Litter Box use?

Aurora · Dec 6, 2013

I would like to train our chin(s) to use a litter box and be able to use fleece in the rest of the cage. I did a forum search but only found one thread on the topic. What do you all use as an actual litter box for your chins? And how did you get them to use it? Did you just put it where you saw urine and drop some bedding in?
Thanks in advance!

Godofgods · Dec 6, 2013

i bought metal corner litter pans since they cant use plastic ones. I got them from a member of these forums. I recently sent them a message to see about more but i never got a response.

I was fortunate in that mine started sticking to corners on there own. That was when i just lined the whole tray with litter. It was due to that, that i started trying the corner litter pans. And they caught on quickly.

down side was, after a year or two (or such) one of my five has decided to no longer use the pan.

gizandcharlie · Dec 6, 2013

I tried the pan and it didn't work for mine.. but i've been putting a small wee wee pad on the bottom of the cage for the past three or four months (like the ones you use for puppies) and my chinchillas primarily use that as their designated potty spot now, with the occasional accident somewhere else in the cage.

Nerk · Dec 6, 2013

One of my chinchillas came with a metal corner pan and for the most part uses it, but only when she wants to. She'll pee else where but not often.
The other chinchilla caught on right away, she uses 6in pyrex glass dishes. Sometimes she's too lazy to hop up and pee in her pan and just backs up and pees next to it.
Before my older one had been in a cage lined with care fresh(is that the name, it's been awhile since I've seen it). I took a little bit she has peed on and rubbed it in with her new pine bedding, put the dishes in the corner, and she was using them the same night.

Waysidecorpse · Dec 6, 2013

As far as I know and this is only what i'v read, chinchilla's can't be litter box trained in the full sense of the word they kinda just figure they should go in the box instead of the corner and comply. but like Nerk said its kinda at there own free will for instance i don't have a litter box but he has his fav little corner in his cage he likes to pee in learned not to block it or the thing i blocked it with is now he toilet. Smug little *******.

jess32247 · Dec 8, 2013

When my chin was liter trained in the past, I used one of those big glass cooking pan.. things. I can't remember the name of them for the life of me, but I got one for really cheap at a thrift store to use as my chins potty.

For the most part, I really just put the pan in her potty spot (in this case, her top ledge) and let it be. Within a few days, she knew how to use and that was about it! I suppose I got pretty lucky with her, since some chins seem to have a hard time understanding the concept of it. Heh, even though I've taken it out since then, she still knows how to use it whenever I put it back it even though she's stopped weeing on her top ledge over a year ago. Chins can be pretty smart when they want too hehe.

mknoblich1 · Dec 8, 2013

My girls use a glass cooking pan. I put it in the corner that they used the most to pee in when I switched to fleece. I used some soiled bedding the first time so it had the smell of pee on it. My girls caught on quick.

EternallyCynical · Dec 8, 2013

I use a big glass casserole dish with some aspen shavings in it. My chin doesnt use it much, though. He's started to pee in it MORE, but mostly he just flings the shavings everywhere... ^^;; He's 8yrs though as as far as I know, was never introduced to a litter box in his previous homes. He's kind of a dork about where he pees..... he'll pee anywhere, even places where it won't get absorbed, and he doesnt even care that its there, he'll just... run back through it.... >____>;; His belly's a bit stained because of that unfortunate habit. I continue to try, though. I havent noticed as many marks on the fleece from urine as of late, and I've seen more urine in the tray, so.... maybe he's starting to catch on? I always leave a little bit of sioled bedding in when I change the pan, so it smells like pee.