Best Temporary Cage for Chinchilla Kit? (Couple of days, tops)

[FL415]

Hi all,

So my 9-week old kit is arriving this Sunday (yay!), and I've put a rush order on a Ferret Nation (which I'll be sure to put hardwire over), but there was an error with the order process, and now it won't get here until 2-6 days from today. Boo.

Since he's a little guy, I know I can use a small cage temporarily, but ideally I'd like to buy one that can double as a carrier. Is a cat carrier OK for him to live in for his first couple of days? Or should chins really not be that confined for that long?

If a cat carrier doesn't work, what is the cheapest SAFE option for a temporary cage?

Please let me know when you get a chance so I can order ASAP!

Thanks so much!

 

[Stackie]

The size wouldn't be the problem I'd be concerned about, it would be that most cat carriers are plastic and they can start chewing them if they want to. It's not unheard of of a chin chewing their way out of plastic. I have seen some cat carriers that have a metal looking top...that may be an option to try if you can find one.

These are what I was thinking of. http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...83&lmdn=Carrier+Style&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

 

[mercynursie]

Since it will be for just a few days if you have an extra bathroom , you could just use the bathtub/shower as temporary cage. I dont think he would be able to jump out of the tub just yet,if you have a shower with door that can be closed that would be great.Otherwise chin proof the bathroom( in case he does jump out.If you have cats,dogs,etc make sure to keep the bathroom door closed and put a towel underneath the door crack to prevent curious claws,noses from getting to him if he suceeds at escaping tub/shower!

 

[Stackie]

Since it will be for just a few days if you have an extra bathroom , you could just use the bathtub/shower as temporary cage. I dont think he would be able to jump out of the tub just yet,if you have a shower with door that can be closed that would be great.Otherwise chin proof the bathroom( in case he does jump out.If you have cats,dogs,etc make sure to keep the bathroom door closed and put a towel underneath the door crack to prevent curious claws,noses from getting to him if he suceeds at escaping tub/shower!

I definitely wouldn't keep him in the bath tub. They aren't very high, and kits can already jump very high and are very good escape artists, just like the adults. I got a chin at 8 weeks old and he was already doing wall surfs over my head when I would sit on the floor with him.

 

[FL415]

Yes, unfortunately I do not have an extra bathroom :-(, and I'm hesitant to let him around anything that has touched chemicals or my sick chinchillas who have passed (I've already done a thorough cleaning, but would rather be safe than sorry) until he's a bit older.

If it's OK to keep him in a carrier space for a few days, then I'll buy one with the least amount of plastic that I can find. How should I set the inside up? Bedding on the floor of it, or fleece? I'm so worried he'll feel trapped in there and that it's bad for him not to be able to move his legs a little! Doesn't lack of activity sometimes lead to digestive problems?

 

[FL415]

Just bought this w/ 1-day shipping! One of the reviewers was a chinchilla owner and praised the circulation. I figure when we use it as a travel carrier we may cut out some fleece and cover it.

http://www.amazon.com/Petmate-Kennel-10-Pound-Pearl-Waterfall/dp/B005BV0Z1W/ref=lh_ni_t

Speaking of which, where does one buy fleece as a lining? Are all of them safe?

 

[Amethyst]

The emergency/dust bath cage I have for my chinchillas looks like this one
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?setLocale=en-US&productId=4471004&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo
It's not the same brand as I have but looks the same, and is the same size, you can just cover the bottom with some fleece so he can't chew on the plastic and it should be fine for a little guy to be in for a bit. The cages tend to be cheaper then a cat carrier too. It wont kill him to be in a small cage for a week, just make sure you have something for him to hide inside. I actually had a baby chinchilla live in a cage about that size for about a month once when we first got him, although we did allow him out to play.

 

[Lirana]

I have the carrier that Stacie linked. It was available at my PetSmart, so I didn't have to order it (was around $50). I put fleece in it so none of the plastic was exposed.

