Chinchillaville13's Chinchilla Villa

[Chinchillaville13]

All right. Some of you may know that I want to buy or build a new cage for Pedro. So...

I might have enough money now, and need some good ideas.

First, can you all please share some cool DIY cage ideas? Maybe something you built? It doesn't matter what it is, as long as I can build it (with zero welding experience) and it's something (somewhat) interesting. I won't be going by the exact blueprint. I just need some ideas to put together.

Second, I want to build it mainly out of wood, so is there any way I can prevent Pedro from chewing certain areas without preventing him from accessing them? (For example, my rabbit doesn't like the texture of tape, so I put it over things of mine (trim, door, furniture, drywall, etc) she likes to chew)

Third, is there a non-toxic wood sealer I can use on it, so it'd be easy to clean? That'd be nifty seeming as Pedro has basically zero hygiene skills besides rolling in his dust bath.

Thanks y'all!

 

[tunes]

I did a Google search for some: homemade chinchilla cages - Google Search

I can't post a picture personally because mine aren't homemade, but there are some really nice images here. Most people use melamine to build cages. It's easy to wipe clean and most (there's always that one) don't chew on it. You must have to be sure you have ventilation in any homemade cage. As far as chewing, that is on a chin by chin basis. Some of my chins I can throw a block of wood in and they ignore it and others make it disappear in two seconds. You can help with that by using a U channel around the edges.

 

[Chinchillaville13]

I did a Google search for some: homemade chinchilla cages - Google Search

I can't post a picture personally because mine aren't homemade, but there are some really nice images here. Most people use melamine to build cages. It's easy to wipe clean and most (there's always that one) don't chew on it. You must have to be sure you have ventilation in any homemade cage. As far as chewing, that is on a chin by chin basis. Some of my chins I can throw a block of wood in and they ignore it and others make it disappear in two seconds. You can help with that by using a U channel around the edges.

Sorry, I'm just some weird know-nothing redneck teen...

What's a U channel?

Also, love those cages. I'll huck some ideas of them into my blueprint.

 

[NigelAndPeanut]

I made a little train for my Nigel to climb on or in out of cardboard as well as a little couch im sure they could be crafted out of wood as well

 

[Chinchillaville13]

I made a little train for my Nigel to climb on or in out of cardboard as well as a little couch im sure they could be crafted out of wood as well

I like that! That could be cool, little wooden furniture. Great idea, love it!

 

[Lucretia]

My boys first home was a wardrobe I converted, all in it cost me less than £30 as the wardrobe was aquired from a free site. I've now upgraded to a very large aviary that I've converted to a chin home, but here's a photo of the wardrobe after and before

 

[tunes]

https://www.grainger.com/product/6A...ucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231

 

[Chinchillaville13]

My boys first home was a wardrobe I converted, all in it cost me less than £30 as the wardrobe was aquired from a free site. I've now upgraded to a very large aviary that I've converted to a chin home, but here's a photo of the wardrobe after and before

I was thinking about that. Both my chinchilla and rabbit will be moving into my room. The cabinets could be really nice for storage! Plus, there's so much you can do with the china hutches for chins

 

[Chinchillaville13]

https://www.grainger.com/product/6A...ucid=N:N:pS:paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231

Okay, thanks a billion!

 

[Lucretia]

I was thinking about that. Both my chinchilla and rabbit will be moving into my room. The cabinets could be really nice for storage! Plus, there's so much you can do with the china hutches for chins

I personally think they can look nicer than cages, they're more like furniture. Really easy and cheap to convert, just requires your time you can also upcycled other items for them.....I converted a pine bread bin into a dust bath (my boys find the standard plastic dust baths a little tight). I cut a section out to put a perspex window in and a hole in the one end to fit a chinchilla tube (this helps keep the dust in the bath. The only things that limit you are ensuring items are chin safe and your imagination x

 

[Chinchillaville13]

I personally think they can look nicer than cages, they're more like furniture. Really easy and cheap to convert, just requires your time you can also upcycled other items for them.....I converted a pine bread bin into a dust bath (my boys find the standard plastic dust baths a little tight). I cut a section out to put a perspex window in and a hole in the one end to fit a chinchilla tube (this helps keep the dust in the bath. The only things that limit you are ensuring items are chin safe and your imagination x

I was actually thinking about something like that! I was gonna maybe convert half or a quarter of the cupboard into a dust area and put a tunnel through the other half so they can get back into the main area. You'd be able to see/hear them through the tunnels as you get supply from the cabinet! Plus I'd have a door closing off the tunnel so they won't just pee and whatnot on the dust.

