You have two options when it comes to cages for chinchillas. You can build your own or you can buy one ready-made. We've actually done both.
Our first cage was typical of pet store cages. Its dimensions measured 3 feet x 1.5 feet x 2 feet and it had two levels. It seemed to be a decent size for one chinchilla, but it didn't take long before we started to think about coming up with our own design. The main advantage of a store bought cage is immediate availability. Pre-built cages can also be reasonably priced given the economies of scale inherent in mass produced products.
Our second cage was one we designed and built. We wanted to build something as large as possible, but still be small enough to move around our house as needed. This meant the cage had to be no wider than 2 feet so that it could fit through a doorway. The length was determined by figuring out what we could maneuver around the hallways of our home. This turned out to be 4 feet. And the height was also 4' mostly because of the size of the materials that we selected (more about that below).
The custom chinchilla cage we built has a 5-sided base (i.e. 4 walls and a bottom) made out of melamine. Melamine is particle board covered with white plastic that is easy to clean with Windex and a paper towel. To make moving the cage easy, we attached strong caster wheels to the bottom of each of the 4 corners.
The sides and top of the cage are made out of white Elfa shelving you can buy from the Container Store. Holding the whole thing together are 1-inch square pieces of wood that run length-wise or width-wise throughout the cage. These pieces of wood also provide support for wooden shelves (4 levels) that the chinchillas can jump onto. The Elfa walls and ceiling form another 5-sided box that sits within the melamine base. Both the melamine bottom and Elfa have a door to allow for entry to and exit from the cage.
To make the cage easier to clean, we put together a 5-sided wooden box which we filled with bedding as a cue to our chinchillas. The wooden box also has a melamine bottom, but it has pine sides since they're exposed and may be chewed.
Entries (RSS)
June 29th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Hi- I would like to know how long it took you to build this cage because i am planning on getting a chinchilla soon. Thank-you
June 29th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
When we built it, it took us a day to gather supplies and two days to build it.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:19 am
i got a few questions, about building a decent cage.
1. roughly how much time does it take to construct?
2. i have heard that one should avoid adding anything plastic to a chinchilla cage as they like to chew on everything, and plastic in there stomach can be very harmful. yet most things for them are plastic like a running wheel, ball for walking around the house etc, does this mean you should not buy them?
3. how often do you have to replace the wooden shelving due to them soaking up urine and such?
4. whats the best type of wood to use? i have heard you should avoid things like cedar and elder wood at all costs as it makes them sick, and some wood is better for them than others?
5. since they live a very long time i plan on building a decent size cage that will last for along time thats why i'm going to custom build one but, whats better longer length, or taller cage? some sources have said they need a long run area as they like to run and jump, but others say a tall cage with lots of levels is better as they like to climb? could you clarify what is better?(im thinking long as in the wild they run around)
6. finally whats the best way to secure the corners? as using plastic tie wraps does not see right, so should u screw it together somehow? or get someone to neatly weld the corners together?
August 13th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I just recently got a chinchilla and i couldnt find any 2-3 story cages., so i bought a guinea pig cage for him. is that size big enough
August 18th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I've been looking into chinchillas for a while now. At the pet stores though I couldn't find any cages. I don't have the room on the shelf to get something as wide as a guinea cage, so would it be fine to just get a bird cage (I would prefer to not construct one, I'm not exactly great at that sort of thing) one that's not to wide but makes up for it in height and with platforms wouldn't it be feasible?
August 18th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Jessie,
If you don't have the room in your place for a cage, then you probably don't have room to let a chinchilla run around every night. It doesn't sound like you should get one until you're in a larger place.
As for a bird cage, it probably won't work with a chinchilla wheel which would be even more important given your space restrictions.
August 25th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
I am seriously thinking about buying a chinchilla, and was wondering, at night can we let it run around freely in a room? Of course it would be a small-ish room and doors and windows would be closed.
Catherine
August 25th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Catherine,
As long as the room is safe and there's nothing in there they will chew on that you don't want them to chew on, the idea is fine. We let ours run around every night in a spare room.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Is there a place that you recomend to get the cages for your chinchilla or are most places good?
