Cages, Wheels, Food, & Cats! Help!

[NiftyKat]

Hello all! I have yet to own any chinchillas, though I've always wanted too. My guinea pig recently passed away, and I always said once he was no longer with us, I would have chinchillas. The time has come that I hope to get two kits in the next couple of months, and I have been doing research like mad. I had no idea I had so many things to learn! With all this research though, comes some confusion. As I'm sure you all know, there is a lot of conflicting information out there! Therefore, I have several questions to ask that I'm hoping everyone can help me answer!

1) The main cage I'm looking into is the Ferret Nation 182. However, the trays in it are plastic and I've read in a few places that ramps aren't good for chinchillas? That I'm totally not sure about. The link below is the cage I'm considering. If anyone has any better ideas, please let me know what they are and where to find them!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10431+15340&pcatid=15340

2) Chinchilla wheels ... I was looking into the silent spinner. However ... no one has mentioned that wheel in any of the forums .... Therefore, I think it's probably a bad idea. Opinions? I've read a bit about the metal flying saucer, but have no idea where to get one ... Link for the silent spinner below.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10378+12646&pcatid=12646

3) Is Oxbow Essentials Chinchilla Deluxe food okay? Everywhere I've seen it online has good reviews from customers. So I'm assuming it is .... I just wanted opinions.

4) Chinchillas and cats .... My cats did fine with my guinea pig, and I use to let him run around in his play pen and they all got along fine. I believe chinchillas will be big enough that they should be okay, like with my guinea pig. I was just wondering if anyone had any stories.

I THINK those are all my questions for now .... if not, I'll be sure to let you all know! P

 

[Pikaia]

Hi there! Kudos to you for researching!

The Ferret Nation 182 is an excellent cage. The trays are plastic and have to be either covered in fleece or you can buy metal pans to replace the plastic ones from BASS equipment (http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Ferret+Pans/default.aspx). You can purchase the fleece liners from members here on the board or make your own (http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20384). Chins do not need the ramps, but if you use them, make sure to cover them in fleece. Tiny toes can get caught and hurt. The two large black plastic shelves can be covered in fleece or taken out all together. Most people take them out and buy/make wood shelves to use in their cage. Just make sure it is chin safe wood. Most popular choice is kiln dried pine. Here is a thread that will show you examples of Ferret Nations all done up: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134

Silent Spinner is no good. It is plastic, which is a no-no and not big enough for a full size chinchilla. I have the Silver Surfer (http://www.chinchillas.com/estore/detail.aspx?ID=106) and also the ChinSpin (http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=129_142_143_144&products_id=1802). Both excellent choices.

Yes, Oxbow is a good chinchilla feed. Many members feed it. Mazuri and Tradition too. There are others, but those are on the top of my head.

No with chinchillas and cats. It is too dangerous to allow them to interact. Once scratch or bite and your chinchilla could be seriously injured. It is too much of a risk. Keep them seperated. Plus, I believe cats can carry a bacteria in their mouth that is harmful to chinchillas.

We are always open to answer questions, so ask away!

 

[Cuddlebug]

The Ferret Nation Model 182 is a really good cage. So is the Quality Cages Chinchilla Mansion. The ferret Nation, as previously mentioned, will need the shelves wither covered or replace with wood. More than toes can get hurt on the ramp, they can break their legs on them. Chinchillas prefer to jump any way. The Mansion comes with metal pans and wood shelves so all you need to do is put it together.

The silent spinner is a piece of crap. It is plastic, which they can chew, breaks easily, and is too small. Chinchillas need a 14" (preferable a 15") wheel. Anything smaller causes them to arch their back unnaturally. This could lead to problems. The chin spin and the flying saucer are the best ones. You can order them from Quality Cages Company.

Oxbow is one of the best feeds out there for chinchillas.

You can have both chins and cats, you just need to make sure that they never play together. You also need to make sure that the cage is where the cat cannot get to it and reach through the bars to paw at the chinchilla. And yes, there are diseases that cats can give to chins.

 

[ArmyWife]

I have a ferret nation and love it. I removed the ramps and made wooden ledges for my two chins to hop onto. I also covered the trays with fleece that I throw in the wash every week.

If you're planning on getting kits, I wouldn't worry about getting a wheel yet as it's suggested to wait until the kit is older. The flying saucer and chin spin are the two best chin wheels out there. I honestly don't have a wheel in my chins' cage. I occasionally let them out to play in the bathroom while I supervise them and otherwise, they spend time hopping and running around the cage.

I feed my chins oxbow and they love it. Definitely one of the best out there and you can buy it at local pet stores.

My chins are never around cats. The few times they were when my mother watched them, my chins were in a separate bedroom but they knew when the cats were outside the door and became very panicked and frightened. You will definitely want to make sure your chins are separated from the cats.