One more Cage question

[Cronos1013]

My girlfriend and I became new parents to a female black chinchilla.

Right now our chin lives in a retired snake aquarium, its 4 feet long, 24 inches wide, and 30 inches tall.

In it we have a hide box, a dusting "house", a large silent spinner by super pet, and the marble square to help keep the chinchilla cool.

I was wondering if anyone had seen any cages that were long like ours, but taller. the QC cages seem to have a very small footprint, which doesnt seem to give alot of running around area, and the FN cages really look like prisons.

Has anyone found any cages that have a little larger footprint, or am I going to be reserved to making my own cage?

I'm looking for something around 48" long, 24" wide, and around 4 feet tall.

Thanks!!

Chris and Lisa

 

[aznmexaggie]

Aquariums are not suitable for chinchillas as they provide no ventilation which can lead to overheating and respiratory ailments. They also allow very few options for shelves and accessories that require vertical jumping space.

Of the suitable manufactured cages for chinchillas, the Ferret Nation has the largest footprint with a 36" x 24" base. If you want to go larger, I believe Quality Cage will custom make cages. Or you might try somebody local to you who makes cages. Then you can give your specifications and get exactly what you want! Here in my town, there is a rabbit rancher who custom made my cages. My baby-safe cages are made from galvanized 1" x 1/2" wire and my girls' cage is made from 1" x 2" wire with 1" x 1/2" wire shelves (as well as wood shelves). I told him I did not want wire floors and I asked him to also make my pull-out pans with a lip on the front. It fits my needs and was pretty affordable as well.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Check out Martins cages as well. As stated, and aquarium is actually deadly for chinchillas, I would get them out asap. I love the look of the ferret nations! Have you tried bird cages? As long as the bar spacing is ok and the bottom is suitable, you can get great cages that are bird cages.

 

[AZChins]

36"x24" is a pretty large set of base dimensions for a cage. With the depth it may actually be better for it to be around 18" because then the back of the cage can be more easily reached. Deeper cages make it more difficult to get to the chins and places in the cage.

Also, if you get a cage that does not have at least one of it's dimensions less than 24" to 28", you will basically be building it into a room in your house. Please measure all the door openings of your house to make sure that the cage can be taken in and out without having to disassemble it. I've had customers that have built cages into a bedroom of their homes.

 

[Bethany]

I just want to say that the bigger is always better. However, they will use the vertical space more than the horizontal. In fact, you will rarely see them at the bottom running around unless it is on there wheel.

 

[Brittney]

I have a quality cage mansion that is 24"X30" as a base. It is bigger than it may seem. I have 2 chins in there with plenty of room. Height is more important than length and width, as they are rarely at the bottom anyways. The bottom is pretty much their bathroom, and nothing more.

 

[Rickman]

I've built 24 x 24 x 48h cages that are O.K., but it seems 30 wide is better.
Someone once gave me a 30 x 30 x 48, but it was a PIA to clean, and get chins out - unless you've 30 inch long arms!