Marble tray for cooling and or litter box? (Link)

[Brian123]

I have a couple large marble trays I purchased a while back from Kohls, and with two chinchillas arriving soon, I thought, maybe they'd make a good coolers and/or litter box. I think they are actually hand towel holders by design.

Currently they are on sale at Kohls for only $12.99, and are rather large. 16.5" by 6.25" and 1.5" tall (walls measure just over 1" on inside)

Charcoal Marble Tray (also search for a beige color too):
http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1259039/charcoal-marble-tray.jsp

Looks like it can fit two chinchillas, heavy, and could holding bedding I suppose. Though, with the marble having walls, does that possibly encourage chewing and unsafe?

I may see if the local store has the charcoal color that would look better in the cage compared to the beige ones I have. But I just wanted to be sure marble trays like this are safe before buying them.

Thanks.

 

[saphire]

Marble is definitely okay for cooling.
As for litter boxes, that would be up to you to see with time if they fit your needs. Although, 1inch walls is low to keep the shavings in. Try it you can see how it goes for you.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Those look like fantastic little cooling beds Safe to use and I doubt they will bother trying to chew them much because they are so hard. I agree that 1in isn't going to do much as a litter pan. Also you don't know if your chins will decide they want to only pee in a litter pan or not. I have one that was happy to use a little dish but his brother could not care less and peed wherever he wanted

 

[seachin]

I have found that both marble and granite are great for cooling but are somewhat absorbant so if your chin less a lot on them the smell stays and gets pretty icky. Also, they are heavy so dont put them on a shelf unless you properly secure them to prevent injury. I like glazed tiles that look like stone....you can get them super cheap on sale and when they start really smelling you can replace them.

 

[ccchins]

I agree with seachin. Marble/Granite does start to absorb urine after awhile. I go to the Granite countertop dealers and ask if they have any small pieces that they would like to sell. When I tell them how small they just give them to me.

 

[Brian123]

So, after considering the advice here, and some thinking, these marble trays may not be the way to go. Sure, they are cheap during this sale, but not sustainable after they slowly absorb odors and need replacing. Plus, with the walls, urine will be trapped, possibly getting their fur wet. A single chin sized piece most people use will allow urine to mostly miss it and or flow off into bedding or fleece.

Also, now I wonder about quartz countertop material, as they are stronger and never need to be sealed since they are nonporous. Though, it would be really hard to find small samples.

 

[becky12883]

I have found marble and granite trivets at the thrift store and I use those. They usually come in a plastic border that I remove. I also clean my chillers with a vinegar solution, usually soak for 5-10 mins then scrub a little, then dry them in the oven at about 180F for 10 mins. I've never had an issue with urine smell. I even have a regular patio paver in a cage to help keep nails trimmed and I clean that the same way and it doesn't smell like urine either.

 

[seachin]

Interesting. Perhaps yours aren't peeing on them anyhow, I think regular glazed tiles are better since you can get them for under a dollar on sale. As for a shavings dish, I like the glazed ceramic baking pans. I find that if a chin can't easily jump into a container and sit they wont....and the 3" sides on the baking pans keep most of the shavings in.