Chin needs transport cage

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midnight

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Okay, I had no idea where I could put this post, I thought putting it here was the best place.

So yeah, my chin is going to the vet. Nothing serious, just a check-up on his hind legs since he has those kind of white bubbles on them and I have no idea what it might be. Rather then leaving him with those things, we're going to te vet. To be honest, my chin doesn't seem all bothered with what he has on his legs. But since when do chins show their pain openly when they are not so painful until they are too late? Maybe he wants to prove me he's tougher than I think. However, I'm not taking any chances.

Now my problems is, how am I going to bring an active guy in the city? I have no chin transport cages with me. I won't have much time to buy one at one of the pet stores so I need to find something inside my house to do the trick. Would a landry basket do? Of course I would put a blanket on top so the guy doesn't jump out. Plus I don't wanna loose my lil guy :)

Any ideas?
 
do you have a cat or dog carrier? Or anything to bring any animal in? A laundry basket with a blanket over it is not going to be safe enough.
 
My chins would be out of that laundry basket in five seconds. You really need some kind of cage or carrier. I use a small cat carrier to transport my chins. Even after this vet visit, you still need a carrier. What if there was an emergency and you had to take your chins out of the house? I live near the coast and keep spare carriers on hand in case of a hurricane evacuation.
 
Do you have any sort of small cage?

If in a total pinch a box with some holes in it would work better than the laundry basket I think.

When transporting chins remember that if whatever they're in is large there is more room for them to fly before coming to stop ( aka hitting the side ) if you have to slam on the breaks or someone hits you. That's why most show and shipping carriers are not large, it's not that we think it's great fun to be cruel and shove them in a little space, it's to help prevent injuries during travel, think of it as a car seat for a chin...

They should have room to stand up, turn around, etc. they shouldn't be totally smooshed in there, but a 9" x 9" area is plenty big enough for a trip to the vet.
 
if you feel like mutilating a rubbermaid bin that has a lid and putting air holes in it (small enough that the chin can't get his head out any of them), then that would be safer. toss a couple chew toys in so that he's distracted enough to not try chewing the plastic? and later that rubbermaid can double as a hay storage bin!
 
Do you have a cardboard box? Fold the top closed, cut a bunch of holes in the side, maybe quarter size, lay a blanket down and pile in some hay. The cardboard carrier I brought my boys home from the shelter was basically a glorified box
 
I don't have any carrier cages of any kind or I would have obviously used it. My chin would get out of a laudry basket quickly, he's way smarter than you might think he is. And he wouldn't even stay in there for a second, trust me on that. I was just giving an idea and want more. I was thinking a small landry basket with a cover on top with solid pins holding the cover down or he would too easyly jump out.

The boxes aren't a bad idea, though the boxes I have at the moment are kind of small and he would not fit in them at all. Poor guy, I wouldn't have the guts to squeeze him in one of those. If I did, I'm sure he would hate me forever. I could try finding one some place soon, though I live in the middle of no where with no transportation. My parents are gonna drive me at the vet. I'll have too look around more.

I could use some small basket to bring my chin since I do have loads of those in my disposal. Or I got his metal box attached to his cage with holes on the sides. I will have to tap the hole he uses to go into it if I was going to use. Well, maybe not tap, but you get what I mean, I need to cut off his access to get out through that hole. On another side, there's a 'door' which will allow me to get him out of there easliy.

The last time I went to the vet in emergency, I used one small basket and blanket on top so the sun wouldn't warm my previous chin up. At the time, I used these things because my chin was too sick to move at all. Please don't start acusing me of not bringing my chin to the vet in time. Go read my other post I wrote some time a year or so ago. It was none of my fault and I was more than willing to bring him to the vet. Since I didn't have a carrier or anything of the kind, I used a simple, small basket. I personally think it was better a basket at that time, and no worries, he had another blanket to lay on and a couple chew toys with him which he seemed to have noticed. That's the reason why I had the basket ine mind, so don't think I'm that sort of bad person. Why I don't have one now? Well simply because I wasn't sure if I would have another chin or not nor did it come to mind afterwards. After all, he's a home pet and I'm not going anywhere with him. Surely there's something in my house worth using for transportation.
 
For future reference, I use this carrier from Quality Cage and I like it. It's not too expensive either so it'd be a good investment for when this situation comes up again. I put her (Chloe, my chin) in the passenger's seat with the seat belt around the base of the cage and she's nice and secure that way. Plus, it's small enough so the sun doesn't reach the cage too well when we're driving and she can't get ricocheted around if I stop short.

I wasn't criticizing you for asking about the laundry basket, I was simply saying I didn't think it was a safe option. We understand you're just trying to get some good advice.

Do you mean you have a metal house thing? I can't really picture it, but if it'll work it's an option. Hope you find something!
 
I bought a $25 small pet carrier from Petsmart and it works well. This is what I used to pick up Ruby when I got her on Sunday. I put a fleece blanket inside to line the cage and hung up a hay bag for her to nibble on on the ride home. :)
 
So this is a seriously last ditch emergency carrier. But, in a pinch,if youre desperate....


The garbage can. I had to use this once for a very ill guy that was going straight to the vet from his owner surrender's home. There was literally NOTHING else available.

If its a kitchen garbage can, make sure its washed out and clean and put a blankie down and do put the lid on. Chins can jump :) If its the bathroom garbage can....uh, you will need to fashion a lid. IDK we used the kitchen garbage size. Have your spouse hold said garbage can or you can seatbelt it.

And not that this applies to you, but we found the garbage can kept contained all the fleas the poor little peanut was infested with and none got all over the backseat.
 
