Soon to be Chinchilla Owner

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jeh07901

New member
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Messages
2
Location
Southern California
Hi there! I just joined this forum today in the hopes I can learn a bit more of the ins and outs to owning a chinchilla before I bring one into my house.

I know they need to be kept cool, not above 75 degrees or that can cause problems. Is central air conditioning reliable enough in that case, or would I need to invest in a portable air conditioner? I'm in Southern California, and we just had a ridiculous heat wave. So how should I proceed?

So this is the cage I was thinking of getting:
106030_MAIN._AC_SL1500_V1495558270_.jpg


I know the metal bars at the bottom won't really work but that can be taken out so it's just the pan at the bottom.

I want to know as much as I possibly can and set things up to be the best they can before I actually get my chinchilla. So any and all further information would be seriously appreciated!
 
It would depend on how good your central air system is, can it keep the room you are planning to have the chin in cool enough even in a heat wave? Ideally you want it 70F or below, I keep mine at around 68F or below year round. They can tolerate up to 75F for short periods of time, but wont be able to do much, and never take the chin out to play if it's above 70F. You also need the humidity to stay low, ideally below 40%.

That cage is ok, with some modifications, like you mentioned, the floor grating is not safe. The ramps are not needed either, chins jump not walk so it's better to replace ramps with ledges and perches.

Personally I prefer the critter nation or ferret nation cages, the doors open the whole front instead of one small door, making cage cleaning and caring for the chins so much easier. Also for things like putting in extra shelving, ledges, perches, hammocks, toys, etc, being able to reach everywhere is helpful. Also things like a chin safe wheel (solid surface metal minimum of 15" diameter) might not even fit though that small door of the cage you posted.

As for more info, it's been listed several times so it's best to just read threads/posts on the forum and then ask specific questions after when you need clarification. Some good places to start with are, General Chin FAQs and Health & Hygiene FAQs
 
Back
Top