Possible New Owner- Help

[VetTech]

I just graduated from college with a vet tech degree and thought I'd get a chinchilla, but after looking at this forum I'm not sure if I should. I was planning on getting one of those cheapish ferret cages http://www.ferretdepot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=60248&Category_Code=3SuperPetHomes&Product_Count=4 Is this just a terrible investment for a chin? I had heard wired cages were bad for them until I got on here. I could just build a cage myself. Please help, I'll be browsing the forum for a while, and possibly cancelling my appointment to go buy a cage tomorrow.

 

[tunes]

That's not a bad cage for a chin. It's got lots of room, plenty of places to hang tunnels, hammocks, and shelves. Some people will tell you to get rid of the plastic, others will not. I'm of the mind that plastic is fine. I used to use Super Pet cages and never had a problem with it. I've also used igloos and pigloos with no problem.

It does sturdy up the cage a bit if you add some wood shelves. It also gives your chin something to chew on to keep their teeth worn down. If you add a wheel, that can really rattle a cage around! The wood shelves can help with that.

You can absolutely build your own cage. Many of our members have. Make sure you build it out of a chin safe material, either untreated pine or melamine works well as long as you cover the edges with J channel so they can't chew. It's heavy as heck though, so keep that in mind. I've seen several made out of pine and screening that are very nice too.

Is there another reason you might have changed your mind on chins? Caging is relatively simple once you know what you want, but maybe there was something else holding you back? Check out the new owner section and the FAQ's. There's lots of info in there that can help you make up your mind.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[rach_leigh]

Hi, Vet tech and welcome!

I have been wanting to get a chin too and found this forum extremely helpful and I have learned a TON! I have been a member for almost a month. I am getting my first chin in less than 2 weeks. I think if you do your research and learn all you can, you will still want a chinchilla. For a cage I would suggest the biggest you can afford too, so you won't have to upgrade later

Good luck and hope you decided to get a chinnie!

 

[Jenn]

When I first got my chin, about a year ago, I didn't know anything about them at all. The lady who sold me her 3 year old chin gave me a crash course in chin care, but it was hard to take it all in. I definitely made mistakes in the beginning, but I found C&Q, C&H's predecessor, and learned so much. It really isn't difficult to care for a chin, once you learn their basic needs. There is so much helpful info here and a lot of people to help answer questions. So read on and find out if a chin is right for you. But I warn you, chins are addicting, and if you get one, you're bound to want more!

 

[Mystic]

Welcome to the forum!
I think that is a nice cage, it seems like it is very roomy and like tunes said, wooden shelves would definitely help to sturdy it a bit better.
I think the only downside I see of that cage is that everytime you would want to clean the bottom you would have to lift the entire metal frame off of it. I had a cage similar to that one when I first got my chinchilla and got annoyed lifting the metal frame off the bottom pan when I need to dump the shavings out. I eventually just got a ferret nation. In my opinion it is worth the money. Hope this helps.

 

[Nancy S]

Hi Welcome, and how funny it is!!--Cause you are showing my cage ( actually i have 2 of them). They work just fine and i have no problem with them. I have 2 in one; and 1 in the other. I placed both of them on sturdy 28" tables.(one is a desk, one a side type table). I had to replace "All" of the plastic shelving in the one cage, as my Mango is a big time chewer, with the wood perches. I have spent a small fortune on all the ledges and bounce ledges. Could have bought them online and probably would have been cheaper. I use a potty pad in the bottom corner (once i potty trained with a bowl-then switch to pad) and i use a miniture dust pan/broom to clean up loose hay, poo, etc. Very easy for me to clean. The second cage i have, my 2 older chins do not chew the plastic so i have kept up two of the platforms and i have wood ledges' under them to give them support. Works great, but a little harder to clean than the other one. I use those small white ramekins/crocks to cover the holes that are in the shelf. And, they "love" those crocks---they are always sitting on them or just their hands on them--because they are cold ( they are the 4" size crock). They also do get playtime in a playroom out of the cage--so it's not too confining and even then, if you get plenty of jump ledges--there is enough room for 1 or 2. Also, to note, check out those ferret nation cages (they're pretty cool--i just already had mine, when i saw these on the forum). I also got free shipping online when i bought these cages--shop around. And, congrats! on your Grad! Let the fun begin!yah You're gonna love having a chin--they truly are the neatest pet. Don't forget your chin wheel. I got mine from quality cage and it's real quiet--so it doesn't drive you nuts!!hehe

 

[tunes]

I think the only downside I see of that cage is that everytime you would want to clean the bottom you would have to lift the entire metal frame off of it.

