Tile a FN?

[cooljm94]

So I have already made (anti-pill)fleece liners for my FN but I noticed people have tiled their cages to make it cooler for the chinchilla.
What are the pros and cons to this?
Or is it better to stick with fleece?
Or would it still be cooler to have the fleece liner on top of the tile?

Also about how much does it cost to do this?

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

its also supposed to be easier to clean. i dont even have a cage yet so i dont know much about it. i would think that it would take away from the coolness to have fleece on top but again im not sure. ill leave the rest to more experienced members )

 

[Chintastic!]

I tiled one of my cages, not an FN but similar except for the size of the door- it is easy to clean but you have to clean more often then if you are using shavings. I bought giant tiles that are 1.5 sq feet and they work well because then there arnt as many breaks for the pee to run though. If you have a litter trained chin then it is a great option. unfortunatly this particular chin isnt and refuses to use the litter box now matter how hard I try! so I have fleece over part of it where she likes to pee. Over all Its easy to clean even with the pee- just vacuum and wipe.

 

[3CsMommy]

Anyone have pics of a tiled FN? I've got an idea for how it could be done, but I'm really a visual person.

Tia.

 

[ticklechin]

I have wall to wall tile that is grouted in my cages, they are all pee trained and use a potty box. The tile is easy to clean and sanitary. I use fleece mattresses in their hidey houses that get changed daily.

 

[fanofdmb84]

It cost me about $35 to tile a 3-level FN using the standard 12x12 granite tiles. It's much easier to clean, and I do put fleece in one of the cages because that chin doesn't pee in one place, she pees everywhere, so its more hygienic to use the fleece. The other two have litter pans and the tile is very easy to sweep or vacuum up and then I'll wipe them down with a wet rag and I'm done!

Mine are not grouted, they just sit on top of the wire, which works well for me because if one gets peed on I can pop it out and throw it in the sink with some vinegar and water and let it soak.

ETA: added "blueprint" for the tile dimensions if anyone is interested. I recommend taking an extra 1/8" off of each tile to give you a little more clearance.

 

[3CsMommy]

Diana, you're my hero. That's exactly what I needed to see. And $35 for a 3 story is cheap compared to pans! Since my guy is litter pan trained, this could save me a ton on shipping from Bass.

 

[cooljm94]

I think my chinchilla pees everywhere lol. I thought you couldn't litter "train" a chinchilla?

 

[Essentia]

You can litter train for urine, just not for poopies. Not all chins use the litter box. Some just want to pee everywhere. Out of the 4 pets I have 2 use a litter box and two don't.

 

[cooljm94]

What type of stone (tiles) should I use? I noticed marble seemed the coldest.

 

[ticklechin]

I used ceramic tile, natural tile is porous and since my tile is attached I did not want to take a chance of that being a issue.

 

[fanofdmb84]

I used granite...the consensus seems to be that granite stays cooler than marble. Granite is also slightly less porous than marble is, so it resists pee soaking in a bit less (although it does happen).

 

[Rescue Momma]

We have a big flooring store here in Jacksonville and I went and got the 12x12 marble tiles. They were something like $1.70 a piece (much cheaper then Home Depot)
I did a little checking and the marble does get cooler and stays cooler longer JMO

Doesn't it pinch their little feet if it's not grouted? And my big question is does it make the cage any quieter? Mine run laps in their FN at night and the whole thing shakes and makes noise. You can hear them 2 rooms away.

 

[tiffyskaar]

This is a good question since I am thinking about buying a FN 142. What about putting the tile down and tucking some fleece liners underneath to eliminate pans altogether? With the litter box in the corner of course.

 

[fanofdmb84]

My tiles fit very tight, there are only a few places where there is a gap, and their feet are much bigger than the gap. If you cut your tiles too small, though, you could have problems with toes and poop falling through.

The tiles weigh down my cage enough that it does not rattle around. The only noise from the cage is from a couple of the doors rattling a bit. When I had the plastic trays in, the trays would rattle on the wire below, but since the trays are gone that is not an issue.

What about putting the tile down and tucking some fleece liners underneath to eliminate pans altogether?

I'm not really sure what you mean; if you tile the cage you have to get rid of the pans anyway.