How wide can cage wire be?

[prr]

I am having a very tough time trying to find a cage for our chinchilla. Breeder said he was about 3 months old when we got him in mid November, 2015. We got him a wire cage with a plastic bottom. Great cage, but he's chewing the plastic so we need a new one.

I am wondering how wide apart the wire can be. The wires in the old cage are almost exactly 1 inch apart, and there was no problem with him trying to squeeze out. How much wider can it go? I realize that chinchillas are much larger than hamsters and mice, but I've always heard how those small animals only need a minimum of space to squeeze through. Would wiring, say, 1 1/4 inch be ok? 1 1/2 inches apart?

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I'm going to be buying online, and returns are going to be a hassle.

 

[Amethyst]

Nothing over an inch will work, even most full grown adult chin can squeeze though spacing any larger then one inch (unless it's big and fat, lol). People have had issues with chins squeezing out of wire dog pens, under refrigerators, and even under doors if the space is more then an inch. For a kit under 4-6 months I would say less then an inch, unless the chin is big, which from the sounds of it he might be so you should be ok with 1". Just like most rodents if he can get his head squeezed though he can get out.

 

[aznmexaggie]

1"x 2" is as large as you should go for an adult chin and for a maternity cage which will hold newborn kits, you don't want any larger than 1/2" x 1".

 

[prr]

Sorry for the delay in replying. I didn't get an email notification.

OK--I'll stick with a maximum of 1 inch for the sides and top.

What is a good spacing for the bottom? I would use plastic (my first cage was), but he chewed it all around, and then the last night (before I took him out), he chewed a hole through it almost big enough to go through, so I need a wire bottom. What would be a safe gap along the bottom?