Is this cage acceptable?

[LoveBug]

lol sorry just wanna make sure we get something that someone else uses. cause the breeder i'm getting the chinchilla (it'll be a girl named Lunabelle) from uses a fan and lets it get up to 80. and from reading and researching i know that its not suppose to get past 75. but i don't want it past 70.

and we'll have a portable one since we live in an apartment and i'm pretty sure our landlord would throw a fit if we put in a window unit.

Lunabelle will also have her own room, we're kicking our other furballs outta it. i don't know how big the room is i'd have to ask but its a basic bedroom (a queen bed can fit in it and still have room to walk around).

We got her cage today and i can't wait to start working on it. I'm so excited to get it all cute and then in January when we get her, be able to show you all her and the cage.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i'm in a condo with really sketchy bylaws, lol, so i wasn't sure if a window unit was allowed or not, hence the reason for going with the portable. Rhino's room has a queen size bed, a large desk, an armchair, and the big cage. lots of room left over for him to bounce around at playtime )

the breeder sounds like they don't know anything about what a chin needs temperature wise. i personally would go with somebody else. if the knowledge is lacking on how cool you need to keep a chin with this breeder, you have to wonder what other knowledge is lacking, and the health of the chins.

 

[LoveBug]

yeah i've thought about going to a different breeder but havent found any. and i want a mosaic, most people here sell standards. they are adorable but really want a mosaic (always have).

She'll only be 10 weeks when we get her so hopefully she'll be in good health.

her's seem to be in a good health. she has three. and has sold to people (obviously). and theirs seemed in good health.

If she isn't in good health then i'll be sure to take her to the vet.

 

[Airyn]

I'm a little late, but my portable is 11,000 BTUs. I opted for higher because of our ridiculous heat waves and my crappy insulation. I'm in a 2nd floor, corner unit that gets absolutely assaulted by the sun, so I have quite the set-up in there.

I agree with ChinnyMom that the breeder's lack of temperature knowledge sends up a red flag. "80 degrees can cause heat stroke" is Chinchilla 101 material. Even websites that are completely filled with bad information will still get that temp right.

If it were me, I'd ask what feed she uses, what kind of bedding and what she recommends for "treats". The answers to those questions will speak volumes.

 

[LoveBug]

we're going with a 5000 just for now cause the room is smaller than chinnymom's. once we move we'll get a bigger one, just cause the heat in NM is horrible. lol
i know she uses kiln dried pine. (i'll be using a small dish of this in both stories and then using the fleece liner) and i'll ask what feed and treats she uses.
also what age can you start giving your chin treats?
i know the wheel isnt recommended until 6 months but i dont remember what it was for treats.

 

[rem]

http://tinyurl.com/3bm8hvy

This is the one that I got from Costco. It is much larger than I thought it would be, however if you don't want to get an "in window" AC unit, do yourself a favor and look for one with two hoses (one is for intake, the other for exhaust) it helps with AC efficiency and with keeping the drain of the AC unit low (I don't have to empty the water tank on my AC unit and the unit is right outside my bathroom which causes quite a bit of humidity.)

14,000 BTU, has no problems keeping the room at 65 and only raised my (expensive) utility bill by around 20$ per month. Also, I am able to keep the rest of my house at 75 - 80 (if I really wanted, but I prefer it below 70 myself).

 

[Airyn]

we're going with a 5000 just for now cause the room is smaller than chinnymom's. once we move we'll get a bigger one, just cause the heat in NM is horrible. lol
i know she uses kiln dried pine. (i'll be using a small dish of this in both stories and then using the fleece liner) and i'll ask what feed and treats she uses.
also what age can you start giving your chin treats?
i know the wheel isnt recommended until 6 months but i dont remember what it was for treats.

Wood qualifies as a treat, so you can and should start with that immediately, but I'm sure you already found that info on here somewhere. Other common treats are rosehips, a single cheerio and half of a mini-cube of shredded wheat. Personally, I'd hold off on those until after she's 6 months old as well. A lot of members on here will just stick to wood and leave it at that, as treats are really more for our benefit than theirs. Once you're officially owned by a chinchilla, you'll find that the drive to spoil them is beyond addictive, especially when they hurl their little bodies at the side of the cage and look up at you with those little begging eyes. It's really unfair!

Oh, and kiln dried pine is fine, though I prefer kiln dried aspen as it seems to have a higher absorbency rate... personal preference.

 

[LoveBug]

yes i did find that info
also are loofah's okay to give to her at age 10 wks or should i wait on those?
and okay i think i may take your advice and go with the kiln dried aspen

 

[LoveBug]

i will be getting the chinchilla starter kit

is there anything in that, that i should not give a 10 week old?

 

[Stackie]

Lovebug, I had to delete the link as the person that owns that store is banned from this forum. We do not allow links to any banned member's website. However, I reviewed the items in the kit and it looks to be safe.

 

[LoveBug]

oh okay, sorry didn't know.
and okay thank you

 

[danilinn]

are the Critter Nation cages available in stores at all, or just online? i need a cage by this saturday when we pick up our baby, so we were planning to get a plastic-bottom wire cage to start, and upgrade in a couple of months. (our little girl is abt. 11 weeks old)
any advice is appreciated!

 

[LoveBug]

have you checked your local craiglist for someone selling one?

 

[danilinn]

good thought, but the only one i found is chock full of plastic inside. petco has one in store that is all metal except for the plastic bottom. my hope is that we can put down lots of bedding, and if that doesn't work, see if my retired carpenter dad can come up with a solution in his garage.

 

[LoveBug]

i did see one that is located in Lockport. its a ferret nation, you'd have to get a mesh hardware cloth to put over it so that your chin doesn't slip thru. it was posted on the 17th not sure if it is sold or not but you could ask. here's the link
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/pet/2551929222.html

 

[LoveBug]

i did see this one as well located in plainfield. posted on the 20th.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/for/2544569438.html
again it is a ferret nation.

 

[danilinn]

LoveBug, you are awesome! thanks!

 

[danilinn]

she'll only need the mesh over it for a few months, correct?

 

[LoveBug]

Correct