Advice about new cage and bedding!

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Rtempleton

Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
7
Hi all!

I'm new to the forum but have had my two chinchillas for 10 years now.
I've always had cages from John Hopewell but recently the wire in my current cage has broken and I'm in need of a new one. I wanted a change and to find a sturdier cage. I found this one http://www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Liberta_2nd_Edition_Explorer_Rat,_Ferret_and_Chinchilla_Cage.htm and think it looks good, although any opinions would be welcome!

My question is about the floor of the cage. My chinchillas have always had a wire floor, covered with fleece because one is prone to bumblefoot. This cage doesn't have a wire floor and I was wondering what you guys all use as bedding as I'm aware that the ferret nation is very similar. The fleece isn't really a bedding for my chins because they like to move it out of the way in order to pee over the wire and we use newspaper in the tray to catch it. I'm also worried about the tray potentially rusting in this cage because of this. Biscuits (one of my chinchillas) just has an obsession with moving the fleece out of his way in general, and with digging at it.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated! :)

Rachel
 
That one looks very similar to one someone else from the UK posted not too long ago. https://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=456&pf_id=68616 Over all they both look like they could work, and be good with some minor changes. I would remove the ramps/ladders, they are dangerous and chins don't need them, also I wouldn't use the hammocks they don't look like all fleece, and the half cage shelving I would replace with wood since they look like they have a gap around them where toes or feet can get caught.

I personally use fleece, but others use kiln dried pine or aspen shavings as bedding. So long as you clean the metal tray, wipe it down with vinegar and water, every cage changing, and change the cage regularly, it shouldn't be too much of a rust issue. It's kind of hard to tell in the pics, but the cage you linked looks like the pans are powder coated as well, which would also help with preventing rusting. Also I know a lot of people switch out the plastic trays in the Ferret Nations for metal pans.

On an unrelated note, one thing that can help with preventing bumble foot is round perches, like you would get for a bird. When a chin sits on a perch they need to kind of shift their feet to stay balanced, which helps with blood flow (like a foot massage roller). They would naturally be standing on uneven rocks and wood pieces (logs, branches, stuff like that) in the wild, not flat surfaces. So the flat cage floors and flat shelving, which makes them put pressure on the whole foot all the time, can cause issues.
 
Thanks for your reply! Yes you're right that cage looks extremely similar. I'm definitely going to remove the shelves and ramp and I am planning to make some pine shelves for the cage.

I'm wondering if there's a way I could somehow clip the fleece to the tray but I can't really see how it would work until I get the cage! Thank you for the advice about the bedding! I've been looking on some websites and what generic pet shops here seem to sell are care fresh, unidentified wood shavings and hemp bedding.

That's really interesting about bumble foot as I've not heard that before. What do you mean by round perches? I will definitely implement a more varied surface to help him!
 
I’m also on the hunt for a new cage. I was looking at this one in addition to the one by PetPlanet. From what I can tell PetPlanet has decided to do their own version of the Liberta cage (which is slightly cheaper), but they seem to be identical to me. The one pause I had about this cage is the fact that there are no metal bars between the two levels. So if you take the top tray out to clean it, you can’t keep the chins in the other level and it would leave a lot of empty space for possible falls. But if you’re planning on opening up the whole cage and filling it with wooden shelves etc. it’s probably not a problem! The lack of bars also means it's slightly trickier to hang toys / hammocks / etc. in the lower level.

If it helps when thinking about cleaning and longevity, I know at least the PetPlanet one is powder coated (I contacted Customer Service to ask). So I would suspect the Liberta one is as well.

I’ve seen lots of people with rats using this cage in particular. They seem to use shavings and are fairly happy with the trays etc.
 
Sorry, I tried to reply the other day but obviously it didn't work!

To Amethyst I agree about the ledge and ramps! My plan is to make pine shelves for the cage, I was considering making them a wood house as well but I can't seem to figure out how to make a safe one that won't fall apart so will probably buy them a new one. Also thank you for the information about bumblefoot, I wasn't aware that flat surfaces would be a stress to the foot. What do you mean by round perches?

I think I will stick to the fleece bedding but make it bigger than needed so I can wrap it under the tray to try to stop Biscuits from pulling it up all the time. I'm also considering trying out a litter tray of aspen shavings in the corner they most like to pee in.


