Playpen area

[Joannr24]

Hi

I just bought my first Chinchilla yesterday. I can't believe how social he is at 4.5 months. I planned on taking my dogs xpen which is 36" high and letting him play in the hall with that as his barrier. Now I am reading what big jumpers they are. Will he jump right over that? What would you suggest as a safe play pen for him?

Thanks

 

[tunes]

Since you should never leave a chin unattended while they play, him going over the top shouldn't be a huge problem. You would be right there to put him back in. I would also guess if he has a large hallway to run in, and you put toys and boxes and things to entertain him, that he may not be super concerned with going over the gate. You also need to be sure the openings in the gate aren't so big that he can squeeze through them and escape. A young chin is pretty flexible and can get through some pretty tight spaces.

I used to use a playpen with a top and a bottom on it for containing chins. Some would challenge the top, others were just too happy playing in the toys and stuff to bother with it.

 

[Jenn]

It depends on the chin. I have a chin who is not a big jumper, and her pen is only around 30 inches high and it has never been an issue. Some chins can jump quite high and would easily get over a pen like mine. I would start with the pen you have and be there to monitor. If your chin is an escape artist, he will find a way to get out. But if you are there, that won't be an issue. You would then probably want to look for a covered pen or taller sides to contain him. Some members use tall sheets of cardboard taped together for a barrier.

 

[Amy555]

My boys just dont know they can jump over the playpen barrier, I havent let them try. But! the bars on their playpen are an inch and a half spacing (really small) and they've discovered they can squeeze their fluffy bodies through to escape. Sneaks! So now I have a great wall of cardboard foiling their breakouts.

 

[Jazicat]

We have a pop up play pen that has a zipper top. Unfortunately Edgar learn to pull the velco up and escape but we fixed that with snaps and going in the pen with him. The others are content to run around and get some exercise. I don't really even need the top zipped since we never take our attention off them when they are in it.