When it comes to chinchilla cages, bigger is better.

What is a good chinchilla cage? A whole room, if you can sacrifice it. This isn’t an option for most people, so spring for the large chinchilla cage. This comes as no surprise to anyone that has, or has seen, a chinchilla in action. The height is the most important dimension of the chinchilla cage. Chins like to jump, and do it very well. The taller the chinchilla cage, the happier the chinchilla. The floor of the cage should be no smaller than 2′ x 2′.

There are a number of chinchilla cages you can choose from. The most common is an all metal cage. Be careful, though. The holes of the chinchilla cage must be small enough to keep the chin’s feet from getting stuck. The holes should be no larger than 1/2” x 1/2”. Many of the metal cages will include different levels and ramps. One downside of the all metal chinchilla cage is that there is no flat surface for the chin to stand. A plank of untreated, chinchilla safe wood can be used on top of the metal levels. You can keep them in place by using a screw and wing nut. I would suggest doing this on at least one of the levels.

The best option, in my opinion, is a mostly wood cage. There are a number of people that make these types of cages. Many people choose to do it themselves. This is nice because you can add solid wood shelves for your perches. Again, it is important to make sure the building material is safe for the chinchilla. Also, the chinchilla cage CANNOT be enclosed. There needs to be airflow. I will have pictures of some great chinchilla cages I have seen in future posts.

In terms of bedding, you can use newspaper or wood shavings. I have always used wood shavings in my chinchilla cage. If you decide to go with wood shavings, they will need to be made of aspen or kiln dried pine. Cedar shavings should never be used, as this has been known to cause respiratory issues in animals. The chinchilla cage will usually come with a drop in tray, or a slide out tray. Both have there advantages. I am a fan of the drop in tray. The drop in tray allows the chinchilla to be in direct contact with the bedding, which can cause you to spend more time cleaning up. The upside is that it is another solid surface for your chinchilla to stand. To me, it is worth the extra effort. At the time of this post, I know of no chinchilla that will clean up after itself. This means that it will be up to you to clean out the chinchilla cage. About once a week should do.

Please keep your chin safe and happy. Be aware that there are many cages out there that claim to be a chinchilla cage, but are actually dangerous for your chin. Safe chinchilla cages will help your chinchilla live a long and healthy life.

Click here to find a neat chinchilla video on youtube.

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1. Custom Homemade Chinchilla Cage
2. What to Know About Chinchilla Bedding
3. 2 Chinchillas, 1 Chinchilla Cage

Pine and cedar shavings contain phenol. This is the same compound that is found in cleaners around the house. Phenol is a germicide, and this is why it is good for odor control. This chemical is linked to respiratory problems in laboratory mice. When the mice are placed in cages with this type of bedding, there is an increased risk of inflammation of the lungs and throat. Asthma has been seen in small animals that are exposed. The liver is another area affected by unsafe wood shavings.

Animals housed in cages with cedar and pine show in increase level of enzymes in the liver. An elevated level of enzymes is caused by an increase in toxins present. Scientists have tested this in the laboratory and found that once the animals are switched to cages with other types of wood shavings, the level of enzymes will decrease. If the liver is continually pumping out an excess of enzymes, it can lead to liver failure.

One process that can decrease the level of phenol is kiln drying. No matter what type of bedding, it is good to use wood shavings that are kiln dried. Another way to lower the harmful substances is soaking the wood in a solvent. This is not very common when it comes to bedding. The best option is to use kiln dried aspen. It has been shown to be safe for animals.

Be picky when it comes to the chinchilla bedding you choose to put in your chinchilla cage. The phenol in cedar and pine has been linked to asthma and inflammation. The liver can also be damaged. With certain methods of treatment, pine and cedar can become safer, but kiln dried aspen is much better. The unsafe bedding is on the shelves at the pet store because it is very good at controlling odor, and the scientific evidence is seen as inconclusive, but experiments very strongly suggest that some wood shavings are better than others. For me, it is not a risk I am willing to take.

Related posts:

1. Choose a Large Chinchilla Cage
2. 2 Chinchillas, 1 Chinchilla Cage
3. Custom Homemade Chinchilla Cage

Here are a few notes she had about her chinchilla cage, and some precautions for those who want to try to make their own.

1) If the cage is constructed with melamine, make sure your chinchilla won’t be exposed to any of the edges. Melamine is toxic if it is ingested and your chin will most likely chew the exposed edges. The edges can be covered using metal edging. Our cage doesn’t have that issue because we used wood for the shelves and ramps.