THANKS=]
August 30th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Katie,
We have no specific recommendations. Wherever you buy a cage just make sure to inspect it for quality and safety. Reputable stores will let you return things if they're still in good condition i.e. unused so you can inspect things closely at home.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:02 pm
What did you use for hinges and where did you get them?
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Danniell,
The "hinges" are just plastic zip ties that are positioned out of the reach of our chinchillas.
September 4th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Where did you buy your melamine boards? Did you just use old dry erase boards?
September 4th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Danniell,
Dry erase boards are different than the melamine we're using. Ours are wood fiber boards that are covered with white plastic. We got the wood boards from Home Depot.
June 8th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
WOW, that looks like a wonderful cage! I've been looking into buying a chinchilla and I wanted to buy a cage, but now I'm thinking about making one.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I love the pictures of your cage and I'm going to have my teenage son build one this summer - it should keep him busy for a week (I hope). My question is how exactly do you keep the door from swinging in and out. I'm assuming your melamine box has a door on it too so that would keep the door from swinging out - but I don't see anything in your picture that would keep it from swinging inwards. Also, I'm not quite clear on how you attached your door - it looks like you just used the plastic zip ties on one side. Is that correct?
We had built an outdoor cage for our chinchillas but we had just used a roll of galvanized small squared wire(fogot what it was called but it's in the gardening section at Home Depot - we didn't use chicken wire because I was afraid the chins would be able to get through it. We use a staple gun to attach it to pine 1×2. The door was a bit of a problem and the wire isn't stiff enough to attach wooden shelves to like the wire shelving units you used in your design. Thanks for the additional ideas. I look forward to a better description of the door. Or if you could just take another pic that includes the entire door that would be great.
THANKS!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Val,
The door uses a pretty low-tech system for staying place. Along one side are zip ties that hold the door upright and allow it to swing in and out. However, because the wire shelving is heavy, the door actually sits on the bottom of the cage and there's enough friction to keep it from moving unless you lift it first. The front melamine wall along the bottom of the cage has a door on hinges and a simple bolt style lock.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I want a chinchilla very very badly, and I don't think my parents will let me get one if its cage is too big. Is it possible to have a cage under 24×24"? Also, how much do you think the chinchilla will cost?
July 7th, 2008 at 7:19 am
If your parents are going to put restrictions on the size of the cage, are they also going to not allow you to let your chinchilla run around outside of the cage? Daily exercise outside of the cage is important for keeping your chinchilla healthy.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I have a two level wire cage for my chinchillas. The cage is advertised as a ferret cage. It is working very well for my chinchillas so far in most aspects, but I am worried about the floor of the cage. The wire bars are more far apart than I'd like and there are actually no cross bars on the floor, all the wire bars go in one direction. I didn't like this so I put cardboard on top of the wire on both levels for the chinchillas to walk on. However, the chinchillas are very quickly destroying my cardboard floor. Is there something better (and easy to maintain) that I can use to protect my chinchillas feet from the wire bottom? I've been trying to think of something for a while now…
Also, is it okay to use a 'bitter apple' product on the wire to keep the chinchillas from chewing on it?
July 12th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
What is keeping the Chinchillas from chewing and eating the plastic off of the wire shelving?
July 13th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Randi,
You can buy thin pieces of aspen. They do warp in humidity though and aren't easy to clean. Melamine is another option. Easy to clean, but doesn't provide traction for your chins. We used melamine as the base of our cage, but with multiple levels our chinchillas didn't spend much time on the base so we didn't worry about traction.
Spraying the wires may prevent chewing, but I'm not sure you could do it such that just the wires are covered. It'd be a shame if wherever your chins went they encountered bitter apple.
July 13th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Vaan,
There is nothing stopping our chinchillas from eating the wire covering (it's paint and not plastic). And in fact they did attack one small area. But with enough alternatives like wood and hay cubes, they were sufficiently distracted.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I am a college student and go home for long weekends. If I wanted to take my chinchilla with me would he be affected by being put in a different cage?