Spodumena - Yes the petplanet one looks pretty much exactly the same but it's not even that much cheaper as I bought the Liberta for £179.99! Not sure why they've done that! I didn't realise that about the metal bars separating the two levels, that's a bit annoying. I took the plunge and ordered the cage yesterday though as I got paid! I'll let you know exactly what it's like in person when it's all set up, I think it's coming on Wednesday.
 
To Amethyst I agree about the ledge and ramps! My plan is to make pine shelves for the cage, I was considering making them a wood house as well but I can't seem to figure out how to make a safe one that won't fall apart so will probably buy them a new one. Also thank you for the information about bumblefoot, I wasn't aware that flat surfaces would be a stress to the foot. What do you mean by round perches?

I think I will stick to the fleece bedding but make it bigger than needed so I can wrap it under the tray to try to stop Biscuits from pulling it up all the time. I'm also considering trying out a litter tray of aspen shavings in the corner they most like to pee in.

You can use nontoxic school glue, like Elmers glue, to glue a house together. Another option is to make one using holes and dowels, drill holes where you want to connect the boards (basically where you would otherwise be putting nails), and then hammer dowel pieces into the holes to connect them.

What I am talking about for round perches are the kind in these pics.

20170419_0008521_zpshxhq1m8c.jpg
20170429_1248331_zps0sbdp1xi.jpg


You can either make your own or buy them in the bird department at pet stores. Just make sure you get a chin safe type of wood. The ones in my guys' cage are poplar and apple ones. I think I have about a dozen of different widths in the cage right now.

The way I do my fleece is pillowcase style, the pan goes inside and the extra gets tucked up under so they can't pull it off. My cage pans are pretty shallow though, so you'd have to make the fleece cover extra baggy to sag inside deeper pans. You can also try putting heavy items in the corners, like tiles or their house, so the chins can't pull up the fleece. You could also try using metal binder clips to clip the fleece to the cage bars or to the pan itself.
 
@ RTempleton - will definitely like to hear your impressions of the Liberta! :) It looks like a pretty well made cage, and the metal pans are a definite plus!

If you're not keen to make your own little chin-house, (and if you don't know them!) I recently found:

https://www.manorpethousing.co.uk which has some really amazing wooden houses/accessories for chins/buns in the UK.

The houses that everyone seems to have from P@H are cruddy since they're made out of plywood. Manorpet is a bit pricey, but has some great things.
 
Amethyst - Thank you so much for your advice, it's very helpful. I hadn't thought about doing it pillowcase style, although yes I would have to work around the deeper pan that way. I have tried using their house and chinchillers in the corner but they're very good at moving them even though their current house is very heavy! Clips are definitely a good option too.

Thank you for the picture as well, I have seen some similar in the parrot section of the pet shop but it didn't state what type of wood it was which made me wary. I will look online for some similar for them and will deck out their new home with them!

Spodumena - That place looks brilliant, I have never heard of them before. Definitely need to get saving to buy some things from there! I have a house from John Hopewell currently but I can't seem to find it on his website - I know he's been cutting down on stock recently though. I also found this one on ebay which I'm really tempted by http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11-x-7-x-...-Removable-Top-Lid-/262882106849?roken=cUgayN

I will definitely let you know how the cage is and will send pictures of it once completed!
 
I got the cage and it looks great so far, it's been set up but am waiting until I have a day off work to work out shelving etc before the chins can go in. I will go into more detail about the cage and pros and cons etc.

Quick question, do you think bulldog binder clips like these http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Bulldo...c5cJkvpiHE4HxFSNK2rH8Rcb0KICFA_o7oaArIY8P8HAQ would work/are safe for clipping the fleece to the pan as it's so deep? Something about having the clips in the cage with them makes me nervous!
 
Glad the cage looks good so far! Can’t wait to see pictures! :)

I have seen a lot people using the larger binder clips like these ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rapesco-Fo...8&qid=1494001171&sr=1-4&keywords=binder+clips ) to hold the fleece to the pans and they seem to think it works well. I think Clas Ohlson stocks them too, although I’m not sure about sizes. The ones you posted look like they’d be a little shallow to me - especially on deep pans (?) - and I’d be a bit worried about them potentially snapping off onto a chin-paw…

The house you posted would be great for a dust bath! Especially with the extra lid and everything. I’d be worried about them potentially getting to the pins/nails, but a dust bath isn’t in there for too long… Good find!
 
Thank you for the information about the binder clips! They definitely look a lot better. I'll try to find them in-store somewhere so I can view size etc before purchasing!
 
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