'

The shop vac is your friend.

 

[Stackie]

'

The shop vac is your friend.

Only when it doesn't get clogged with bedding! With my superpet cage, I tried sucking out the bedding with my shop vac and it kept getting stopped up, so I still had to scoop some out (with my hands if I didn't wanna lift the frame up, ick) and then vacuum.

 

[mishellyshel]

figures i find out i could have been using a shop vac all this time for my one cage DAYS before I move them to their new home! what a ding dong i am. i do prefer the slide out tray tho and had my fiance' make trays from sheet metal to fit in the custom wooden slot. even though i will use fleece liners on the bottom i still want to be able to shake them and have them go into the trays...........because chins poo A LOT!

 

[Remyma0408]

Welcome!!

Shop vac brand sucks... get a craftsman, they have bigger hoses. I have that cage for my ferrets and it would suck if you don't have a craftsman to get out the bedding because like Stackie said, you have to lift the cage up otherwise.

oh and btw Stackie, if your hose kept getting clogged, instead of using your hands, you could have used a kitty litter scooper. :neener:

 

[BenD188]

Make sure you check craigslist for ferret cages. I don't own that cage, but I have run across that exact cage for less than 1/2 the price of brand new on craigslist many times (I could have gotten it for around $30).

I'm not sure how similar the bottom of the cage is compared to the My First Home cages from petsmart, but I had a problem with that cage. My friend had a chinchilla in a My First Home cage for almost a year with no problems, but she got rid of her chinchilla and I took the cage for a different one. My chin chewed through the bottom section of the cage! (the plastic side below the wires) They were loose in the house. I'm not saying this is going to happen, I'm just letting you know this happened to me.

 

[3CsMommy]

That's not a bad cage, though I'm of the school of thought that keeping them away from plastic is probably better on your pocket book in the long run. I had a superpet for a quarantine cage when I brought my second guy home and it took him a little over a week to completely wreck the bottom pan, even with chew toys and such inside. If your chin decides to chew the plastic pan or something, you will eventually have to replace it. But, in that cage, you might be able to attach some scatter guards made of safe wood between the chin and the plastic to do double duty: less mess outside the cage, and less chewing on the pan. You'd have plenty of room for a wheel and wooden shelves, hammocks, etc. in there too, which is more than is offered by some of the often coveted starter cages most of us have/talk about getting. (Eventually I'd like to upgrade to a Ferret Nation/Critter Nation b/c the Quality Cage mansion we have the guys in now is somewhat difficult to clean on the bottom.)

One thing I would suggest, which I found totally by accident, are bolt-on ceramic food dishes originally designed for parrots. They look like this: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/12654/product.web and they've cut down the spillage/tossage from my guys' pellets by at least half. I LOVE this DISH! Get the biggest size you can, but my chins have no problem sticking their little noses into the opening and picking out their pellets. Now if I could just find a way to contain the hay a little better... :hair:

That said, what other concerns do you have about bringing home chins? Between the (I'm going to go with) hundreds of years combined chinchilla owning experience on this board, we can probably either tell you what you need to know, or at least point you in the right direction.

 

[Ilovemychin]

I have that cage and i use a food scoop to scoop the bedding out and spray it down once a week.I have to say i am not completely satisfied with it. You have to get rid of ALL the plastic, and they still may chew on the base. Then, there is the fact that there is Very little floor space. When you want to put a Hidey house and lots if tunnels and toys, you run out of room very quickly. There really isnt room for a wheel. This is a good starter cage, but i wouldnt get it if you don't plan on upgrading