How to Build a Chinchilla Cage

Chinchillas are fairly large for a pet rodent, and surprisingly fast. They need a lot of exercise, so many chinchilla owners either let them run around the house once a day --which can result in chewed baseboards and electrical cords (a potentially fatal pastime), trails of droppings and games of hide-and-seek.
If you build a big enough cage to begin with, featuring lots of exercise options, you won't need to let your chinchilla run if you don't want to. You can get as complicated as you like but this one is fairly simple. The final size is 2' deep x 3' wide x 3' tall, and it can fit through a standard door sideways.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 6m x 24" wide roll of ½" or ¾" galvanized mesh, 14 or 16 gauge
• 4 pieces of melamine-coated particle board, 24" x 36"
• 5 pieces of 36" 2x2 untreated pine wood
• 2 pieces of 24" 2x2 untreated pine wood
• 1 piece of 36" 2x4 untreated pine wood
• 4 pieces of 24" 1x2 untreated pine wood
• 4 pieces of 18" 1x2 untreated pine wood
• 1 36" unfinished pine plank
• 2 24" unfinished pine plank
• 4 large casters
• Circular saw
• Wood screws
• Electric drill with screwdriver bits
• Staple gun and heavy duty staples
• Wire cutters
• 4 hinges
• 2 latches

Make a Rolling Mesh Chinchilla Cage

1. One piece of melamine-coated particle board will be the floor of the cage, and there will be four walls attached to keep litter in the cage. Measure and cut one piece of melamine-coated particle board in half lengthwise to make two pieces that are 12" x 36". From another piece, cut two 12" strips width-wise, so you'll have two pieces that are 12" x 24". The two long pieces will go along the 36" sides of the floor, and the two short pieces along the 24" sides. Assemble these pieces like a box, and attach to the floor pieces with wood screws.

2. Insert a piece of 2x2 wood into each corner of the box, standing upright, and screw it into place. Insert the 2x4 in the middle of the front side of the cage, and attach it to the front with screws.

3. On top of the four corner pieces and middle front piece, place the last sheet of melamine-coated particle board to be the roof, and screw it into place on all five supports.

4. Inside the cage at the back, attach the last piece of 36" 2x2 horizontally between the supporting 2x2s, in the middle of the cage. To this piece, attach the 36" pine plank as a shelf for your chinchilla to perch on. Repeat at different heights (one higher and one lower) with the two 24" 2x2s and 24" planks on the sides of the cage.

5. Starting at the front left corner of the cage and working clockwise, roll out the galvanized mesh and attach it with a staple gun to each of the four corners, so that it covers both sides and the back, leaving the front of the cage open. Cut the mesh with wire cutters.

6. Use the 1x2 pieces of wood to construct two door frames that fit into the openings on either side of the front 2x4. You will need to cut your pieces so they fit snugly, but each door will be approximately 24" high by 15" wide (18" minus the width of the corner 2x2s and middle 2x4).

7. Attach the door frames to the front of the cage using two hinges on each door, and fastening those hinges to the corner 2x2. Attach a latch to the inner side of each door frame so they fasten to the middle 2x4 when closed.

8. Cover each door frame with galvanized mesh and staple it into place.

9. On the bottom of the floor, attach the four casters to make the cage easy to move around.

10. Add your chinchilla's toys and tools--litter, a running wheel, hanging treats and a dust bath bowl, plus a hut if you like--inside the cage, and introduce her to her new home.

Tips & Warnings

• The melamine box at the bottom of the cage will make it fairly easy to clean; you can put down newspaper and litter, and lift the whole thing up when it's time to clean. Vacuum with a shop vac to get whatever falls away, and you can wash off any stains with a non-toxic household cleaner.

• Do not use treated wood, as it is toxic to chinchillas.

References

• Building a Chinchilla Cage
• Chinchilla Cage Plans
• Chinchilla Cages

Resources

• Custom Chinchilla Cages