Cage questions

[Scribbles<3]

I am looking forward to getting my first chin in the next few months. What kind of cage should i buy? Also, what are the best brands/styles for things like the wheel for running, dust bath, ledges, toys, treats, tubes, and any others you may know of!
Thanks

 

[MMMTDF]

I do not know what is the best cage to have but I know that Martin's Cages are good for them. The best wheel for running I would say is the chin spin, or saucer. Dust bath...blue cloud or blue sparkle, i think. Ledges are pretty generic, just a good wood ledge. Toys.... I do not know...I know mine love raisins but they aren't very good for chins...I would say rolled oats or rosehips are mine's favorites other than raisins. That it pretty much!

 

[leni]

From being on here, the Ferret Nation is quite popular and I just got one myself last week and I love it. But I have heard that Quality Cage has good ones and Martin's cages as well. For wheels a lot of people suggest the 15 inch Chin Spin from Quality Cage, but they've been having an issue with their powder coating so it would be better to get one without it. The flying saucer is also available with them but I've heard it takes some chins a long time to learn to run on it because it's made differently than typical wheels. Blue Cloud dust is awesome! I was using the Kaytee stuff from the pet store and when I switched my chins' fur got sooo soft and pretty. Um, I can't think of anything else, but if you go to the top of the page and hit search you can find a lot of things. The master list FAQs are good to look at also. Lots of good info. You were lucky to come on here before you got yours, I didn't find them until after I got two of my little guys and it's been quite the learning experience. If you can't find anything, just ask, they're great about answering questions here

 

[Scribbles<3]

Thank you so much, for the dust bath, i think i remember reading that a plastic one isnt good, is that true?
Thanks Ieni.

 

[leni]

You can use a plastic one, the Super Pet one is one I use and it's okay as long as you watch them with it. You're just leaving it around them for 15-20 minutes at a time, not the whole time or else they just sit and poo in it or dust too much and end up with dry skin. A lot of people use glass candy jars or the like, they can be run through the dishwasher and are a lot cheaper. I'm getting some myself.

 

[Scribbles<3]

"like, they can be run through the dishwasher and are a lot cheaper. I'm getting some myself. "
what do you mean? lol

 

[leni]

Oh sorry, when you're going to clean the glass jars you can just put them in the dishwasher to clean. And they run about half the price that the plastic dust bath houses at the pet store do. You can use open containers as well as long as the chin can fit comfortably to roll around in, but that also makes a way bigger mess. Haha, I know it's a lot of information, I was on overload when I first got on here. A lot of things also depend on the personality of your chin. Some chins prefer bathing in open containers as opposed to being closed in.

 

[leni]

Fleece items are also pretty popular here, to use as liners on the bottom of the cage instead of bedding and for housing. Some chins like to chew on the fleece also so it wouldn't work for them, but that I will leave to the experts haha, I myself am getting some fleece stuff soon but I don't know how to make it or anything. I just got it from some of the suppliers on here. You can look up chinchilla supply stores on here and see what a lot of the members have to offer. It's usually a lot cheaper than pet store stuff and a lot better quality. They offer food, toys, dust, etc.

 

[Rickman]

I've been using 1 gallon 'pickle jars' since I got chins!
They're free, and you get to eat what comes inside!
Less dust in the air, hence - less waste and mess!

 

[Cuddlebug]

The wooden shelves/ledges should be made of kiln dried pine, aspen or poplar. Other woods have toxic resins in them. You can also use 1 gallon fish bowls for a dust house. Most of my cages are from Quality Cages and I have the 15 inch chin spin, too. I really love them and have not had any problems with either my cages or the chin spin.

 

[inzeos]

The biggest advantage that Ferret Nation or Critter Nation cages have over other cages is that you can fully open the doors for easy cleaning. The doors are the entire front side of the cage.

 

[Scribbles<3]

thanks everyone you guys are the best