Cage for blind chin?

[ChinnieShop]

Hello Everyone,

We have someone that is looking for a big cage but her chin is blind. Any suggestions on cages? I am currently looking through the prevue and quality cage co, to see if any of those will work? Thanks!

 

[AZChins]

A one level cage with ledges low to the floor of the cage would work best for a blind chinchilla. They can learn to navigate from shelf to shelf in a multilevel cage, but one level cages seem to be a little easier on them since there is no place to fall. A cage that is deeper and wider is better than one that is taller for blind chins.

 

[ticklechin]

Susan above made a large cage for my blind chin, it looked something like this ferret cage from quality cages-full levels, shelves with guards to stop from falling and ramps, he did fine in it.

http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=930

 

[ChinnieShop]

Thank you, I think those cages from Quality Cage Co will work.

 

[partygirlha]

she could also make a cage like the C&C cages that Gpig owners have http://www.guineapigzone.com/c-and-c-cages-guinea-pigs I find them easier to make using shelving from the home center (and I make covers from shelving as well. for a chin, I'd skip the base that is suggested and just spread a huge liner under it

If she has the space she could also use a playpen with a bottom and cover - with some play things in the middle and some low shelves

these options might be easier to clean

 

[Stackie]

she could also make a cage like the C&C cages that Gpig owners have

The wire spacing in the C&C cages are too large for chins. I have heard several instances of chins getting their heads stuck in the spaces.

 

[Jlieberman]

my chins are in a C&C type cage but I used grids that have small openings too small for the chins to get their heads through and they are doing great

 

[partygirlha]

a "C&C" made from home center wire shelving has the same bar spacing as a FN. I'm sitting and looking at my cages side by side right now and it's the same spacing. and the shelving makes for a higher cage hight than cubes, while not being too tall for a blind chin. but a fast and wasy solution is the playpen wuth a cover (some chins can jump them)

 

[AZChins]

Some of the cubes have larger spacing than others, don't they? I was looking at Jlieberman's photo album (because I'm nosy) and the cube panels she has in her chinnie cage have smaller spacings than some of the cube panels I have seen in the past.

 

[paula1101]

I have a blind chin with a cagemate in a double CN and he does just fine. It took him a couple days to get used to the layout but now he has it memorized and you wouldn't know he's blind to see him navigate around it.

I also have guinea pigs in C&C cages (am actually an administrator on that forum) and can't imagine a C&C cage being made strong enough to hold a chinchilla for any length of time. The bar spacing is larger than a ferret nation, as I have three of those also, so I'm certain. Also, the coroplast is a nightmare so you'd need another base. Also, the only way to make them really sturdy is to ziptie them together, which is an obvious problem for chewy chinchillas. Sorry, not that you asked, but I wanted to comment that C&C cages, while wonderful in many regards, are really not a good choice for chinnies, unfortunately.

 

[Jlieberman]

yea the panels I have the openings are I think an inch .. there are some panels that have even smaller openings I use the tiny holed panels when i build guinea pig cages for babies there is no way they can get out lol

so far my chins have had no problems with the C&C cage

 

[paula1101]

yea the panels I have the openings are I think an inch .. there are some panels that have even smaller openings I use the tiny holed panels when i build guinea pig cages for babies there is no way they can get out lol

so far my chins have had no problems with the C&C cage

The "standard" C&C panels are an inch and a half wide - which is what you have in the cage in your album (grids are 14" wide, with 9 openings, making each opening just slightly bigger than an inch and a half, not an inch). Totally not acceptable for a chinchilla. This is a photo I have of a standard 9x9 grid zip tied to a FN (had a baby that kept getting out of the FN and no CN available at the time). The size difference is very clear in this photo.

The tiny holes would be acceptable if you had a way to make it sturdy, but since zip ties are really the only way besides the plastic connectors, I don't see how you could do it given that chinnies will snap zip ties and the plastic connectors in no time flat.

When I initially got into chinnies, I was hoping I could make them C&C cages because they are so cheap and flexible, but it quickly became clear that it simply wasn't a safe option and I got Critter Nations and Ferret Nations and they are so much more sturdy than I could ever make a C&C cage. I don't mean to harp on it, but there are so many things wrong with that type of DIY cage for a chinchilla, I realize it has worked acceptably for you so far but it absolutely shouldn't be encouraged for folks looking for caging options.

 

[ChinnieShop]

Thanks for all the info guys!!!

 

[partygirlha]

I guess my other posts saying use shelving were not clear (cubes and the plastic things that are used in a tradition C&C are not a good solution for chins as they can come apart and they are plastic and can be chewed). Here’s what shelving from the home center looks like: It’s 20” wide (tall when used to build cages) and the bar spacing in ½ (it also comes in ¼ inch bar spacing). It comes in lengths up to 6 feet long and you can cut it shorter

I’d post my own photos but up loading them to this site takes too many steps so here’s one I found on the other forum
http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=19726&title=shower-stall-cage&cat=512 this cage seems to be set inside a coroplast base, but you can just as easily just set it down on top of a large fleece liner.

And here’s how you make a cover (ignore the fact that the cage is a traditional C&C, but this is a good picture of a top made from shleves) http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=21612&title=new-cage&cat=504

Anyway I just thought this is an easy and cheap way to make a cage as large as floor space will allow, that’s 20 inches tall (a nice safe height for a blind chin) and has a cover – very, very easy to clean.

 

[paula1101]

I guess my other posts saying use shelving were not clear (cubes and the plastic things that are used in a tradition C&C are not a good solution for chins as they can come apart and they are plastic and can be chewed). Here’s what shelving from the home center looks like: It’s 20” wide (tall when used to build cages) and the bar spacing in ½ (it also comes in ¼ inch bar spacing). It comes in lengths up to 6 feet long and you can cut it shorter

I’d post my own photos but up loading them to this site takes too many steps so here’s one I found on the other forum
http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=19726&title=shower-stall-cage&cat=512 this cage seems to be set inside a coroplast base, but you can just as easily just set it down on top of a large fleece liner.

