Looking for a sturdy cage for a chewer

[LaurenMcStay]

I am in search of a good, high-quality, sturdy cage that is good for chinchillas who are notorious chewers (aka NO PLASTIC). My chinchilla has chewed two big holes in the bottom of the cage that he was given to me with (rescued him from my sister's friend). He has escaped four times so far, and although I have zip-tied some metal caging to the areas with the holes, I know he will find a way to get out again.

Thank you!!
-Lauren

 

[Chinmama]

Ferret or Critter Nation with plastic removed and Bass pans replacing the plastic. Or, a Quality Cage. They come with metal pans.

 

[Cat75]

Ferret nations and critter nations are nice cages. As recommended below if you replace the plastic pans with metal bass pans either cage your chin will not be able to chew his/her way out. I find some people prefer the Quality cage because there is no pan replacements needed.

 

[mdav]

I ended up returning the cage I originally bought in favor of a Ferret Nation. Ferret.com and PetSmart are both having a sale on the 182 model right now. If you have a limited budget, you may want to consider the Prevue Feisty Ferret cage. On Amazon and eBay the Prevue is about $120-130. I also saw some wrought iron cages with free shipping that looked quite decent.

Very few cages come with metal pans, and the ones that do can be pricey. You may be better off lining the plastic with fleece and clipping it in place. Or, as others have said, Bass equipment co. makes metal pans that can replace the plastic. It really comes down to how much you are looking to spend. Most cages will require some kind of modification to be suitable for a chinchilla.

 

[LaurenMcStay]

I purchased the Ferret Nation 182. For the time being, I switched Zeus (my hyperactive chewer) over to Alice's cage (my docile, more friendly chin of the two). The holes that he chewed in his cage are currently being blocked off by stacks of my textbooks, so hopefully Alice doesn't decide to make a snack out of my Ecology book. I'm actually just going to give Alice the new cage and keep Zeus in Alice's old cage. I'll post a picture once it's all put together! I got an e-mail saying that it should be delivered tomorrow.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

I think you'll be really happy with the FN. Do you have pans on the way to replace the plastic or are you opting for fleece or something else (I currently use fleece) ?

Yikes! It sounds like the hole-y cage is in pretty bad shape >< It's great that you've recognized his chewey needs and are replacing it with something safer My guys would go through textbooks in no time and they aren't even exceptionally crazy chewers.

 

[LaurenMcStay]

I haven't purchased replacement pans yet. Alice has never been one to chew plastic, and since she is the one who will be living in the Ferret Nation, I'm going to see how the first week goes and if I notice any signs of chewing then I will get the replacement pans. Do you know if metal pans are sold anywhere that would fit this cage?

http://www.sugar-gliders.com/sturdy-cage.htm

^That is the one that Alice used to live in (now Zeus's house), but there is a plastic pan at the bottom, and I'm afraid that once he gets used to the cage he will realize that he can easily chew through that