Stackie said:
Do you not have time to go to a Wal-mart and pick up a $20 cat carrier?
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I have to agree. It seems like you are just trying to make due with what you have at the house, when you really do NEED to get a carrier for your chinchilla. While some other items may work as a temporary solution, everyone needs a carrier for emergencies (fire, the chin is sick, etc.). Carriers are readily available at most stores (pet stores, walmart, target, kmart, etc), and they aren't expensive.
 
I use a small hamster cage and it works perfectly.

Please don't use a laundry basket... that's a really bad idea.
 
Never mind replying if you gonna tell me that I should buy something out in the city; I do not drive and i have school during the day. As for the animal carrier, I have none or I would have used it. I have no cats and my dog as high as my knee. It's not an emergency, though I still need to bring my guy for a check-up.

Caiti, this house thing my chin has is like a metal box with a hole, big enough for my chin to go in and out, on its side. There are smaller holes around him so air can pass through. Maybe I'll use that, though I would need to block the hole so he won't jump out. No worries, there's a side of this box I can slide off to take my chin out.

Magic Frost, a bin would be fine, but I might not use a garbage bin. My parents wouldn't allow me to use to bring my chin in town. Since it's not an emergency I wouldn't want the vets thinking me of a ill chin owner with a active and healthy chin. He just needs a check-up, that's all. But thanks for the suggestion :)
 
Please don't start acusing me of not bringing my chin to the vet in time. Go read my other post I wrote some time a year or so ago. It was none of my fault and I was more than willing to bring him to the vet. Since I didn't have a carrier or anything of the kind, I used a simple, small basket. I personally think it was better a basket at that time, and no worries, he had another blanket to lay on and a couple chew toys with him which he seemed to have noticed.
Click to expand...

I think first on your list of priorities has to be getting him a proper carrier, given that you found out last time you had a sick chin that it's something you need to have on hand. Your postabout the chinchilla last time made it clear that the animal was suffering from the later stages of an illness when you managed to transport him in the little basket - a chin with a slight leg problem will probably be a lot more adventurous and difficult to manage in a transport situation. Additionally, some chins get very scared in cars, so they can act in ways you wouldn't normally expect.

As a last resort, I would probably use a large plastic storage box with a lid, if you have one, punch holes the lid and secure it tightly.
 
Midnight, first of all it is against the rules to self-police...you can not tell people to not reply to your thread. This is a forum and anyone is welcome to respond with their opinions. If you have a problem with a post, hit the report button and the moderators and/or admins will deal with it accordingly.

Second of all, it is in the best interest of your chin's safety to buy a safe carrier. It is in no way safe to transport a chinchilla in a laundry bin, a garbage can, or anything else. You need something secure that the chin can not escape and something small enough that the chin will not be thrown within the carrier should a sudden stop or wreck occur. A chin will feel more secure in a smaller carrier, helping reduce stress. Plus it is always a good idea to have a carrier on hand anyway should an emergency occur. You don't exactly have time to find a plastic bin, punch holes in it, and find a lid for it should there be say, a fire or something. You can't tell me you hardy ever go to a Wal-mart or any other type of store like that that would carry a standard cat carrier.
 
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Also, I would add that getting a transport cage online is an option for next time - and it should be done *before* the next time the chin needs to go to the vet.
 
I give up. I ask for ideas and now I get lectures. All I asked for was ideas, nothing dramatic. I know I should have a ... carrier *before* going to the vet. But oh! I just made an appointment like two days ago and I had to squeeze that in my super tight schedule because I love my chin too much for him not to go to the vet! And I'm seeing the vet tomorrow. I'm a student still in high school, or since my school system is so different from you region's one, I might as a freshman in high school. I can't drive a car because I have no permit and I just started my courses on driving. Surprisingly, I am not a shopping freak. I haven't been to Wal-Mart for years to be honest and rarely been to a pet shop lately with their ridculous prices in the city. And no, I don't strave my chins by the way. In fact there's a lady that comes over now and then to sell me food and anything else my chins need at a really good price. And they are indeed healthy, you can trust me on that. And yeah, I'm a super busy person who doesn't go to town very often. Believe it or not, I have tons of homework to do and got 4 major projects on the go and I'm stressing out along with my courses after school. Think I have the time to go to the vet? or yet, go to a store? No. Getting to school takes a good deal of time. I'm super tired since I can't seem to get some sleep and my maths are near killing me every night. Plus, the teachers are stressing me out with tests and exams coming round pretty soon. Every morning I'm on the rush to catch the bus, and I actually feed my animals in the morning rather than feed myself breakfast because I care more that they are properly fed. My week had to be bad and it just seems to get worst every time I turn my head this way or that. AND I would never put my chin in a garbage can and never will! I asked a simple question of what items in my house I could for my chin's transportation. That's all. I don't have a darn carrier. Even if there was a *real* emergency, I would have the reflex to take my chins (probably put them in some sort of bin in arm's reach) and my dog out of the house safely. If I had to stand outside and watch my house burn down and had barely had time to get everyone out, I would be holding on my chins from getting away like my life depended on it. You would be surprised what I can do. PS I didn't tell people not to post here. I just said they shouldn't bother with it.

And all I wanted was ideas...
 
There are no DIY carriers that are appropriate for a chinchilla that is not at deaths door, just buy a carrier and be done with it already, you have time for a chinchilla you have time to buy a carrier.
 
Your parents have to got to the store every once and a while, get them to get a cat carrier from Walmart. The weekend is coming up, that means no school. Ask them to drive you to Walmart or a petstore and get a carrier. In the mean time see if you can reschedule your vet appointment, since it's not an emergency that should'nt be a problem. Honestly all I hear is excuses.
 
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