Decorating advice wanted!

[CJR]

Well, I've got Bessie all settled in, but today I was cleaning her cage and thought to myself... there's just too much empty space here. So I turned to my chinchilla experts... you guys!

This is her cage from the front... not much there! She spends the majority of her time up on that shelf where she's sitting in this picture.

Ever since she destroyed her wooden hidey hut, she doesn't really have much except some hanging toys, a granite slab, a pillow and a chube. She seems to have no interest in the pillow.

I did make a hammock, but where to put it??

Some more shots -

Top right of the cage.

Top left.

Bottom left.

Bottom right.

 

[lauralynne]

I would put a fleece tube where that ledge is that she sits all the time.
A wheel when you can afford it.
Maybe a long shelf along the back.

 

[cindyv3737]

I second the idea for a fleece tube. I had no idea how much Shelly would love hers until I put it in th cage.

What about fleece hut since she ate her hidey house.

 

[Luci]

definitely a squiggle bridge....

its what i want so i think it'd be fun for bessie. and i second the long shelf idea. that way its kinda an added floor.

but i agree, it does look a bit empty in there, even she is wondering where the tv. omg...a tv...ash, make a wooden tv. and if you do, i'll buy one from you. ive been thinking about it for a while but im no good at wood things. DO IT! lol

 

[Carol~Anne]

I'd also add a few more ledges/perches so she has something more to hop around on. She sure has an intense look about her, lol.

 

[Laurie]

Definitely a fleece tube! They LOVE those things! The more ledges and shelves the better! They love to hop all over those things.

 

[mistywaterwoman]

LauraLynn stole all my suggestions! LOL!
I always put in a shelf across the back, usually with a tunnel of some sort on that shelf.

 

[CJR]

Okays! Here is my plan!

• fleece tube
• fleece hut
• bridge
• wheel! eventually!

Sounds like a good idea to me!

I don't know about the TV though... the hidey hut she literally decimated. She chewed it into a couple LARGE pieces and threw them all over her cage, so... I don't know how I feel about anything large and wooden for her. She just tears it apart.

Thanks!

 

[lauralynne]

Those kind of Superpet huts are junk, Ash. Get (or make) a sturdy house from thick pine and you'll get good use from it. Plus, she can chew on it, which is good for her teeth. (And houses double as a ledge on top.

 

[Essentia]

You can build a hidey hut really easily. I have mine made out of plain ol kiln dried pine. Not pretty, but functional. It's also a heck of a lot thicker than the super pet ones. They still chew it up (which is good!), just not as fast as the super pet ones.

 

[firestar]

my male kept knocking his hidey hut upside down so he could sit in it. no matter how many times i turned it right side up, he'd knock it back over. finally i bought a fleece nap bed with high sides & now the hidey hut stays right side up. the fleece hut is a good idea IMO. have fun decorating!!

 

[mistywaterwoman]

Go to Lowes and get one of the pre-cut pine kitchen shelves that are 8" wide, and then have them cut it into 10" peices. Then you just take 3 of them and glue them together (top and sides) to make a tunnel. You'd have enough wood for 2 of them, to have a spare when she finally chews up the first. BUT with the thickness of the wood (1") it would take her a long time to really destroy it. I have beavers for chins, and I am always making them new stuff because they chew EVERYTHING!! But it's keeping their teeth nice and trim!

:thumbsup:

 

[sarah999]

If you're looking for an investment house i would go with the simply chintastic hidey house on a ledge...your chin likes to be up high and these houses are really sturdy!

 

[Isabella Whateva]

I just bought a new humongous cage, too. Where can I get a bridge that would stretch across my FN?

 

[firestar]

camphor chins has bridges that span either the long wall or the short wall of the FN - they come in different colors & can be shaped into different squiggle shapes

 

[CJR]

There's someone on here who makes suspension bridges that look really cool. Just go to search and hit "search posts" and type suspension bridges, it's like the second thing that comes up.