Housing for pregnant females?

[eastcoastchins]

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on hidey houses I can give to my pregnant females. I'm afraid to use wooden houses because I don't want babies to be crushed if the mom jumps around and flips the house. It just seems too dangerous. And with the fleece houses, they tear them apart in a week or two. I've spent so much money on fleece houses just to have to toss them after about a month :hair: Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can give them? I feel so bad having them in a boring empty cage, but don't know what else to give them.

 

[tunes]

I don't think I've ever had an issue with a kit being crushed with a wood house. I've used them ever since I started breeding. There isn't a whole lot to choose from that chins can have. I have used cardboard boxes in a pinch. They won't last long, but they are cheap so it isn't so painful if they tear them up. The other thing would be PVC pipe maybe. I've used that as well.

 

[Godofgods]

Those were the houses that were made for my chins many years back. They love them. It was just pieces of poplar put together with dowels to make a hut that fit the exact dimensions of the shelf it was placed on.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I have had a female that would toss her tunnel around like it was nothing. She actually broke it in half, twice. My husband made me some heavy wooden houses and that solved the problem. They are nice and big and hard for the chinchillas to move around. He made them out of pine.

 

[jbcstratton]

Just get a wooden house and put hardware on one side with washer and wing nut to attach it to the side of the cage. That way it can't be flipped.

 

[eastcoastchins]

Thanks everyone! I'll try getting hardware for the side, good idea!