Step1
My first Chinchilla's cage.
Buy a cage. Cages should be made of wire, nothing plastic. The wire of your cage should be 1"x1/2" (For kits OR adults) and no bigger than 1"x1" (For adults ONLY!) Cages should have a solid bottom, not wire. Cages should not be put in sunlight or near drafty places. Try to keep the cage in one place, as moving it around too much can cause stress.
Step2
Bedding should only be pine, if clean of chemicals and oils, aspen or carefresh. Never use cedar. It can cause respiratory infections and death. Never line it with newspaper either. It contains too much ink and will lead to your chinchilla's death.
Step3
Food should only be Tradition or Mazuri. Rabbit pellets are UNACCEPTABLE! Kaytee Chinchilla Diet has artificial preservatives which can lead to highly upset stomach, diarrhea, and death. I repeat, Tradition or Mazuri ONLY!
Step4
Food bowls should be made of ceramic or metal. I myself do not use gravity feeders as some chinchillas try to escape through them, get stuck and die. It is really up to you, but I don't want to take risks.
Step5
Water bottles should be glass only. They will chew through plastic, which will get caught in the lining of their stomach and cause death.
Step6
Chew toys should be made of untreated pine or chin safe wood. They also love pumice stone.
Step7
Dust baths should ALWAYS be dust baths, never sand. Sand baths do not get through the fur to their skin to absorb oils because it's too big. It simply stays in the fur and agitates skin. Never bathe your chinchilla in water. Their fur is too thick to properly dry and will cause fungus. If your chinchilla gets wet, get a towel immediately and dry them off best you can. DO NOT dry too roughly. It'll cause their fur to yank out and leave bald spots. Dust baths should be given 3-4 times a week, depending on the humidity of their area. If you begin to notice dry skin, cut down the number of dust baths. Leave the dust bath in their cage for about 15 minutes at a time.
Step8
Sleeping boxes should be made of untreated pine wood. Never use plastic. As I've said before, they will chew plastic, it will get caught in the lining of their stomach and cause death. If you must use cardboard, use little to no ink. Ink will kill your chinchilla.
Step9
Timothy hay should always be accessible to your chinchilla. Alfalfa is too sweet and should only be given once a week.
Step10
Treats should only be given once a day. They love raisins, but they are very sweet so I only give my chinchillas a raisin once a week. Other chinchilla friendly treats are unfrosted shredded wheat, and sometimes ordinary, non-honey, non-frosted cheerios.
Step11
Wheels are not necessary as long as you let your chinchilla out to play for about 30 minutes a day. Wheels should only be made of solid metal or solid wood or both. The kind with the gaped wire can break their feet or legs if they get caught.
My first Chinchilla's cage.
Buy a cage. Cages should be made of wire, nothing plastic. The wire of your cage should be 1"x1/2" (For kits OR adults) and no bigger than 1"x1" (For adults ONLY!) Cages should have a solid bottom, not wire. Cages should not be put in sunlight or near drafty places. Try to keep the cage in one place, as moving it around too much can cause stress.
Novice 
