How to Make Chinchilla Toys

Owning a chinchilla is an amazing experience filled with adventure and mischief. Chinchillas are naturally inquisitive and have teeth that never stop growing. In order to keep your home safe from nibbles of your little ones it's important to keep their cages stocked full of toys. Making your own chinchilla toys is cost effective and very fun!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clean Pine Wood Blocks or Tree Twigs
• Apple Juice or Carrot Juice
• Sisal
• Toilet Paper Rolls
• Wire Mesh and Clips
• Salt Wheels or Cuttle Bones

1. WOOD BLOCKS - Using wood blocks is one of the easiest things to do. All you need to do is make sure they are not pre-treated and do not harbor any parasites or bugs. You can ensure it is parasite and bug free by baking it in a low-heat oven for 10-15 minutes to sterilize the block. This also works for tree twigs you can collect from your backyard. Be sure only to use trees that are not toxic to chinchillas. Apple tree twigs are a good choice.

2. SOAK WOOD BLOCKS - In order to further entice your wee one to chew on the blocks you can soak the clocks in apple or carrot juice (no sugar added) and then bake again to dry them out. This is great for convincing stubborn chins that they REALLY do want to chew on the blocks you've spent time making.

3. SISAL - Sisal rope is safe for chinchillas and makes an excellent chew toy. Try tying knots in the rope and then attaching it to the sides of the cage. The chinchillas will have a blast trying to grab the knots with their hands while munching away.

4. TOILET PAPER ROLLS - Toilet paper rolls are fantastic because most of us have a consistent supply of them coming all the time. They are safe for chinchillas as long as there is no glue or toilet paper left on the surface. You can fill these with hay and stick a few dried cranberries amid the hay for a fun game. Chinchillas can go through these in no time flat!

5. WIRE MESH - This is recommended for adult chinchillas and not for cages that house babies. Roll the wire mesh into a tube shape and secure with wire mesh clips. Ensure there are no sharp edges or pokey metal parts that could injure your little one before you put it up. One way to secure it in the cage is as a hay container. Place hay in it and watch your chinchillas reach in to grab it. Another option is to secure it to the roof or side of the cage to provide a sitting area for your chinchilla. They may like the open view of their cage and surrounding room while enjoying the security of being in an enclosed space.

6. CUTTLE BONES AND SALT WHEELS - These are store bought items but are not typically used for chinchillas. These are also very inexpensive. Use sisal rope or wire to attach them to the side of the cage and your chin will adore chewing and licking these fun toys.

Tips & Warnings

• Always make sure any toy or item that goes into your chins cage is securely fastened and will not allow the chinchilla to stuck.
• Observe your chinchilla during the first while it has the new toy in it's cage to make sure of it's safety - every chin is different!

[ninajeanette2]

on 1/16/2009 chins are active but you do need to stimulete them. check my msn navigatet group , i know mulitply is more dofficult but was the easiest 2 do for now
http://tiarastar.multiply.com/
http://ninasmessyplace.blogspot.com/
i would love comments

[MommyBear]

on 11/28/2008 Chinchillas are so adorable! What great ideas on how to make toys for this wonderful pet. Keeping them happy is very important. Thank you for this article. :) 5*****

[jimdris]

on 11/6/2008 This sounds like the beginning of a scary movie - LOL.
Excellent article. Please add a photo - we'd love to see your chinchilla.

[Ballzy]

on 11/5/2008 Thanks for the great information! 5*

[Susanh]

on 11/4/2008 Well done article on how to make chinchilla toys! 5*****