How Small Is Too Small?

[caiti]

So I just purchased a very small quality cage metal carrier from QMC to put Chloe in for the hour and 15 minute long rides to my parents house when I visit home (quite often--most weekends but not every). Usually she travels in her old cage I got her in which is this one.

Her one now is about 22" x 16" x 14". It's annoying to move around and too big for the seatbelt to secure her properly to the passengers seat. I remember reading a thread where Dawn stated her chins made it through a car accident unharmed due to their small carriers. I had been thinking about that for a while. So when I was buying food, other cage stuff and some chewies last night from QMC I decided to get the carrier. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a new carrier so it seemed like it could be a reasonable thing to purchase. I figure if worse comes to worse I can always use it as an emergency evacuation cage, like if there was a fire since I wouldn't be able to fumble around with zippers or carry a big cage and try to clear a door way to be able to get it through.

Here is the one I just bought. It is much smaller, akin to what I think are the size of show cages. Her wooden house might be able to barely fit in it, of course I can just make/buy a smaller one but I am worried about the overall size of it.


New one is 8" x 12" x 8". Is this too small? I'm just worried she'll have a bad reaction being in it for an extended period of time. She does have a very small cloth zippered carrier when I bring her to the vet, but I could literally walk to my vet's office so she's never in it for long and I would not want to put her in it for an hour as she'd probably chew it.

 

[alli713]

Many chins are in carriers that size, in fact at shows the chins spend the weekend or longer in them.

I use similar ones (Ryerson ones) and my girls all do fine.

In fact, it's safer as they can't fly around if you stop suddenly. And it'd be safer without a wooden house to slide around in there anyways.

My chins have all rode in small carriers for 5+ hours in the car and done fine.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

The carrier you purchased is safe for transporting your chin. It is not too small. Chloe will not have a bad reaction from being in it.

 

[caiti]

Thank you guys--you made me feel a lot better. And reassured.

Alli--I was thinking about that also but I figured she would want some place to hide. Do you think the cage itself would just act as a house if I put a jacket over most of the sides (I usually do to keep lots of sunlight from coming in and so she's not distracted from the cars moving outside)?

Do you guys put anything for them to hide in when you bring your chins in small carriers?

 

[alli713]

Personally, I think you'd have a hard time fitting a wooden house in a small carrier with a chin. And I see it as unnecessary. Chins sleep in the car anyways. And I don't know that I would put a jacket over the carrier either. If there's sun shining on my chins I drape something over a side of the seat, not the carrier. You still want air to move through there so they don't get too hot.

And I've never heard of a chin getting distracted by cars. It's not like they can really see out the window anyways unless you have them loaded on top of a bunch of things.

I think you're thinking a bit too much. Many chins survive just fine in those carriers with nothing in them. When I bring my chins some place I just put the shavings in, a handful of hay and a twig.

 

[momenteller]

I have a smallish carrier that I bought from Bass Equipment. I was about to buy a bigger one, but the lady at Bass pointed out that animals often feel safer in a smaller, more confined space. I do have room for the chins hidey house in my carrier. I usually put a fleece blanket on the bottom, the wooden hidey house, a hay cube, stick and their water bottle. I don't cover the carrier.

 

[caiti]

Alli--I keep forgetting the size difference. Her current travel cage is so tall she can actually look out the window and see the other cars when she hops on the shelf or climbs the bars. I think I linked to the wrong cage as I just measured mine and it's definitely about 20" tall--but looks the same as the one linked and has the same remaining measurements.

I have always put a light jacket over her cage as I can't really find a way to put it over the seat and not have it just fall on top of the cage anyways. I cover two sides and the top and use my AC. I will see if I can figure out a way to drape something over the seat so it isn't covering as much. Plus with her new carrier being shorter, the sun will be less of an issue anyways.

I am thinking too much about it. I just feel guilty since I bring her home everytime I go. She is way more hyper at my parent's house and she seems restless (despite play time) and I feel bad about it. Honestly, I think she just gets all curious and freaks out even though she's been there a bunch of times.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

I would not put any solid items in the carrier while traveling. If you suddenly stop the car your chin may be injured by it.

 

[Essentia]

I would not put any solid items in the carrier while traveling. If you suddenly stop the car your chin may be injured by it.

Agreed, I use a fleece liner, add some hay, a few chewies and that's it. They sleep the entire way.

 

[Stackie]

I too use Ryerson carriers to transport my chins. Some of them freak out for the first 30 minutes or so (I have a few who absolutely hate the carriers) but then sleep once they figure out the carrier isn't going to eat them or close in on them and squish them. It's for their own safety, really as others have already pointed out. All they get in there is fleece liners (or bedding for a longer trip), hay, and a stick.

 

[caiti]

Thank you everyone for your input.

What I do currently is I have her wooden house in the travel cage. I have to undo the top wire part of the cage to put it in the base and it fits under the shelf, so it doesn't move at all since with the fleece under it, it's actually stuck there. I will seriously consider leaving it out next time (I don't think her new carrier will come by next weekend).

I was just curious because everywhere Chloe sleeps she is underneath something. She has a roof over her. I was concerned she'd be too nervous to sleep if she didn't have something solid right over her head to make her feel sheltered. I was thinking of just putting a piece of wood, cut to size over half the top part of her new carrier, with bolts and such. So it would be like a built in roof.

In all reality, I can probably just see how she reacts for the first time when she uses it (probably in a couple weeks) and maybe she'll be fine and sleep like usual. I know it won't kill her to not have a roof and I'll figure out how safe she feels in it.

Gah, I'm all excited for it to get here along with my/her other stuff but I just ordered it thursday night and I'm already getting antsy...this is not a good sign!!