# Indy the chinchilla



## lozzibear (Feb 5, 2010)

I have an unplanned new addition... a little chinchilla, was called Bailey but now called Indy. His previous owners weren't caring for him right so I now have him...

I have had rabbits, guineas, gerbils and hamsters but never a chinchilla. What is the best cage for him? I am between these two...

Ferret Cages: great bargain at zooplus: Frettchen-, HÃ¶rnchen- und ChinchillakÃ¤fig Perfect

Paul Spooner's Top Quality Chinchilla Cages, UKs Number One Chinchilla Cage Supply Service

He is currently on a mix of his previous food (rabbit museli!) and science selective pellets... he wasn't given hay in his previous home though so he isn't eating any hay... is there any way I can encourage him to?

I know it can be complicated bonding rabbits, but is this the same with chinchillas? I won't be adding a friend until after he has settled in but down the line I would add another for him.

If anyone has any cage set ups they want to share photos of I would be very grateful 

Thanks.


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

The zooplus cage is the better one as its much bigger but...they prefer to leap around. I had a wardrobe sized aviary (similar to this Skyline Loretto XXL Bird Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus) with platforms and apple branches. 2 nesting boxes, 1 high 1 low, various toys (parrot and cat toys...My male Boris loved the cats catnip toys) A couple of hammocks and of course their dust bath.

If you are at all handy you could make a cage from an old wardrobe. If you search google you will find a few examples of them and see how simple it is, you'll also see a few sample set ups.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

They will chew any plastic. 

It might be worth taking him in for a check up at the vets just to check his teeth are ok if he's not been eating hay. 

At this time of year you should be able to get some lovely sweet smelling hay from a farm, while not great long term it might be enough to encourage him to start nibbling. Don't offer too much at first as fresh hay can upset very sensitive tummies


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

paul spooner is a excellent cage maker as is john hopewell.

As mentioned they need to have no plastic in their cages as they will destroy it and its not good for them. He needs to eat hay so maybe experiment with diffrent types or you can get some forage for him. i use CHINCHILLAS2SHOP for my two and there are many great toys and yummy items on there for them so might be worth a browse.

RE getting a friend yes it is a very slow process bonding two chinchillas. You will need two cages and they will need to be next to each other for a few months to get used to the sight/ smell of each other, then will be swapping into each others cages for a while to get used to smell and then supervised play times. This can take many months and as with rabbits there is no guarantee he will take to the newcommer.

They do cope quite well alone tho as long as they have lots of human interaction, time out of the cage and toys.

Enjoy your new furball


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

This is quite a old picture but shows their cage, they have a john hopewell cage that has two levels.


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## lozzibear (Feb 5, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. 

I thought the one in the second link would be better because they come in different sizes and they have shelves rather than full platforms so they can jump around... unfortunately, I am on a budget on how much I can spend for a cage. I have been looking at second hand ones though. I also thought about converting a dog crate, so that is still an idea. I know they shouldn't get plastic but there are dog crates with metal bases (which is what he is currently in, but can't be long term because I had to borrow it - the crate I have has a plastic bottom). I hadn't realised though that the platforms on the Zooplus one are plastic... so would it be best to steer clear of that one? It is hard to know when they are sold for a chinchilla...

I will be taking him to the vet but more for his eyes, than his teeth. I had a wee look at his teeth and they look okay. His eyes look like he might possibly be blind... but... it might just be caused by his colouring. I'm not sure... he seems to get around though, so it doesn't effect him too much but he did once run into the edge of the crate when the door was over, and walked into the mesh part under the door... 

I have two rabbits so plenty of hay around - meadow, ings and Timothy and Rye. So he has a choice of good quality hay. 

Hrm, so bonding chinchillas is similar to bonding rabbits... 

Thanks for the photo


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

You are so welcome.

i know its the trouble with them being advertised for chinchillas trouble is they would be destroyed and you would be replacing shelves anyway. You could get the cage take out all the plastic and replace with wood.

They seem to sell alot second hand on gumtree ect so its a good idea to look also any local boot sales as they tend to go cheaper there too.

Awww bless him he may well be blind, if so just a case of when you get him a cage not to move things around too much as he will be better in a familiar set up and also make sure there are no large drops [this sis good to do anyway] so if he miss judges something he wont hurt himself. Chinchillas love to climb so levels are a must even if there are just some cardboard boxes in there to climb on and destroy for them. moment. We have hammocks and things in their cage too that they love to bounce off and sleep in, and sand baths are a favorite of theirs.

Only other thing to mention if hes a he look up fur rings. this is something you will have to check daily because it can make them quite poorly.

Also defiantly need pictures of the little man


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## lozzibear (Feb 5, 2010)

That is good to know about the fur rings, just had a Google and a check and he is okay just now, no fur ring.

