CAGES and ACCESSORIES by Nikki Langford
( written through research and experience )

An important point to ensure is that the cage can be securely fastened to prevent escapees.  It has been known for the more intelligent of our furry little friends to actually work out how to undo catches on cages!  This picture shows a catch that is commonly used on chinchilla cages.  Always ensure that you find it tight to fasten, as this should ensure that your chinnie will not be able to undo it.  This rule obviously also applies to any other sort of catch.  Some cages on the market have a ‘spring’ that goes around the door…I don’t think I’ve come across a chinchilla that has figured out how to open that one yet!  Another solution, for the more persistent furball, is to use a padlock on the door, so unless they can figure out how to obtain and use the key, they shouldn’t escape! Always make sure that the cage has a large enough door to enable you to catch your pet as easily as possible and also to remove any sleeping boxes or shelves etc that require cleaning.

This is a picture of one of my cages showing the layout of the shelves and also the piece of wood on the bottom, that as you can see, Bramble & Pepper are sitting on quite comfortably.  Even though this is at the bottom of the cage, Winnie & Roo (my other pair) very often tend to curl up together and sleep on this ‘shelf’ which suggests to me that they appreciate it being there.

The majority of cages that can be bought have a hayrack built in to them.  I think this is a good idea after having a cage that I had to put a hayrack in.  I found the rack that I bought took up quite a lot of space within the cage and also had points on that I thought the chinnie’s may injure themselves on. 

Shelves

These are best made out of untreated pine (available from any timber merchant/building supplier/DIY shop) and should be positioned in the cage so that your chinchilla can hop around on
them quite safely without the distances being to great.

Sleeping box

Many people and books will say that the sleeping box should be placed in as high a position in the cage as possible.  My chinchillas quite like having theirs on the floor – I think they like to be different!  Don’t forget that in the wild, chinchillas live in burrows and my lot don’t seem to be affected by the position of their box.

Again, you can buy a ‘Chinchilla Sleeping/Nest Box’ from the pet shop or you could buy a bird nest box and adapt it so that your chinchilla can get into it easily enough.  The box you can see in Bramble and Pepper’s cage is home made.  It is approximately 12 inches wide, 6 inches deep and 6 ½ inches high and is big enough for them both to cuddle up in.  The roof is hinged to assist in cleaning.  Winnie & Roo however have a cardboard box as their ‘house’ and love to renovate it as they feel fit………sunroofs and back doors are their favourite additions!  Obviously, if you use cardboard boxes, you will need to ensure you’ve got a good supply as you can guarantee that demolition will take place when there are no suitably sized boxes around.  Also, make sure that all selotape/sticky tape has been removed from the box before you put it in the cage and don’t use any boxes that are held together by staples.  I always fold the flaps into each other to make the roof and floor more secure and to prevent one chinchilla having its neck trapped between the flaps by the other one and causing injury.
The box is also used as a 'bolt hole' if the chinchillas are frightened by anything, and this i think, warrants having a box as it provides safe refuge and provides the chinchilla with an escape if it feels threatened

Hayrack

As previously mentioned, some cages do come with a built in hayrack but some don’t.  If this is the case, you need to have somewhere to put your chinnie’s daily supply of hay.  You can buy hayracks to go in the cage, but be careful about the size and safety aspects.  I have heard of one person who actually ties the hay up in the cage.  Apparently the chinchillas love this and swing from it too!  If you use this method, please be sure that the hay is securely fastened so that the chinchilla will not fall whilst swinging and also make sure that the string is not accessible for your chinnie to eat!  If you use another method to secure the hay, make sure that it is not going to cause injury and that the hay is not going to easily become soiled by droppings and urine.  Any hay that has fallen to the floor of the cage should be removed daily.

