Choosing a Cage for Chinchillas
Animal Lovers, Hobbies, Pets Galore
Chinchilla cages are offered by many pet stores and pet suppliers. Sometimes, cages which are designed to house other forms of pets would serve equally well for a Chinchilla. They need an environment which is going to give them a secure place to sleep and a place to play. For instance, parrot cages and ferret cages are great for a chinchilla because of their overall height. They make a great large chinchilla cage because the chinchilla is a real climber with the ability to leap up to 5 feet in the air. A large chinchilla cage is very important because of the freedom of movement that it allows the chinchillas.
The chinchilla also needs to be stimulated so you must provide plenty of activities. Wooden toys which are hung up all around the cage make particularly suitable stimulants for the chinchilla. Good choices for material for these wooden toys are usually apple or willow. Certain tree resins can be quite poisonous to chinchilla; most of these resins come from conifer woods, so they should be avoided. Wood is the usual choice for a chinchilla because they are such avid chewers. Anything is that it is made from plastic should be avoided because the chinchilla will chew it up and there is a danger that the pieces of plastic can become lodged in the chinchilla’s intestines.
Another consideration then you should make when you are buying a large chinchilla cage is to ensure proper a circulation of air. Chinchilla’s don’t sweat, so there really is no way for it to regulate its own body temperature, heatstroke has been reported in several chinchilla’s because they can become overheated very quickly. The ambient temperature of the cage should be kept around 25°C. A good airflow through the cage will also reduce the incidence of bad odor.
You must clean a large chinchilla cage on a regular basis. There are cages that you can buy with a removable bottom, or a bottom that has a sliding removable panel. This makes it much easier to clean up any mess. The chinchilla’s bedding should always be made out of either wood shavings or some form of pulped paper. Remember that the chinchilla should not come in contact with certain conifer material. Your chinchilla has to stay in this cage for most of its life so they more comfortable of an environment you can make it the better it will be for the animal’s welfare.
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