July 20th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Hi there, I just happened to be looking for something about chinchillas and i came about this forum. The other day I found this product. I haven't tried it personally but i looks pretty good.
http://www.chinworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CW110008&Category_Code=CW11
I used to be have a plastic coasted wire cage and my chin used to nibble at it. Once i upgraded him to a bigger cage, we put heaps of wooden shelves and ledges and he hasn't nibbled on wire since. i think as long as ur chin has something to chew on if he's bored he wont bother with wire/plastic.
I hope this helps!!
July 20th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I forgot to say if i cage has heaps of shelves, they prefer to go on the higher ones! the only thing that goes on the bottom of my chin's floor is poop!!
July 31st, 2008 at 12:59 am
where did you get the melamine boards?? I can't seem to find them in stores
August 18th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Hi. I have never owned a chinchilla before but have done a lot of research and may be getting a chinchilla soon. I read that you don't want to get plastic cages because the chinchillas can chew and digest the plastic which can lead to future health issues. Is that correct?
Or does it depend on the chinchilla? I was reading the reviews of certain cages on PETCO or Petsmart and some owners say their chinchilla chewed through the plastic while other chinchillas didn't at all.
Thank you so much.
Also, this site was very helpful.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:36 pm
This cage is lovely. Do you find it is cheaper to build a large cage or to buy a cage and modify it? Also I have been considering building a habitat for my 8 chinchillas, something large and zoo quality, but I was a little concerned about housing more than 1 male in the same cage with my females. I was wondering how large a space would be needed to assure my males would not fight. I also wrote some tips regarding housing baby chinchillas on my site chinchillaplace.com here is a link if anyone is looking for more info http://www.chinchillaplace.com/chinchilla-blog/?Tag=Introducing+Chinchillas
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Hello. I just adopted a chinchilla from a friend of a friend and inherited a rather small cage. I figured out pretty much how to build a cage like yours but have read to watch out what kind of wood. I read you used pine wood for the shelves. Did you buy the wood at a place like Home Depot or did you get it from a specialty lumber yard? I have read on other sites that the pine must be kiln dried and untreated and I am unsure if that is what you get at your local Home Depot or Lowe's. Also, how often do you clean the bottom? When you clean out the bottom do you remove the bedding too that has been peed on? Thanks!
September 4th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Jennifer,
Building a cage seems to be more expensive. The advantage is you get to build it to suit your needs. For example, we wanted a big cage, but we needed it to fit through a doorway.
We don't know if there's a particular amount of space that will keep male chinchillas from fighting. It's probably best to devise some sort of system to divide the cage and maybe let them run around together outside of the cage.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Sharon,
You are correct that there are some safe woods and some unsafe ones. We used pine for the cage shelves. It wasn't kiln-dried, but we limited the number of edges that could be chewed on. We also provided as many alternative chewing toys as possible. I think part of the problem with non-kiln-dried pine are the "fumes" that come from it when it is in the form of bedding. I would assume solid wood would be less problematic.
We changed the bedding every week or so. To keep from wasting too much bedding, we used a wooden tray to hold it. The tray was about a third of the size of the cage bottom. We could take the tray out as needed. The bottom of the cage would be cleaned every other week. The wooden shelves would be cleaned as needed with vinegar.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I am TOTALLY in love with your cage! We currently have 9 chinchillas, 7 boys and 2 girls. Ultimately we want to put 6 of the boys together (one is still too aggressive, four are in bonded pairs) and one of the girls (who is sterile) in a large cage like that. If I could I'd put them all together but, like I said, one is still too mean and the other girl (who we bought thinking she was a he) is likely pregnant and rather than have MORE chins after this round, we'll have to keep her separate too.
I've bought (and been given) a lot of cages for the chinchillas, most with plastic parts, and by and large, they'll chew them to bits. Even the non-plastic chewers have nibbled on the shelves, and the cages just seem too flimsy. I may built a cage using the caging itself, but not the same shelves, tubes, and ramps that came with it (all cheap plastic).