I saw this cage last night on Gumtree, Chinchilla, degu, small animal cage | United Kingdom | Gumtree would that be okay? Measurements are 36in x 18in x 23in.

Temporarily he has a cardboard box to go on and a wooden box thing. And he manages fine with them. I will add photos in a minute, need to do it on my mobile though because, for some strange reason, my kindle won't show me that links I need for the photos on photobucket.


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## lozzibear (Feb 5, 2010)

Indy, the day he arrived...





And after a dust bath and time to settle in...


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

For a single chinchilla that cage would be perfect and with a bit if diy would be easy to expand if you did want to or if you got him a friend. As long as he has things to nibble and jump on he will be fine. 


Oh bless him what a sorry state he was in, he looks sooooo much better now you have him :thumbsup: I'm surprised you got such clear pictures he must be a friendly little chap as mine are always bouncing all over the place 9 out of 10 pics are usually just their tail haha


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

Just a heads-up - the Paul Spooner and John Hopewell-style cages seem to come up quite regularly second-hand on Ebay. Because of their design, they're not really suitable for anything else except Chinchillas (the wooden shelves will just store up a lot of stink if used for rats or ferrets) so they often go cheap.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

i wouldnt touch most of the cages listed on here with a barge pole for a chin except the paul spooner one

Ferret Cages: great bargain at zooplus: Frettchen-, HÃ¶rnchen- und ChinchillakÃ¤fig Perfect
chinchillas should not have any plastic at all, they will chew it and if ingested it can cause blockages and death

Skyline Loretto XXL Bird Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus
much too tall, you would need to add lots of full length shelfs or half length overlapping shelves to break the fall which would really comprimise your access, also the (what looks to be wood?) bottom would be chewed through in no time

chinchillas are very much like bonding rabbits, small neutral space.

rabbit food is so unsuitable, hes probably not eating hay because hes stuffing his face with the nice junk food (like giving a child a bowl of sweets and a dish of salad, which will they pick?)

your boy does look like he could be blind, hard to tell from the photos but they look very similar to my old boy milos eyes, he was born genetically blind


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## lozzibear (Feb 5, 2010)

Amelia66 said:


> For a single chinchilla that cage would be perfect and with a bit if diy would be easy to expand if you did want to or if you got him a friend. As long as he has things to nibble and jump on he will be fine.
> 
> Oh bless him what a sorry state he was in, he looks sooooo much better now you have him :thumbsup: I'm surprised you got such clear pictures he must be a friendly little chap as mine are always bouncing all over the place 9 out of 10 pics are usually just their tail haha


Thanks  he is friendly in that he is easy to handle and will sit next to me but he doesn't come up to see me lol but I am sure that will come with time. He will sit nicely but he does run around and investigate 



MerlinsMum said:


> Just a heads-up - the Paul Spooner and John Hopewell-style cages seem to come up quite regularly second-hand on Ebay. Because of their design, they're not really suitable for anything else except Chinchillas (the wooden shelves will just store up a lot of stink if used for rats or ferrets) so they often go cheap.


I posted a link to one of their style, not sure on the exact make, that is going on Gumtree.



Lil Miss said:


> i wouldnt touch most of the cages listed on here with a barge pole for a chin except the paul spooner one
> 
> Ferret Cages: great bargain at zooplus: Frettchen-, HÃ¶rnchen- und ChinchillakÃ¤fig Perfect
> chinchillas should not have any plastic at all, they will chew it and if ingested it can cause blockages and death


I did post later on and say that I didn't realise that the shelves were plastic, but that is why I asked for advice before just going out and getting one.



Lil Miss said:


> Skyline Loretto XXL Bird Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus
> much too tall, you would need to add lots of full length shelfs or half length overlapping shelves to break the fall which would really comprimise your access, also the (what looks to be wood?) bottom would be chewed through in no time


That isn't one I am considering anyway.



Lil Miss said:


> chinchillas are very much like bonding rabbits, small neutral space.
> 
> rabbit food is so unsuitable, hes probably not eating hay because hes stuffing his face with the nice junk food (like giving a child a bowl of sweets and a dish of salad, which will they pick?)


I know it isn't a suitable food. That is what his previous owners had him on, which is why, along with other reasons, I decided to take him. His owners had him in a wire cage outside... with no shelter. His diet was rabbit museli, apples and celery... I have got him science selective (for chinchillas) but, as I don't want to cause him a stomach upset and possible bloat, I am mixing it with the rabbit food until I can get him on to only science selective. He actually seems to prefer the science selective and picks it out first.



Lil Miss said:


> your boy does look like he could be blind, hard to tell from the photos but they look very similar to my old boy milos eyes, he was born genetically blind


I have had those concerns since I first saw him... he seems to get around okay though, but from watching him I do think he gets around by sense more than sight.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

What a beautiful little fuzzy  love his odd ears too


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