How to Choose The Right Cage for Your Chinchilla.

This article is to help you decide which chinchilla cage is right for you and your chinchilla.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Money.

1. Choose an appropriate, cost efficient yet reputable store or private maker. Two websites I've seen that are rather good and cost efficient are:
   www.martinscages.com
   And
   www.qualitycages.com
   You need to decide what your spending limit is, and the amount of space your chinchilla will need.
   NEVER USE A GLASS AQUARIUM! It will not provide enough ventilation.
2. One or two chinchillas? The minimum size for a single chinchilla's cage is 24"x24"x24". The wire spacing will need to be at least 1"x1/2" for kits(babies) but will do great for adults. For adults, the spacing can be no bigger than 1"x1". Take into consideration how large chinchillas are and how much space they will need.
3. Does the cage have plastic? No chinchilla cage should have plastic. They can chew through it and escape, and also plastic will get caught in the lining of their stomach and cause their death. All parts of the cage should be either solid metal (Only on the bottom) and wire for the levels and ramps.
4. Never get a cage with a wire bottom. This will highly agitate their feet. Chinchillas love to have shavings (Pine, aspen, or carefresh. Refer to my other article for more information) to lay in, move around, etc. It also gives them a chance to rest their feet from the wires.
5. Do the doors have good locking latches? Never use a bird cage. The doors for bird cages simply lift, and chinchillas are clever animals. Doors should have a locking latch or spring.
6. Is the wire thick enough? The wire needs to be thick enough so that the chinchilla can't chew through it and escape. Most people recommend either 14 or 16 gauge wire.
7. Are there any sharp pieces? Sharp pieces can obviously harm your chinchilla. If it's just a few places you may be able to sand it down.
8. Does it have enough room for your chinchilla to bounce around and play? Chinchillas are very playful and hyper. They should always have room to run around.
9. Does it have more height or length? Cages for chinchillas should have more height, as they like to jump from level to level and run up ramps. Length is rather boring to them.
10. Is it fairly priced? Some sellers highly over price chinchilla cages. If you think it isn't fair, keep looking. But sometimes you will have to break down and settle for the expensive one. You can't always get lucky.
11. Does it appear to be of good quality and last long? Most cheap, cheap cages will break down over the course of a few months. Chinchillas live for 15-20+ years. Even if it means splurging a little, buy the one you believe will be of best quality and last as long as your chinchilla does.

Tips & Warnings

• Follow these instructions and you'll have a quality cage in no time!