Would shavings, maybe tile, or a fleece be better for the floor of this?

 

[Lucretia]

I was actually thinking about something like that! I was gonna maybe convert half or a quarter of the cupboard into a dust area and put a tunnel through the other half so they can get back into the main area. You'd be able to see/hear them through the tunnels as you get supply from the cabinet! Plus I'd have a door closing off the tunnel so they won't just pee and whatnot on the dust.

Would shavings, maybe tile, or a fleece be better for the floor of this?

Sounds like you've got a great plan, I can't wait to see what you build I personally brought a box of large ceramic floor tiles and used a grab adhesive to fix them in base of wardrobe, the weren't expensive...about £10 for a box of 5. They're really easy to clean and disinfect and they create a cool surface for the chins to lay when it's hot, I then brought a cheap fleece blanket and cut it to fit in their beds and on the shelves...they're really easy to wash x

 

[Chinchillaville13]

Sounds like you've got a great plan, I can't wait to see what you build I personally brought a box of large ceramic floor tiles and used a grab adhesive to fix them in base of wardrobe, the weren't expensive...about £10 for a box of 5. They're really easy to clean and disinfect and they create a cool surface for the chins to lay when it's hot, I then brought a cheap fleece blanket and cut it to fit in their beds and on the shelves...they're really easy to wash x

That's a solid idea. Would CoreTec flooring work? My stepdad sells it and has a ton of little samples I could use.

 

[Amethyst]

I just wanted to let you know, if your chin ever gets anything like ringworm for example, ALL wood needs to be thrown away, that includes the cage itself if it's made of wood. That is one reason metal cages are advised, they can be cleaned and sanitized, where as fungal spores can get deep inside wood where they can't fully be cleaned out.

I would not use CoreTec flooring, it looks like it's vinyl flooring? The chin could end up chew and eating it, which would be bad.

 

[Lucretia]

That's a solid idea. Would CoreTec flooring work? My stepdad sells it and has a ton of little samples I could use.

Not really sweet, with no exposed edges ceramic can't be chewed and has no crevases like wire does. As long as youre on top of cleaninng and disinfecting fungi shouldn't be a problem. Fungus can live in the dirty wire and they're little feet will easily pick it up. Ringworm will only develope as a result of a contagious fungus that only becomes active once it comes into contact with skin cells, the spores thrive in warm, moist environments and they then grow out of control. so ideally always use an antibacterial hand wash before you handle you're chins, and wash their fleeces in an antibacterial wash or with zoflora. Also fungus will not grow on dry wood, so if you tile and use fleece that you change every day there really shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Amethyst]

Not really sweet, with no exposed edges ceramic can't be chewed and has no crevases like wire does. As long as youre on top of cleaninng and disinfecting fungi shouldn't be a problem. Fungus can live in the dirty wire and they're little feet will easily pick it up. Ringworm will only develope as a result of a contagious fungus that only becomes active once it comes into contact with skin cells, the spores thrive in warm, moist environments and they then grow out of control. so ideally always use an antibacterial hand wash before you handle you're chins, and wash their fleeces in an antibacterial wash or with zoflora. Also fungus will not grow on dry wood, so if you tile and use fleece that you change every day there really shouldn't be an issue.

Ringworm spores (not active fungus) can survive for weeks or even months, on a dry surface like the wood in a cage, and much longer (a year or more) if in a warm moist environment waiting for conditions to be right. So long as you live in a very dry climate and the humidity never gets higher then 50% in the room, the chin never gets wet even by accident, like leans against the water bottle and you don't notice, never has a water bottle that leaks, never pees on wood shelves or sprays pee, the chin never pees on fleece that is touching wood, never comes into contact with another animal or person or anything they have touch that has ringworm, you never get contaminated shavings or hay (more common if you get stuff from a farm or second hand), etc, or you do a deep clean of the cage every single day then the odds are very slim. I don't think anyone can guarantee none of those things will ever happen though, life happens, and most people deep clean the cage at most weekly not daily. I have had chins for nearly 30 years (never in a wood cage though) and never had to deal with ringworm so I'm not saying it will happen just something to keep in mind should the worst case happen, you can sanitize metal but not wood (at least not easily without ruining it). Also you don't always need to wash with antibacterial soap, regular soap and water is all you need, unless you or any of your pets are sick. Always wash between handling your other animals and chinchilla though.