2) If wood is used, it has to be Untreated Pine. Since the chin will probably chew the shelves, it has to be something they can digest and it can’t be painted. These chemicals will harm your chinchilla.

3) Please do not put wire or plastic shelves in your custom homemade cages. Plastic is very harmful for them to be digesting. Wire shouldn’t be used because your chinchilla needs something solid to stand, walk, jump and sit on. It is very possible for your chinchilla to injure their feet on wire surfaces. Chinchilla can slip their foot/toe through holes. This could result in spraining, breaking, or cutting a part of the toe off.

4) Try to arrange the shelves so there is no possibility of your chin falling all the way from the top of the cage to the very bottom. We used a series of “L” shapes in our cage divided by a middle shelf. You’ll be surprised how quickly they will learn to jump all the way from the top to the bottom. Still, you want to take precautions. If they loose their footing, the fall won’t be from such a great height.

I completely agree with avoiding wire in your cage, but unfortunately, the most types of cages sold in stores have them.

Customizing a store bought cage is another option. Add some shelves to get the “L” shapes Erica talked about in order to keep your chin safe from injury. Covering the sides and floors with untreated, chinchilla safe wood may be an easier way to get a unique cage. Putting up walls on the sides is a good idea because chins have the amazing ability of shooting their poo out of the cage in every direction. I swear that my chins had a poo slingshot hidden in their chinchilla cage somewhere because there is no other way droppings could fly that far across the room. Sometimes I imagined that they would have competitions to see who could get their poop the farthest. I always hoped to walk in and see Pedro DePacas shot putting a dropping.

There are a bunch of great homemade cages out there, and I will be featuring some more soon. Thanks for letting me show off your chinchilla cage, Erica.

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1. Choose a Large Chinchilla Cage
2. Things to Put in Your Chinchilla Cage
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You can keep your chins safe when you let them out of their chinchilla cage by taking precautions, and look for anything that may cause your chin harm. The same rules for chinchilla cages apply to chin-proofing a room. Remove all unsafe woods, chemicals, and other things that a chinchilla could ingest. Lead based paint can be poisonous to the chinchilla. Household plants can cause your chinchilla to get sick. You should cover all electrical outlets. Electrical wires are also dangerous. I’ve heard of people using PVC pipe when they can’t remove the wires. If you are letting the chin run around in the bathroom, make sure that the toilet bowl is down. It’s also a good idea to block anywhere that your chinchilla can hide behind. They are quick to run behind a fridge or behind the dresser that is a pain in the butt to move.

Chins love to gnaw and chew. Do not put them in a room where there is anything that you don’t want ruined (this includes baseboards. You would think my baseboards were raisins the way my chins would go at them.) Unfortunately, the do not wait until their back in their chinchilla cage to pee.  I found that the best area to let my chins out was the basement. I threw down some industrial carpeting and blocked off a section that they couldn’t escape from. It’s best to have some sort of carpet down. This will give them some traction as they bounce and run. Hallways are another good option.

Chinchillas are extremely good at getting under doors. I thought Spicoli, my first chin, was a magic animal because of his ability to squeeze under a door that even light had trouble getting under. Once they escape, they can be very tough to catch. It took me forever to find Spicoli the first time.  I would often use the dust bath to get them back in their cage. The chinchilla is very curious and will get into everything it can. They are also very good jumpers, so it is important to keep that in mind. The most important thing is to keep an eye on your pet when they are out of their chinchilla cage.

Related posts:

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2. Custom Homemade Chinchilla Cage
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There are a few methods that people have used to introduce their chinchillas. One way is called smooshing. Essentially, you shove two pets in a small space and this will force them to get along. I honestly can’t say if this works, because I have never tried it. I can’t claim to know all the facts. Personally, I think it sounds like a horrible way to treat your pets. There is a far better way to bring two chins together.

The next method that is popular is putting two chinchilla cages side by side. It seems logical that this would work. The chins will get to know each other, but cannot do any harm to each other. This isn’t entirely true, though. One chinchilla can still display it’s dominance over the other chinchilla even when they are not in the same chinchilla cage. One chinchilla may become stressed. If you choose to do it this way, please watch the chinchillas very carefully. Just because they can’t attack, does not mean that they can’t hurt each other. Just because they get along side by side does not mean that they will get along when they are released. Once you let them out of their chinchilla cages, they may attack each other. The chinchilla may see the other one as the threat from the other cage. It may feel like the new chin is invading its territory. Be careful and watch the chins.

