My wife and I just made a fleece hammock for our chins. However, I was wondering how other people attach it to their cages. I'm aware it's a hammock, not necessarily sturdy with the swinging, but the amount of swinging ours is giving seems to be freaking my chins out, and I'm worried it will have been a wasted effort.
Hammock
- Thread starter GinChin
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Shooper
"Ellie Mae"
Most people put a loop on each corner and use metal rings to attach it to the cage. Maybe try letting it droop a little more, or stretch out a little more until you find a good fit.
Chinmama
Well-known member
Some chinchillas just don't like hammocks, but I agree with Shooper. Play around with the tightness of it and eventually you may get it right. If you look at some cage pictures, you'll see that some chinchillas like it when it's pulled almost completely flat and others like it to hang loose.
landrk11
Well-known member
I had played with the tension of the hammock Lola was't a fan of hammocks until I put one of the wooden dowel bridges as a flat floor. I had put it up there to get it out of the way while I was cleaning the cage and she hopped in and seemed to like it that way. When I took it out she was trying to drag it to the top shelf so I just put it back in the hammock. I now use it as a floor of the hammock.
She loves her hammock now that it has a solid bottom. I think she got used to her fleece being rigid because she naps on laying up her fleece covered ramps.
I found that Lola likes having a solid surface to sit on so it may be an option if the tension doesn't work out.
They all have their little personalities and they are very set in their likes.
Let us know how it works out for you.
She loves her hammock now that it has a solid bottom. I think she got used to her fleece being rigid because she naps on laying up her fleece covered ramps.
I found that Lola likes having a solid surface to sit on so it may be an option if the tension doesn't work out.
They all have their little personalities and they are very set in their likes.
Let us know how it works out for you.
We actually did use grommets, and we took some thick jeweler chain and lobster claws to make it hang from four corners. I'll mess with the tension, and if that doesn't work I'll find something to use as a rigid floor. They have a wooden tunnel that I made that swings, and they love that, so it has to be something with the hammock that they're not liking. They both climbed out of their tunnel and tested it this morning, but refuse to stay in it with their full bodies for more than a second or two before jumping out of it.
Thank you all for the advice.
Thank you all for the advice.
Well, had one in it for a solid minute with a little more tension, second one about 10secs before she jumped out and won't let me set her back in it.
With the rigid bottom, sorry doing this from my phone and don't recall who said they did it. Did you so that into the fleece, or just set it on top of the fleece?
With the rigid bottom, sorry doing this from my phone and don't recall who said they did it. Did you so that into the fleece, or just set it on top of the fleece?
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Sorry for the repeated posts, won't let me edit my old ones anymore. My boy finally being in his hammock for all of 1min, and then his protest that I caught when I got home from work because I took out his wooden tunnel.
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ChinChiq
Well-known member
When I first put Luna's hammock in her cage, she was very leery of it. After a day or so, she would hop into it and hop right back out. Eventually she would sit in it for longer periods, but jump out if anyone came near her cage (like she thought she was someplace she wasn't supposed to be). After a couple of weeks of this, she finally accepted it and now loves to snuggle in it and uses it as another launching pad when doing laps around her cage. I think some chins take longer to warm up to hammocks, and some never do!
becky12883
Well-known member
It took my boys weeks to figure out that the hammocks weren't made of lava. Now they use them whenever we aren't looking. The only way I know they have been in them is the poops I find in them.
landrk11
Well-known member
GinChin,
I just lay the wooden bridge / tunnel in the hammock. It's probably the same tunnel you are using for the swing. It's bendable and I made it more flat with a slight curve to fit into the hammock.
You just need to find what is going to work for your little one.
Lola's hammock stayed unused for months regardless of the tension until I put the bridge / tunnel in the hammock and it's now solved the issue with the hammock for her.
I like to hear that a lot of other chins are just as fussy as my little fuzzbut. They have such strong personalities and preferences.
I just lay the wooden bridge / tunnel in the hammock. It's probably the same tunnel you are using for the swing. It's bendable and I made it more flat with a slight curve to fit into the hammock.
You just need to find what is going to work for your little one.
Lola's hammock stayed unused for months regardless of the tension until I put the bridge / tunnel in the hammock and it's now solved the issue with the hammock for her.
I like to hear that a lot of other chins are just as fussy as my little fuzzbut. They have such strong personalities and preferences.
