Which house?! I need help, i'm new lol!

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heatherann

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Okay so I am getting my first Chin in like a week or 2. I have her picked out and on hold at my local breeders house. I am now trying to make sure she has the best house ever! I have been looking around and have a couple options but I wanted to ask all of you for your opinions! I am going to get custom pillows and hamock for her too!

http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3766121t400.jpg

With this one I would cover the bottom and take the wheel out and replace it with a flying saucer. Along with replacing the shelves with wood ones.


http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3763832t400.jpg


With this one I would cover the bottom, add pillows to the shelves, and get a wheel that could be attached where the door is for a short time for some added play time.


I would appreciate any advice at all. I do have a price limit of $100 for the cage but do have money for all the accesories.
 
I forgot to mention dimensions!
The first house: 30"L x 18" W x 30"H
The second house: 31" L X 17.5" W X 28.5" H.
 
If I had to choose, I would say the first one, but that wheel would definitely have to go. It's an accident waiting to happen.
 
If I were you, and if you want to buy a cage at a pet store, go with a tall ferret cage, and replace the shelves with wooden shelves, but since you have a price limit, I guess those will do for now. Either way, replace the shelves with wooden ones.

I made the mistake of buying one of the "chinchilla" cages for my first one, and he quickly outgrew it. Then I upgraded him to the super pet ferret cage, and replaced the shelves, and now he has a Quality Cage Mansion.
 
I had looked at the Quality sight and have a bigger house picked out. This one is basically just a temporary one for a month or so until I have the money saved up and can get it shipped.
 
Good that it's only a temp cage. I'd go with the first one, the higher sides keep the litter in.
 
Those look good for now but trust me, in a month you will want to get a bigger cage or a ferret nation after seeing all the nice pictures of them on here! It happened to me! lol
 
I guess out of the two I'd pick the first.

It's good that you'd be getting a better cage as both have downfalls. The first has a plastic bottom which some chins may chew on and make a hole and escape. But the second I believe the wire bottom has openings that aren't safe for chin feet. The space in the bars on the wire floor needs to be 1/2" x 1/2" or smaller, and those are longer allowing for feet to get stuck in.
 
No the second one has 1/2 in by 1/2 in. wire on the bottom and on the shelves. I would choose the second one. A. There is no plastic and B. the mess falls to the bottom so other than the hay getting everywhere high sides aren't needed. I feel like this will happen regardless though with either cage. When you put a wheel in put it in before you install the floor. You will have to adjust the shelves to accommodate the wheel and the ramps will be useless but chins don't like ramps. Replace the ramps with a leaping ledge or something. You will still have enough room for a lil house of some sort and maybe a hammock. I do however agree with everyone else and you will soon find neither of these cages are big enough and your chin has outgrown it. I would also not keep more than one chin in either cage. You may want to cover one of the shelves with a chinchiller as well and maybe part of the floor to give your chin a couple of places to rest it's feet off of the wire. I have had this cage and it worked well enough for one chin for a while. I then got a ferret nation. I really miss the wire bottom now though. It really bothers me that my chin has contact with his waste. It's just unsanitary to me. Well good luck and I hope this helps
 
Eric - That second one will never stand up to a chin bouncing around. There is nothing wrong with plastic shelves either, provided the chin doesn't chew them up. You can either replace them now with wood shelves or wait and see what happens. I used plastic shelves in my cages for 3 years and never had a single chewer or problem. I would choose plastic shelves over wire bottoms any day. I am not a fan of them having to stand on wire. I wouldn't want to do it, so I wouldn't make them do it.

As far as standing in their own waste - they EAT their own waste. I don't think that's a huge issue for them, especially since most people clean their cages regularly.
 
If you check your local craigslists for the next few weeks you can probably find a Ferret Nation cage. I was using a cage similar to what you had for the top one as a temporary cage, and frankly, it was a pain in the but to clean and reach my chinboy in. To clean them you have to take the entire top off, which is cumbersome and held together loosely. To get the chins you have to jar the cage by yanking the doors and then fish your hands through a restricting square. I picked up my Ferret Nation yesterday and I'm delighted with it. I paid $150 for mine, but I was in a hurry as I'm moving and want to scrap the old cage... I'm sure with a week or two you could find a cheap one within an hours drive.
 
Oh, okay, the wire looked longer in the picture. I think I'd still go with the first. I have a number of those types of cages for temp cages and they work well so long as your chin doesn't chew plastic.
 
I don't know what kind of price you found on them, but personally I would just get a FN 141 and add a unit later. It shouldn't be that much more, and you will not have to totally get a new cage later.
 
Since i had my first chin almost 5 years ago, i have gone thru about 4 or 5 cages. If at all possible, I would recommend checking with friends or craigs list or yard sales for a free cage, save the 100 dollars for 1 month and buy the biggest best cage that you can afford.
i have used plastic shelves with no problems, my chins were not chewers but if you can find a free or very cheap cage and just "fix" it up with some wooden shelves and marble tiles until next month when you have more money, that would be the best option.
one of th cages i had was similar and when i put the wooden shelf on it after a couple months of my chin jumping on it, the metal actually broke and my chin got out. luckily i got home in time...........but when i got home he was cowered in the corner of the bathroom just out of reach of my golden (who has since passed), who was mere inches from him!
 
That is true. I check on CL frequently and they have a few ferret nations on there, or even large parrot cages for cheap. I think yesterday someone had a dome top parrot cage for sale in my area for 89 bucks. Definitely something to look into, also.

I too have used plastic shelves without any chewing, just decided to play it safe rather than sorry.
 
just wanted to say that i have the second cage. and to be honest, its been fine so far. theyre a bit more durable than they look and when you replace the wire shelves with wooden ones, it makes it more stable. as for the wire floor, it definitely helps with cleaning and keeps them from stepping in urine and getting wet. plus, put a few tiles down where they dont pee and that also gives them a sturdy floor. it takes a while to make sure the cage wont rattle, but its possible.

however, this isnt to say that looking for a bigger cage isnt necessary. im definitely looking into buying a FN cage when i finally have a permanent home and the money to do so (college student with a work study paycheck doesnt do much). check out the classifieds. if you still havent found anything, im still gonna say that im happy with the cage i have for the moment. i guess it also depends on how active the chin is. thankfully gizmo doesnt do wall surfing in his cage. i got lucky i guess.
 
Thank you all so much for all of your help! I really appreciate it! I am going to search CL and EBay today and until next wednesday. If I don't find one I will prolly get one of these to get by because she should be able to come home with me next friday! and then two weeks from then I will be able to get the Quality Cage Mansion. I will make sure I put up pics of her house when its all finished, and her of course! I am planning on doing a theme cage as well.
 
Is this the cage?

I have similar cages for some of my guys, but am contemplating changing to 3 story FNs soon so that I can fit extra chins in the room. Take out the shelves and any ramps and replace the shelves with wood. Not only is the wood chin safe, but it will help make the cage sturdier.

130-w.jpg
 
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