| Supplies for Your Chinchilla |
| Some are a necessity... While others are optional ... And some are even considered ... "No-No"s for your little chinchilla. I will touch base with each here, but ... Go into more detail on Pages 2 & 3. |
| Please, do not purchase a cage and/or accessories just because the manufacturer says it is "made for chinchillas". Rarely do manufacturers do the needed research on what individual animals/species need. More times than not, you will find these cages and accessories are made of plastic or coated with plastic. This is, as you can imagine, one of my pet peeves. |
| The metal pull-out tray is for chin safety and your convenience.. |
| The Hut should be made of seasoned untreated pine wood. It does not have to be fancy, the chinchillas will "decorate it" themselves, regardless of how much or how little you paid for it. OR you can go out and buy one of these cute little fancy ones, made from woven hay ... It might last over night. |
| This is a 5-sided home-made hut made from 1 board 1" x 8" x 48", 16 wood screws and a screwdriver. With a small board left over that is about 1" x 4" x 8". That small board can make 32 chew cubes approximately 1" x 1" x 1" for your chinchilla. |
| This hut was attached to the side of the cage with 4 fender washers and 2 screws. |
| Or you can buy one for $25 to $30 like below ... And it will end up looking like ... The pictures of it below the original pictures. |
| Hay Holders like these can be easily made with 1/2" x 1/2" or 1/2 x 1" wire, 'C' clamps and hung with a hook or clasp. |
| Here is a 4-sided Hut that can be attached to the inside top of the cage with 4 fender washers and 2 screws ... It will provide you chin with a "look-out" that he will definitely enjoy! |
| Blocks like these can be threaded on to a chain and hung inside the cage for your chin to play with. |
| OR They can be given to the chinchilla to play with individually. |
| Resting Tunnels can be made with 1/2" x 1/2" wire molded around a large round straight-sided vase, closed together with "C" clamps and suspended or attached to the top of the cage or under a balcony. |
| Here at Luv 'N Chins ... We use the flying saucer wheels invented by, made by, and marketed by ... Dr. Marty Hull Meadowbrook Chinchillas |
| I, personally, feel they are the safest on the market. |
| Supplies for Your Chinchilla Accessories Page 3 |
| Less than 1 month later ... |
| The two major cost when getting a chinchilla is the chinchilla itself and the starting supplies, especially the cage. After that, the costs are minimal, if you stick to the basics, it should only cost about $10 per month. I suggest getting your cage and all of the supplies ready and have them set-up before you bring your new chinchilla home. Your first big costs will be the cage. Keep in mind, a chinchilla can live 20+ years, if properly cared for. You want to get a cage that is appropriate and that will last for many years. Now, let's check out what is "appropriate" ... 1) For a chinchilla to live comfortably, it needs a minimum of 2 cubic feet per chinchilla, per cage. To get the cubic feet, you will multiply the width x depth x height of the cage to get the cubic feet of the cage. Most measurements on cages are listed in inches, so, it is best to change the inches to feet, before you start multiplying. For Example, the cage below is: 18" x 24" x 30" = 12,960 cubic inches OR 1.5 feet x 2 feet x 2.5 feet = 7.5 cubic feet. Three adult chinchillas could easily live in the cage as it is pictured. But, when you start adding accessories, you are decreasing the available area for the chinchilla to move about. Please keep this in mind when purchasing your cage and accessories. 2) The size of the wire on the outside of the cage should be 1/2" x 1" or smaller. People rarely carry a measuring tape with them, so to make it simple, 1/2 inch is about the size of a dime and 1" is about the size of a quarter. The reason for the small wire size is so that a chinchilla kit or a young chinchilla can not get out into the room through the wires. Even young chinchillas six to eight weeks old have been known to escape through a 1" square hole. But, you don't plan to breed, so you wonder why is this wire size is necessary? Because, I would hate to have to add up the number of people that have called me in a panic, because they purchased two chinchillas of the same sex, only to find out ... They weren't the same sex after all. The person in the pet store didn't know how to tell them apart, but when you said you wanted two of the same sex, the employee just told you they were, to keep from being embarrassed because he/she did not know and they wanted to make the sale. The proof they are not the same of course ... being the little kits running around in the cage, or even worse, found dead on the floor, because the wire was to large. 3) The shelves, floors and ramps, if made of wire, should be 1/2" x 1/2" or smaller. Any larger and a chin could break a leg when running or playing. Wood is also an option, to use as shelves. Just make sure you sand them occasionally to smooth out any rough spots or remove any stains. These can be easily purchased and cut to fit at most lumber yards or hardware stores. 8 fender washers and 4 screws and a screwdriver and the wooden shelf will be securely in place. 4) The cage should be made of metal and/or a combination of metal and solid wood, not pressed wood. Pressed wood often contains toxic glues. No plastics, please! A chinchilla will eat plastic. Plastic will not digest and can cause some major problems in the digestive tract. It can even kill. 5) A cage with two or more levels will give them some exercise and entertainment. 6) There should be access doors to each level of the cage. This is for the safety of the chinchilla and for easy access to the chinchilla and for the ease and convenience of cleaning for you. 7) Chinchillas are very smart and often learn to unlock the conventional locks or closures on a cage. Often, it is necessary to purchase extra locks for the door. ( The small hooks used on key chains are often good for this.) |