And here’s how you make a cover (ignore the fact that the cage is a traditional C&C, but this is a good picture of a top made from shleves) http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=21612&title=new-cage&cat=504

Anyway I just thought this is an easy and cheap way to make a cage as large as floor space will allow, that’s 20 inches tall (a nice safe height for a blind chin) and has a cover – very, very easy to clean.

I don't understand why 20" is the maximum height for a blind chin? I have a blind chin in a CN (over 5 feet) and he's a problem at navigating it.

Also, the shelving idea might not be bad, but what do you use to secure the panels to each other?

 

[partygirlha]

Paula - you just said that your blind chin has a problem navigating a CN, "I have a blind chin in a CN (over 5 feet) and he's a problem at navigating it."

20" is the widest they make the shelves and therefor the easiest hight to make a "shelf cage"... you could go higher, but it would be difficult with the shelves. the largest, easy cage with the wire shelves would be 20"tall, 40" deep and 6 (or 8?) feet long. That's a lot of space for running and some jumping (if the owner has the floor space) - ion fact it's more space than a single Fn/CN cage

20" allows for some jumping - not as much as most chins would want, and is only 6" shorter than a FN/CN single level It's also a hight that would minimize danger while a chin is learning it's cage set up. A 5 foot fall for a chin can cause broken bones or worse and is not a safe idea for a chin who can't see.

as for securing the shalves together, there are all sorts of metal calps at home centers - hose clamps might work, but I'm bit sure ot they close as thight as you'd need - but I know there are clamps that will work. For my GPigs, I use zip ties - but I would not do that for a chin. in pinch wire would work, but you'd need to be careful about sharp ends sticking out. That's one reason why I also suggested to playpen - costs a lot more but the panels are attached already - you don't have to set a play pen up in a circle.

 

[partygirlha]

I should amedn the "bar spacing" I psoted above - the shelves have 1" or 1/2" spacing - both are safe for adult chins BUT 1/2" only for babies

 

[paula1101]

Paula - you just said that your blind chin has a problem navigating a CN, "I have a blind chin in a CN (over 5 feet) and he's a problem at navigating it."

Yeah, that doesn't make any sense at all. Thanks for pointing out my typing error. To be clear, what I meant to say was I have a blind chin in a DOUBLE CN and he has absolutely NO TROUBLE AT ALL navigating up and down and all around. I probably would have seen it and edited my post right away if it hadn't been moderated because I have so few posts.

I understand what you're saying about the shelves and the 20" limit, thanks for clarifying. I don't think the emphasis is on flat floor space for chinchillas, since they are naturally climbers, jumpers, etc, so it's always been my understanding that taller rather than wider (like for guinea pigs and to some extent, rabbits) is actually usually preferable.

I know there are some awesome DIY chinchilla cages, but I've not seen one that I'd feel comfortable putting a chinnie in that didn't have a wood/melamine frame and given my person experience with C&C and shelving type DIY cages, I just couldn't in good conscience recommend to a new owner the C&C or shelving option because I just don't see how it could be made sturdy enough unless you're able to weld them together.

As for the comment on the five foot fall - tall cages have perches and ledges that chinnies just love to jump from, ricochet around, etc. The only way a chin could fall from 5 feet would be if he were allowed to run around on top of it with no guard or supervision with the CN/FN cages. Just wanted to clarify that - if you haven't ever seen the cage up close it might not be clear how the setup could be done.

Anyway thanks for clarifying and pointing out my error, and I'm glad the shelving seems to be working for your chin. I am generally the first to recommend a C&C or shelving type cage if it can be done safely - I've got a great deal of experience with them and highly encourage folks to use them when appropriate. For a chinnie, though, there are just too many potentials for injury or worse when you have a cage that can't be made terribly sturdy and has enough plastic components that it could be dangerous, too.

 

[Jlieberman]

like I said my girls have no problem in the cage they have now .. they have not chewed the zip ties the cage is very sturdy even with the jumping around I even have storage space under the cage for the dust house and food extra dust etc ...

this setup works great for me of course it might not work for everyone but I love the cage it is easy for me to clean and to move around if I need to

I am not suggesting everyone has to build a C&C cage for chins just that it is an option if done right

 

[partygirlha]

My chins are in FN not a C&C(that’s another poster). My pigs are in cages made from wire shelving (way sturdier than C&C and I can say that a wire shelf cage is very sturdy. The shelves are made to hold a LOT of weight. And they are sturdier than the playpens many of us are already using for play time. I was also clear that for chins NOT to use plastic zip ties, but to get metal clips. I'm not trying to force anyone to use them, I just don't like people who haven't seen them assuming they are flimsy or unsafe - they are neither. At 20" it is a bit shorter than a FN/CN but only by 4" and for a chin with navigation issues it could be great – adding additional length and width to a cage allows for a lot of jumping around (that’s one reason chins love play time, because they do like having more than a 36”x26” footprint to run around it) and ledges and shelves can still be attached for them to jump up to.

As for a 5 foot CN – I’d be afraid to house chins in one without the divider or something in the middle. Ask around here many people have had chins suffer broken bones or lose their lives when falling from a top shelf in cages that tall. And a blind chin trying to learn it’s way around a cage is going to be prone to falling until it memorizes the lay out. Your chin may have survived but I don’t think it’s a good idea to recommend a 5 foot cage for a bind chin. My boys in the double FN have a divider in it to keep them safe from high falls.