Cage Choice (Help!)

[user 11610]

Hello :wave3:

I am new here and I do not have a chinchilla yet, but I am hopefully going to add one to my family in the early months of 2015. I am researching cages at the moment and I have come across 2 that I really like the look of. Would I be able to get some opinions please?

The first is the Aurora 450 by options/rosewood.

The dimensions are:

81cm H x 104cm L x 60cm D without the wheels/legs
(32"H x 41"L x 23"D)

Price: £100 delivered

Pros: Metal base which slides out, splash guards around the base.
Cons: Small door to the front of the cage.

The second option is the Royal Suite 95 by Savic.

The dimensions are:

120cm H x 95cm L x 63cm D
(47.2"H x 37.4"L x 24.8"D)

Price: £170 delivered.

Pros: double opening doors for easy access and metal splash guards.
cons: plastic bases (will need adapting).

Now I want to get this right from the start so I have some questions before I go ahead and buy one of these cages.....

1. Would the Aurora be big enough for a single chinchilla that will have play time every night in a chinchilla proofed room?

2. I have read different opinions on how important height is to a chinchilla. Is height a must for a chinchilla cage?

3. I know "the bigger the cage the better" is usually the way to go but money is obviously a factor. Is the Aurora a decent cage in the eyes of an experienced chinchilla owner?

4. I was hoping I could build a set of stairs for the chinchilla to use to get in and out of the cage when he/she likes during play time. The small door on the Aurora could be a problem and prevent me from doing this. Is there another way of allowing you chinchilla to return home when he/she wants?

Any advice is really appreciated and I am sorry if I am asking silly questions. )

 

[Godofgods]

never heard of Royal Suite 95 before, but it looks a lot like a Critter Nation cage (and ferret nation cage for that matter), maybe just a bit smaller. - Might want to compare them all.

Of those two i would go for the second one. CN and FN are great cages, and that one is almost the same. You would just have to deal with the plastic pans as you mentioned and take out the ramps and put in some wooden ledges instead.

Usually height is less important for most small pet animals (imo; i have ferrets so i look at width more). For chins it actually is more important. They love to hop and jump around. Its natural for them to do that alot. They cant do it as well if there is no room to jump.

They do make exterior ramps for cages. You can see one type here. You would have to get a tight fleece cover for it tho otherwise he/she could get a leg caught in there and hurt themselves. Ramps like that in the cage i would say take out, but since an exterior one would only be to let a chin in or out, with the right precautions and can do well.

On a side note, for a long time i kneeled down in front of my cage and let the chins use my legs as a ramp. They rly wanted out but were still skiddish of me. That let them get out while getting acquainted with me and seeing its ok. But there cages are in a play area so if they suddenly hoped off, they would still be safe and not escape.

I cant rly see the bottom of the inside of the first cage, but it looks like a wire type grate. They can be dangerous. A chin can catch a paw or leg in them and hurt themselves. Some times it can get rly bad.

 

[Shenanigans]

I dont know if there'd be a way to add ledges on the outside of a cage as steps down? GodofGods advice is really good. It looks like the first cage would be ok (I would check that the shelfs are a chin-safe wood or I'd switch those out anyways). I would go for the second if you can afford it though, My chin has a double level Ferret Nation and loves al his space to move about. With his wheel (a Chin-spin, most chin safe wheels cant be found in petstores) food, chin-chiller, water, hideyhouse, and ledges to jump about, I'm very glad I have the cage I have. I suggest looking in the houseing section of the forum, particularly the ferret nation (FN) club thread. A bunch of chin owners love that style, but looking in those threads will give you a better idea of pros/cons to the cages youre looking at.
Make sure you pay attention to materials, bar spacing, mesh vs solid floors (many members get pans as floors anyways). I would shy away from any cage where plastic was not removable (I cant tell what the poop/pee guards are made of). Make sure the bars aren't plastic coated, and all that. Depending on where you are, different cages are available. I think ferret nations (and critter nations) are more of a north america than Europe thing, so maybe wait for someone to chime in on good brands in your area.

 

[user 11610]

Thank you both for your advice

I will have a look at external ramps but the leg idea is great if I cannot find anything suitable. I am going to get some chin safe ledges as well as lots of toys (I am really excited to set the new cage up) and I will remove any plastic. I need to find some fleece that is ok for chins here in the UK as I am hoping to litter train him.

All this is completely new to me. I have only has hamsters as pets for the last 6 years and I am looking for a furry companion that has a longer lifespan. I have always given the hamsters the biggest cage I could afford so will be following this rule for the chin as well. Thank you both again for your advice

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

Personally, I'd get the 2nd one. It looks like a FN/CN to me as well. Also, personally, for my pets I prefer more space.

As for steps outside the cage why not build a set that could sit in front of the cage, similar to the steps made for helping small dogs onto the bed. Then you could easily move them or leave them there.
I hit the hanger bolts on the outside of my cages all the time and it hurts. I couldn't image full shelves. Plus being on the outside of the cage they will likely chew them from inside the cage.

 

[tunes]

I like the first one. It looks really sturdy and it is plenty big. I also like how they have it set up, that you won't have to replace ledges/shelves, etc. It's not as tall, but it's wider than the other one.

 

[user 11610]

Thank you ****oo and tunes for your help ). I have decided to go for the first cage because I found one in a sale. :dance3: And like you said tunes the shelves are wooden and ready to go which is great. The base of the cage does have a wire grid but that can be removed. The base is metal so it should be just a case of filling it with toys and things now. It will be delivered Thursday and can't wait for it to get here so I can have a good look at it!

I will get some steps made for the outside so the chin can go in and out when he chooses.

Thank you all for the advice :bow:

 

[Godofgods]

One thing ill add about a metal base (assuming its like the metal of a Bass Pan) If a chin pees directly on the metal or on shavings litter that is placed on top of it, it can start to desolve the metal coating a bit. I tried that once and now what was a shiny metal tray and black and brown spots all over it where the finish was taken away. It looks pretty bad imo, but its still perfectly functional. And given the price of them, im not replacing them because it looks bad.

 

[user 11610]

Ah thank you for the tip Godofgods ) I am going to try and litter train the chin which will hopefully protect the pan if it works. If not I now know not to panic when the pan changes colour!

 

[Porce]

I'd love to know where you're getting the Aurora 450 for £100. I'm doing some research as I want to take two of these little critters onbard myself!

 

[user 11610]

I'd love to know where you're getting the Aurora 450 for £100. I'm doing some research as I want to take two of these little critters onbard myself!

It ended up costing me £80 off an auction website. It was advertised as possibly having damage because it was a customer return but it was fine. I was looking for a cage for a couple of months and then this one popped up )