Plastic shelves?

[alexis]

I bought my male chinchilla yesterday, and he is approx. a year old, and afterwards I went to petco to buy him supplies. my budget was $200, and when I saw there was a cage marked on clearance for only $9, I decided to buy it. Its big and has 3 stories, and the employee told me it is a good cage, but was just on clearance (along with a bunch of other chinchilla supplies) because they haven't been having people buying chinchilla supplies lately. Its set up now and has 3 plastic shelves along with the plastic ramps to get up to them. The actual cage itself though, besides the bottom, is metal. I noticed he chewed the rim of the place to set his food bowls a little bit (which are also plastic). I have been researching more about chinchillas and I found out that chewing plastic can be extremely harmful/fatal. I'm really worried because I don't know if I can afford to buy him another cage made out of wood/metal. is it possible to buy new shelves/ramps that aren't made of plastic that will fit in the cage I already bought? also I bought him a big plastic igloo house and a plastic dust bath that hangs in his cage. are these also unsafe? I'm really concerned! :help2:

 

[becky12883]

You can ditch the ramps completely, they don't need them. If he's already chewing on the plastic you'll want to get him a wood house and wood shelves, a ceramic food dish, and a glass water bottle. The dust house should be fine as he should only have access to it for a little while every other or every three days. Most of what you buy at the pet store isn't safe for chinchillas, which probably actually why it was on clearance. If they talked you into a death ball you'll want to return that as well. There's a diy section that shows how to make wood shelves, or you buy them from a few different placed, check the classifieds.

Here's some links to start:
http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=857
http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15265
http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

 

[alexis]

Thank you! I did more research about the DIY shelves and tomorrow I'm going to buy some untreated kiln dried pine wood and my dad said he can make the shelves for me I'm returning the plastic house for a wood one, but I'm keeping the dust bath since he's never in it long enough to chew. i'm more relieved now. i'm looking forward to my chin having a safer cage tomorrow!

 

[MyzarandGemma]

That DIY on how to make wood shelves is excellent. I used a drill myself, but Alli gives a way that doesn't require one. Shelves are *cheap* to make. We got kiln-dried pine from Ace Hardware for $.75 and then hardware for an additional $5. I think in the end, we spent just under $20 and have extra shelves in our house to replace ones that get chewed up or overly soiled. Wood shelving is a must, just place the shelves approximately 6 inches up from each other and your chin will do fine jumping from place to place.

As for the plastic bowl, many people have found glass ashtrays (found at thrift shops) are a great alternative and ceramic pots are a good find for hay. You can find those for around $5. If you need any more thrifty suggestions, go ahead and ask! We are all good at finding a deal that doesn't hurt your chin or your wallet!