. :]

 

[Amethyst]

The minimum acceptable cage size is 3ft x 2ft x 2ft (roughly 91 cm by 60 cm by 60 cm) for 1-2 chins, so that cage you have is about minimum size. A single FN cage is that size and there are a lot of people that house 2 chins in them, it doesn't give them room to get away from each other though, so a double FN size cage is preferred for more then one chin.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

The OP is in the United Kingdom. Are Ferret Nations sold there?

 

[ChinAndShep]

Thank you for the replies,

No I do not believe Ferret Nations are sold in the UK, and I haven't yet selected the chinchillas however they will be bonded. I thought that my cage was quite big because the pet stores sell really small cages and label them as two chin cages. I will invest in another cage to be spare, but we also do have a large dog and our apartment is small, so I'm not sure if I could get any larger ones. Another thing is they will be out for 2-3 hours a day, some people say that if they are out for long they can have slightly smaller cages and I do not personally believe that but if I have a minimal size cage it might help a little bit, I don't know I'm terrible at explaining so sorry if it doesn't make any sense.

 

[Dreamlite]

I think they are but they aren't called ferret nations. I know thickets cages in the UK are great cages for pairs.

 

[ChinAndShep]

This is the one we got but we got it from eBay: http://www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Lazy_Bones_4_Tier_Ferret_and_Rodent_Cage.htm

 

[ChinAndShep]

This is the one we got but we got it from eBay: http://www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Lazy_Bones_4_Tier_Ferret_and_Rodent_Cage.htm

 

[tunes]

There is no set size for a chinchilla cage, no matter how many chins you put in it. Pet owners have decided that X size is necessary, but that's up to the individual owner. IMO, if you are just a pet owner, then go for the biggest you have room for and can afford. You will enjoy giving them the extra space and most likely you would end up buying bigger later anyway.

BTW, people with generous sized breeding runs which are 24 x 24 x 12. Most large ranchers use 16 x 24 x 12 or even smaller.

Chin and Shep - You are going to want to immediately either remove those ramps, or find a way to completely cover them from top to bottom with fleece or wood or something. I can't tell you how many chins I've seen that have gotten their toes caught in the wire on the ramps and end up dangling for hours with a broken leg or dislocated hip.

 

[ChinAndShep]

I think I am just going to take out all the levels because I do not really like them, and I am going to replace all that with wooden ledges, toys, hammocks, etc because the ramps take up all the space. Possibly in the future I might save up for a larger cage but probably not for another year or so.