Do you have a blue print of how you put all this together?
September 28th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Jennifer,
Sorry, we don't have the blueprints for the cage. We just had rough sketches which we tossed once the cage was completed.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Really impressed with the chinchilla cage…would you be able to tell me where did you get the actual cage/mesh from or what is it made from? Thank you
October 15th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Really like the cage could you advice where i can get the same one or even similar.Thanks in advance
October 18th, 2008 at 9:24 am
i am a vet nurse and i am impressed the amount of chinchillas we have had to put to sleep because of dieases that have simply been caused by not having enough room to roam is unbelivable,, so if anyone is after a chinchilla please get a very good sized one please thank que in advance x
October 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I wanted to build a cage for our chinchilla and think this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Could you tell me if there is a coating on the wire that you used? I wasn't sure if your chinchillas ever chewed on it or not. (Just wanted to check exactly what you used so I didn't go out and buy the wrong thing). Thanks so much!!!!
October 19th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
We are looking for female chins for our boys poto an coto. Poto is a little more friendlier than coto he loves to be touched his characteristics everything that comes into the cage must be investigated. Eats everything I haven't found anything that he doesn't like. sleeps in various positions on his back with his legs wide open, on his side, he may even go inside the hut and sleep with his head out and his back legs out as well dont ask me I dont know how he does that. Coto more of a anti-social doesn't eat everything like poto, but he is very particular on how the hut must face and what is inside the hut. Anyways, I wanted to find out where to go to get a female or two for these guys I know that one may be better off than the other but I need an idea.
Atl Ga.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
just wondering. how much does constructing a cage like that cost you. and is there any ways of preventing the chinchilla from biting the mesh wiring and if you can post more pics. i would greatly appreciate it.
im making cages for goodwill children. and i like this one alot.
please let me know!
- the grease
October 25th, 2008 at 9:05 am
The Grease,
We built the cage from scratch so we could control the dimensions i.e. as big as possible, but still get through the doorway. It wasn't cheap at all and I doubt a good option for your efforts. As for pictures, we don't have any more to post. Sorry!
November 1st, 2008 at 11:09 am
I have a 3'x2.5'x2.5' cage(Yes, it's small) and it's a single level cage. I couldn't afford a bigger one =(.
So I was wondering if you guys had ideas for creating a second-floor on the cage?
Thanks in advance =)
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
to brian for a bigger cage for cheap, i went to home depot and made my own.. with everything i got it was under $75 and its about 4-5ft tall and 2-3 feet wide. you should try that
November 7th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
What a wonderful setup! I've looked it over carefully, made some calls around town to Lowes and the Container Store, drew a few sketches, and I've decided to try making one myself. With the materials I was quoted over the phone, my dimensions will be 36L x 20W x 36H. However, until I stop in to those locations myself, I wont know for certain. You said yours was four foot high, but do my remaining dimensions seem accurate?
How far apart do you have the platforms spaced, and how did you assemble the door?.. that is, if you don't mind sharing your secrets. =)
November 8th, 2008 at 6:11 am
BG,
We didn't really measure the space in between shelves. It was driven more by what was going on the shelf. For example, the wheel needed a certain amount of room. And the sleeping house also needed a certain amount of room. The rest of the shelves "fell" into place.
December 13th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Gorgeous cage and very inventive! I dont doubt that it was expensive though. I am curious about something… I have a 20 gallon tank that was previously used as a rat cage (top open… and if we were to get a chinchilla, it would definitely get a thorough cleaning!), if we were to get an second story add-on made to fit a 20 gallon tank, would that be enough for a chinchilla?
December 15th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
very beautiful and if anyone is selling a chinchilla with cage please let me know
December 15th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
how long did it take you to make that and how much did the all the supplies cost because i have a chinchilla and I would like to make something similar to that for her
December 25th, 2008 at 3:51 am
Do you have cages for sale? We have been raising chins as pets for over 6 years and will soon be moving to a new home. We don't have time to build again. The cage you show on your website looks well thought out.
January 4th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
does it chew on the wood.