I cut up a fleece blanket I had. to fit the size of the carrier. You'll need some sort of sharp object to punch holes into the fleece where the screws go. If you have a button hole puncher or awl, that would work. If not, you can cut a hole out with scissors. Since I use it for a carrier, I didn't secure the fleece to the bottom. But you might want to get some sticky velcro to secure it to the bottom just so it's not sliding around too much.

I would suggest getting one with the same door I have if you can so that you can secure a water bottle to it. The spacing on the door is I believe 1"x1", so you'll still need to put hardwire around the rest of the door. If they only have that door, you might need to get wire cutters so that you can cut a hole for a water bottle.

 

[Lirana]

Bah, I totally missed your post that you got one!

You can get fleece at JoAnn's (all over the US) or Hobby Lobby (mostly in the south I think?). 1 yard should be plenty. That will give you 3' x 46" or 60". I can't remember if fleece comes in 60" or 48" bolts, but I believe it's 60". You should be able to make a liner the way I did and cover. The cover is only for when I take her to the vet so the cats and dogs don't get too curious. And to keep out the rain when taking her from the house to the car.

Blizzard and anti-pill safe are both safe. I'm not sure if there are other kinds or not. But both of those are readily available.

 

[FL415]

Bah, I totally missed your post that you got one!

You can get fleece at JoAnn's (all over the US) or Hobby Lobby (mostly in the south I think?). 1 yard should be plenty. That will give you 3' x 46" or 60". I can't remember if fleece comes in 60" or 48" bolts, but I believe it's 60". You should be able to make a liner the way I did and cover. The cover is only for when I take her to the vet so the cats and dogs don't get too curious. And to keep out the rain when taking her from the house to the car.

Blizzard and anti-pill safe are both safe. I'm not sure if there are other kinds or not. But both of those are readily available.

Awesome! Thank you so much!! I'm so glad I got the one you ended up posting a picture of...I would have gotten serious buyers' remorse otherwise.

 

[Lirana]

Let me know if you need better pictures of how I put the fleece on the carrier. I took those pics to document Mochi's first vet visit. I can definitely get you better ones if you need them.

 

[Lirana]

Oh, one last thing. If you go to a JoAnn's, you should get the JoAnn's app on your phone for the coupons. Right now there's a 50% off one regular priced item that expires on Sunday. If fleece is on sale, you won't need it. But if it's not, you'll pay $5 instead of $10 for one yard of fleece.

 

[FL415]

Also, do you think this is safe for chins to chew?

http://www.amazon.com/Ware-Nature-W...qid=1357842266&sr=1-3&keywords=chinchilla+hut

 

[FL415]

Oh, one last thing. If you go to a JoAnn's, you should get the JoAnn's app on your phone for the coupons. Right now there's a 50% off one regular priced item that expires on Sunday. If fleece is on sale, you won't need it. But if it's not, you'll pay $5 instead of $10 for one yard of fleece.

Oh wow! Aghhh so frustrated...at home in California I live literally 1 block away from a JoAnn, but I don't think they have one in NYC!

 

[FL415]

Let me know if you need better pictures of how I put the fleece on the carrier. I took those pics to document Mochi's first vet visit. I can definitely get you better ones if you need them.

I would love those pics!!!! I'm not the handiest person in the world :-(

Thank you!!!!!!

 

[Lirana]

I don't know if that house is (it doesn't specify what type of grass), but I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Animal-...&ie=UTF8&qid=1357854131&sr=1-4&keywords=oxbow

There's a JoAnn's on Staten Island, Paramus, NJ (I think this is a big one), Colonia, NJ, and Scarsdale, NY

I'll get you the pictures sometime tonight.

 

[addictedtochins]

You will have to baby proof the ferret nation too for a while

 

[Lirana]

I got bored and took the pictures.

1. This is how your carrier will probably come. The silver bolts go on the underside of the carrier, the black thumb screws go on top.

2. Arrange your fleece to fit the carrier as best as you can. My piece of fleece is about 28"x33". Your fleece will not have holes in it yet.

3. This shows a closeup of how I folded the back end to make it fit nicely. Kind of like "hospital corners" on a bed.

4. Place the cover and door in position. I cut a tiny slit into the fleece for the door. Leave the door open though. You'll be sticking your hand inside the carrier to adjust the fleece as you go along.

