is this cage ok?

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zooky

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May 25, 2012
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48
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im cleaning his cage, thats why the hay is everywhere and theres no toys, usually theres toys hanging down for him to play with.
 
The cage seems fine, but I would cover the plastic shelves with fleece or take them out and replace them with wooden ones. The plastic igloo and wheel aren't safe for chinchillas. I would add a tube and/or hammock to his cage my girls love those.
 
it's a little small imo, but it'd work for now.
just remove all plastic; shelves, ramps, igloo, and wheel.
get wood shelves and a wood house
a fleece covered tube (not sure if those bars would hold it though).
and i'd say a wheel but i'm not sure if one that is good for them would fit in there.
 
It's a little small, but it should be alright for now. The plasic in the cage has to go though. It's very easy to make your own wooden ledges or make a fleece cover for the plasic ledges. I would be worried about the plasic bottom on the cage too. The wheel deff should go, those wheels are wayyyy to small for chinchillas. How old is your chin? He might fit on it now if he's young, but he'll quickly out grow it. Chins don't need a wheel, but that doesn't mean we can't spoil them. Playtime should be enough exercise for him, even if it's just for 30 minutes a day.
 
all the plastic needs removed, as others have said. that includes the plastic food dish too.

ramps are not needed. chins jump from level to level. take the ramps out.

the plastic cage pan needs wrapped in fleece so that your chin can't chew the plastic.

the bars look flimsy. when you go to attach wood shelves, ensure they are bolted on where cage bars intersect, to make it stronger and to ensure that bars don't snap.

the hay rack is a leg entrapment. use a coffee cup instead, and use wire to attach it to the cage bars to keep it from being knocked down.

the plastic water bottle should have a metal guard on it, so that your chin can't chew a hole. my Rhino chewed a hole in his plastic bottle once, so only glass water bottles in this house now! lol.

size wise, that cage is ok for one chin, but i would ensure they get out for daily play time, as it is a tad on the small side in my opinion.
 
he actually never has chewed on any of the plastic. so would that be ohk? and the wheel compared it him in the pic looks small but in the pic hes moving so he looks bigger, the wheel fits him and i think its 12/14 inch wheel. so is that ok to keep too?
 
Even if he's never chewed the plastic, I would replace it. We've had some rescues come in that have been impacted, and you'd be amazed how TINY the piece of plastic that it was that impacted them. It doesn't take much.

The wheel you have is 12". That's the biggest those wheels come. Even though you say it "fits him," the smallest wheel a chinchilla should have is a 14" wheel - which means the one you have is too small for him. If you continue letting your chin use the wheel, he can develop a permanent curvature in his spine from running on a too-small-wheel. I would get rid of the wheel, and all the other plastic stuff in the cage. Your chin will thank you for it. :)
 
zooky said:
he actually never has chewed on any of the plastic. so would that be ohk? and the wheel compared it him in the pic looks small but in the pic hes moving so he looks bigger, the wheel fits him and i think its 12/14 inch wheel. so is that ok to keep too?
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Just because he hasn't chewed the plasic now doesn't mean he won't start in the feature. It's better to be safer then sorry and repalce the ledges as quickly as you can. It only cost me about $30 to fill my big cage up in ledges, and I'm a total cheapskape! lol

Those wheels only come in 12 inches, the minmal you need is a 14 inch. Wheels are quite a investment, they can range from $20-$80 or more. I would seriously consider taking it out, the last thing you want is your chin to get hurt running on it. He'll be fine without a wheel.