Food Bowl

There are a variety of food bowls on offer.  The ones that I favour are actually designed for parrots.  They are a stainless steel bowl that sits in a stainless steel hoop and clips on to the side of the cage (as shown in the picture).  The only draw back I have found is that my chins have worked out how to remove the clip from the cage wall and enjoy throwing it around the cage during the early hours of the morning!  I have now secured the hoop to the cage with the ring off a key ring.  Other bowls that are commonly used are the earthenware type, generally offered as rabbit bowls.  These are fine as long as you keep the bowl on the floor, as should it be knocked off from a shelf, it may cause serious injury or even death if it hits another chinchilla in the cage.  Do not use plastic bowls, as your chinchilla will no doubt chew it, which will be detrimental to its health and make sure that the bowl is too heavy for your pet to throw around the cage or tip whilst sitting on it eating.  Many people say that the bowl should be positioned on the highest shelf in the cage to avoid droppings contaminating the food.  My bowls are at the bottom of the cage and I do not find this to be a problem.

Drinking Bottle

Again there are a variety of bottles on the market.  The majority of bottles are plastic, and many a chinchilla owner has gone to the cage to do the morning check and found an empty bottle and a very wet cage bottom after the chinnie has chewed a hole in the bottle.  I still use plastic bottles and on one of my cages I have got a metal bottle protector.  If you can’t get hold of one of these, cardboard will do just as good a job, but obviously will need replacing.  You can also buy bottles that come with built in protection!

Sand Bath

This doesn’t necessarily have to stay in your chinchilla’s cage, but I have included it here as it is a basic requirement.  If you leave the sandbath in the cage permanently, you will find that it gets used as a litter tray and if your pet bathes too often, it’s skin can become very dry.  It can also be dangerous to leave the sandbath in the cage if you are expecting babies, as when the babies are born, the sand will stick to their damp bodies and can ‘clog up’ the nasal area.  This will cause suffocation.
There are custom made chinchilla baths on the market, but it is probably cheaper to buy a stainless steel dog bowl or even a large loaf tin and you will find it does just as good a job!  If you want to be even more economical, a large Roses or Quality Street tin is also very effective!

Things to chew on!

As chinchillas are rodents, they have a natural instinct to chew in order to keep their teeth ground down.  It is therefore very important for domestic chinchillas to be given plenty of opportunity to do this.  You will find that your chinchilla will chew the shelves in its cage, but I think it is important to give a variety of ‘chew toys’ in order to enrich your chinnie’s environment and to help prevent boredom.
Freebie chew toys include branches (if large enough and the cage is large enough you can fix these in to the cage and your chinchilla will also enjoy running around on them) of trees.  I tend to use apple or hazelnut, or you can also use willow or beech.  DO NOT use cherry or plum trees or any other tree that bears fruit with a stone in the centre, as this will poison your chinchilla. Always make sure that the wood that you use is free of insecticides and pesticides etc and has not been exposed to a lot of exhaust fumes (ie don’t use trees that are at the roadside).
There are many different ‘wood gnaws’ available in pet shops for small animals.  These are fine for chinchillas as long as you make sure that they are not too small.  I normally give these as treats and do not leave them in the cage when my chinchillas are left unattended.  I have found on occasion in my pet shop, wooden toys for chinchillas.  These include ‘dumbbells’ which Bramble in particular loves to run round with in his mouth, which is quite amusing to watch.
I also buy the parrot toys that are on a chain and made of different coloured wooden shapes.  These very often have a bell on the end but I remove the ‘hammer’ from the middle to avoid it being pulled off by a chinchilla and possibly resulting in choking.  I think this actually annoys the chinnies, as it appears they do tend to enjoy the noise of the bell ringing!
A couple of other things that I always make sure my chinnies have in their cages are cuttle fish and a mineral block.  The cuttle fish provides another source to grind their teeth on and will also supplement them with calcium.  The mineral block again helps their teeth and tops up their mineral levels.  The only thing to be aware of when buying the mineral block is that it is what you think it is!  Some pet shops have been known to cut up builders’ blocks that are the same colour as the mineral blocks and claim they are the same thing but at a much-reduced price.  These blocks can be extremely harmful to your chinchilla, and I for one, would rather pay more and get something from a reputable company that is packaged and states what it is, than risk my chinchillas health just to save £1!