The preferred method is the cage within a cage method. Remember that the introduction will take time and patience. You must be willing to accept that two chins may not get along. It is important that if they are not getting along, or one chin is stressed. Take them away from each other.

The cage within a cage method is just as it sounds. You will need to put a smaller chinchilla cage inside your larger chinchilla cage. You will want the smaller chinchilla cage at the top level or close that level off. You do not want the free chinchilla to get on top to show dominance. Put the more aggressive or trouble chin in the smaller cage. You will need to cover the top and two sides of the smaller cage. By blocking off two sides, the chin will have a space to go and not worry about being attacked from every side. Put pellets, hay, water, and chew toys in the cage, but no house or wheel.

After about 5 minutes, you can let the chin out of the smaller chinchilla cage. You have to have your hand in there to stop any problems. Watch them very close. Otherwise, stay out of the way. You do not want to become a distraction.

If aggression is shown, put the bad chin in the small chinchilla cage for awhile. Continue this until the chins seem to get along. You want to avoid any action that involves one chin dominating another. Also, keep the house and hammocks away. You don’t want one chin to get territorial. Keep a constant eye on them for the first 24 hours. Do not give them a territorial spot for at least a week. You can give them a wheel or saucer if they seem to get along well on it. Here is a good website full of information.

On a final note, when you have two chinchillas, it is especially important to give them enough room to run around. My first chinchilla cage post has information about size and safety issues.

Related posts:

1. Choose a Large Chinchilla Cage
2. Things to Put in Your Chinchilla Cage
3. Custom Homemade Chinchilla Cage

A House –

Your chinchilla will want a cozy place to get away. A wood house is ideal because it will give your chin something else safe to chew on. There are plastic houses available, but it should be obvious by now that plastic is not a good option for your chinchilla cage. These are very easy to make, since it can be as simple as a wood box with a hole. Below is a Woodlawn Get-a-Way.

Water –

A water bottle attached to the outside of the chinchilla cage is the best option. These will have a ball in the tube which will stop the water from leaking. The chinchilla will have to move the ball up for the water to come out. I’ve heard of people using water dishes, but I don’t think it would be worth the hassle of cleaning up.

Food –

Chinchillas need to eat food that is made especially for chinchillas. It is best to go with a quality brand of food. Some good examples are Oxbow, Traditions, and Mazuri. Personally, I bought Oxbow in bulk online. A lot of the food that is on the shelves at your local pet store is full of filler and not particularly healthy. The same can be said for a lot of the treats.

Hay –

High fiber hay is important for your chinchilla’s digestion. The most common types of hay are timothy and alfalfa. Alfalfa hay is very high in protein and other nutrients. Because of this, it should not be your only type of hay. It should be handed out as more of a treat, or to a chinchilla that is nursing. Most stores will have hay racks to put in your chinchilla cage, or hay cubes are also available.

Bedding –

It comes down to using newspaper or wood shavings in the bottom of your chinchilla cage. If you use wood shavings, use Aspen or kiln dried pine. DO NOT use cedar. Choosing chinchilla bedding may seem like a no-brainer, but there are things you need to watch out for.

The Dust Bath House –

No showers for these guys. Chinchillas take dust baths and they love it. 10 minutes a session, a couple times a week, is plenty. It is not good for their skin or fur if they are allowed to hop in whenever they want. If you want to keep the dust bath in the chinchilla cage, you can find (or make) something with a door that closes. The dust bath is a good way to get your chinchilla back in it’s cage, as well.

Things to Do and Thing to Chew On  –

Besides the fact that you want to spoil your chinchilla, they will need things in their chinchilla cage that will provide stimulation. You have to keep your chinchilla stimulated to keep them happy. Tubes for them to run through and hide in are great to have. Hammocks will give them an extra place to hang out in. Wood or lava ledges can be bought to add on to your cage. This gives the chins somewhere to stand and something to chew on.

Lava rocks and wood sticks are good for your chinchilla to chew on. Without something to gnaw on, dental problems, such as malocclusion, can occur.

For exercise, the Flying Saucer is a pretty cool invention. Exercise wheels with spokes can be dangerous.

Related posts:

1. Custom Homemade Chinchilla Cage
2. 2 Chinchillas, 1 Chinchilla Cage
3. Choose a Large Chinchilla Cage