What's your chinnies name? I don't think you said! :)
 
I have the same cage.. got it as a starter cage for my first chinchilla.
I'm currently housing a year old chinchilla in it.
It seems to give more room if you take the plastic shelves out and replace with wood ones. They don't need ramps and the shelves take up far more than they need to. imo
 
ok thanks sooo much...everybody would you guys know how to make wooden shelves??? or where to buy them?? and where can i get a good wheel too? and his name is zooky!! and im trying to find a good priced bigger cage for him too i think i like this one, do you guys think this one is a good sized cage? http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4470999
 
thank you soooo much!!!! ill deff change the plastic. what kind of wood would be best for the shelves? and how do i make it or where do i buy it? and i think ill start saving for a new bigger and stronger cage so i can have more things for him and ill be sure to get a new wheel when hes grown out of this one. a wheel is suppose to be atleast 14" right?? i really appreciate eveything and im deff gunna make changes for the better. and his name is zooky!!
 
I would say the plastic shelves are ok to leave in the cage if you are sure he's never chewed on them, but you'll need to continue to monitor closely to make sure he doesn't start up. I still have one plastic shelf in my cage and she's never given it the time of day. Plastic isn't an issue for all chins, but you always need to pay close attention to make sure it never becomes an issue.

I would, however, remove all other plastic. The dish, hidehouse, and wheel should all be replaced.

I would also agree to remove the ramps and put in a lot of wood ledges for your chin to jump on. They prefer to jump anyway.

A fleece tube or wood hidey house or fleece hammock are great additions as well.
 
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jess32247 said:
Just because he hasn't chewed the plasic now doesn't mean he won't start in the feature. It's better to be safer then sorry and repalce the ledges as quickly as you can. It only cost me about $30 to fill my big cage up in ledges, and I'm a total cheapskape! lol

Those wheels only come in 12 inches, the minmal you need is a 14 inch. Wheels are quite a investment, they can range from $20-$80 or more. I would seriously consider taking it out, the last thing you want is your chin to get hurt running on it. He'll be fine without a wheel.

What's your chinnies name? I don't think you said! :)
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thanks so much!!! ill be sure to start looking for wooden shelves. by the way does anyone know where to get which wood and how to make it or where to buy it? and ill start looking for a new wheel too!! 14" right??? and ill be saving up for a better cage too!! and his name is zooky!! and one last question- how do i use fleece as bedding? and how do i cover stuff with it? do i sew it? and can i just get any fleece at walmart?
 
zooky said:
thanks so much!!! ill be sure to start looking for wooden shelves. by the way does anyone know where to get which wood and how to make it or where to buy it? and ill start looking for a new wheel too!! 14" right??? and ill be saving up for a better cage too!! and his name is zooky!! and one last question- how do i use fleece as bedding? and how do i cover stuff with it? do i sew it? and can i just get any fleece at walmart?
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You can easily make the shelves yourself, here's a DIY thread: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9311 Or buy them pre made from forum members (sponsers at the top of the page!) Be sure it's KD/kiln dried pine wood, though. I got mine at home depot.

Other DIY threads that you might be interested in: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15265

Yes, wheels need to be at least 14" inch. Some are grape escape, chin spin, flying saucer, leo braun. If you look around the forum, I'm sure you can find some more!

For fleece bedding, I simply put a towel on the very bottom and wrap a peice of fleece around the pull out pan. Since your's doesn't have a pull out pan, you can fold it down to size or sew it. Or, agian, you can order pre made ones from forum members! For the shelves, you would probably want to make a "pillow case" to fit over it, so to speak, like taking a peice of fleece, folding it in half, and sewing the sides but leaving a side open so you can slip the ledge in. Hehe I get my fleece at walmart, the discounted stuff, for like $5 ;)

Zooky is such a adorable name!! He must be a sweetie!
 
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if you search the forum, there is a DIY section with a thread on how to make shelves and where to get the wood and hardware. i personally go to the moulding section in home depot - nice smooth pine boards there.
 
elvisthechinchilla said:
Grab a silver surfer wheel! My boy has that and he absolutely loves having a sturdy aluminum wheel he can spread out on!
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wow!! thats the exact one i ordered!! hes had it for about a week now! the only problem is he slips off of it after he slows down!
 
You can buy those wooden ledges at pet smart too if you don't feel like making them. The larger ones are good for making a level in the cage, line them up side by side.
 
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