5. Using one of the screws, push the fleece up through one of the screw holes about 1/4". I started with the back corners first.

6. Grab hold of the fleece, and pull the screw out. If you are having a hard time grabbing the fleece, tweezers or pliers might help. Now cut off the fleece that is sticking through the hole. If you have an awl or something similar, this should work too. I have one of those fabric hole punch thingies (no clue what it's called for real), but it was too fat to fit in the holes.

7. Straighten the fleece out if needed. You should have a nice hole that you can clearly see through.

8. Put the screw back in. Secure it with the thumbscrew. You'll probably need to put a little downward pressure on the thumbscrew until it catches.

9. If you have stray fleece like in this picture, you'll need to cut it off before you put the thumbscrew on.

10. Repeat steps 5-8 until all the screws are in. Make sure you're adjusting the fleece inside the carrier to keep it as smooth as possible. The order of the screws doesn't really matter, but I found it easiest to do the back corners followed by the back because of the way the fleece is folded back there.

11. If you want to make a cover for when you take your chin to the vet, just cut a slit in it the length of the handle. As you can see, I was very sloppy.

12. This is what it looks like when it's all put together. I cut a slit where the door latches into. The fleece moves around a lot, so it can be a pain. This is where some sticky-backed velcro might be handy. You can find it at JoAnn's as well. It will be called hook n loop fastener since Velcro is actually a brand name.

A note about the water bottle: I used the small 8oz glass super pet water bottle. However, this bottle is really too tall. I had to sort of jerry-rig it on. If you can find a short 4 oz bottle, that would probably be best.

 

[FL415]

I got bored and took the pictures.

1. This is how your carrier will probably come. The silver bolts go on the underside of the carrier, the black thumb screws go on top.

2. Arrange your fleece to fit the carrier as best as you can. My piece of fleece is about 28"x33". Your fleece will not have holes in it yet.

3. This shows a closeup of how I folded the back end to make it fit nicely. Kind of like "hospital corners" on a bed.

4. Place the cover and door in position. I cut a tiny slit into the fleece for the door. Leave the door open though. You'll be sticking your hand inside the carrier to adjust the fleece as you go along.

5. Using one of the screws, push the fleece up through one of the screw holes about 1/4". I started with the back corners first.

6. Grab hold of the fleece, and pull the screw out. If you are having a hard time grabbing the fleece, tweezers or pliers might help. Now cut off the fleece that is sticking through the hole. If you have an awl or something similar, this should work too. I have one of those fabric hole punch thingies (no clue what it's called for real), but it was too fat to fit in the holes.

7. Straighten the fleece out if needed. You should have a nice hole that you can clearly see through.

8. Put the screw back in. Secure it with the thumbscrew. You'll probably need to put a little downward pressure on the thumbscrew until it catches.

9. If you have stray fleece like in this picture, you'll need to cut it off before you put the thumbscrew on.

10. Repeat steps 5-8 until all the screws are in. Make sure you're adjusting the fleece inside the carrier to keep it as smooth as possible. The order of the screws doesn't really matter, but I found it easiest to do the back corners followed by the back because of the way the fleece is folded back there.

11. If you want to make a cover for when you take your chin to the vet, just cut a slit in it the length of the handle. As you can see, I was very sloppy.

12. This is what it looks like when it's all put together. I cut a slit where the door latches into. The fleece moves around a lot, so it can be a pain. This is where some sticky-backed velcro might be handy. You can find it at JoAnn's as well. It will be called hook n loop fastener since Velcro is actually a brand name.

A note about the water bottle: I used the small 8oz glass super pet water bottle. However, this bottle is really too tall. I had to sort of jerry-rig it on. If you can find a short 4 oz bottle, that would probably be best.

:hug2:

Oh my god, you are amazing. AMAZING! I'm going to attempt this as soon as my carrier comes, and let you know if I have any questions! Thank you so much again!

 

[Lirana]

No problem! I figured it was best to be overly thorough than not give enough info. :cute: