Help,very new to this!

[DezDevo]

I'm getting a chinchilla and a chinchilla mansion from quality cages.My living room is not chinproof.So where do I put him when I clean his cage?Should I buy a small carrier for that occasion?:hmm:

 

[emily.j.roth]

The carrier is probably your best bet. Do you have someone else in the house with you? They could babysit your chin during playtime in a chin-proofed bathroom while your chin plays. Hope that helps!

 

[Parkerspetchins]

A small carrier would be perfect! You could also get a playpen so that you can use it for playtime whenever you want. You should make sure to supervise the chin while in the playpen though because they do tend to try to jump over them at times lol. Plus it's fun to sit in it as well so you can be part of the fun. I have two playpens that I hook together and we all love it (family and the chins). Mine are about 29 inches high and I purchased them on-line from Petco or Petsmart I can't remember which ). Great investment for me having no place to let them run free.

 

[DezDevo]

Thanks so much guys,I will look into the playpen,theres petsmarts near me.

 

[Ippo456]

Yes, I put my chins in a playpen while I clean out their cages. One of my chins is super sly so I have a cover for the playpen because he's figured out a way to jump over it to escape.

 

[DezDevo]

Can I make a playpen by using hardwood and cutting slits into it?

 

[Directorthiang]

So long as the wood you use isn't toxic, I would think that that would be fine. Will it have a roof? Are your chins able to leap tall playpens in a single bound? lol Mine can....

 

[saphire]

I've have 4 that managed and find ways to get out, now my playpens have mesh indenical to the playpen and it folds in two. I now use two of them as full time cages for 3-4 chins that need rehoming, And I just have to fold the lid and walk right into it. Pretty decent.

 

[ChinchillaSteve]

As for a carrier, I used one earlier. Just put it open against the door and he'll hop in by himself

 

[Stackie]

My chins stay in their cages when I'm cleaning their cage. They usually just sleep right through it.

 

[kathy]

I used to use a carrier, but my chin managed to pull apart the little mesh window (my own fault for buying a superpet carrier) and jump out! I swear, she's a tiny velociraptor! That is, she's all about problem solving and finding her way in/out of places

 

[DezDevo]

Im getting a cat carrier,with that work??

 

[Rickman]

Cat carrier should work - provided the bar openings are no bigger than 1 x 2.

 

[emily.j.roth]

With the cat carrier, you have to be careful that your chin doesn't chew on it. Usually, mine isn't in there for more than 15 or 20 minutes, and he's not a big fan of plastic anyway, but sometimes they'll try to chew on the edge of it or something. I put a piece of wood or loofah along with his food bowl in the carrier so that he has plenty to do besides chew plastic.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I use a small cage. I put their dust bath in it and kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

[Chinch&Chilla]

I just use a cat carrier. They don't seem to mind, I put a treat in with them but they usually just end up falling asleep for the 15-20 min it takes to clean the cage.

 

[NOLA Chins]

You need a carrier anyway: fire, tornado, flood, vet visit, A/C goes out. QC makes one of the best, but it's not cheap.

 

[Sesame]

Getting a carrier of somesort will def. come in handy in case of emergencies.

You can clean the cage while they are in it, but please be very, very careful when sliding out the pullout pan in and out of the cage. We had an accident where Sesame decided to jump down suddenly (which she never did until this episode) when we were inserting the pan back in. Her two paws did get pinched, but the injuries were just superficial and no bones were broken. But, it was def. a wake-up call that chins will just be spontaneous, even if they are usually sleeping when you are cleaning.

If you buy one of those metal fence playpens from the pet store, it may be a bit short and your chin can scale or jump over it. Def. get some cardboard panels (the taller the better, about 4.5 ft to be safe) and line the entire playpen fence. This way, they can't jump over it. There is a thread about how to make this inexpensive playpen and it's great in protecting your wooden baseboards and too tall for chins to jump out of.

 

[starleomach]

I also (Like Stackie) just leave them in their cages during cleaning. Doesn't seem to phase them one bit

 

[Laurie]

Yep me too! I leave the chins in their cage while I clean it. I clean my cages while the chins are sleepy, so most of the time they are just in their fleecetube hanging out and are bothered by the shop vac. Wesley actually likes for me to try to suck up his nose LOL!