When buying a cage for your chinchillas, you you should buy the biggest that you can afford and accommodate:

• An  minimum of 24 x 18 inch for first animal with an additional 12 inch per animal

• Ensure that it has wooden shelves, not wire mesh

• The cage mesh should be 3/4 inch, 16 gauge wire

• Pull out trays are easier to clean than sit in types

• Cages should be longer than they are deep

• Deepest drop point should be less than 18 inches

 

Many chinchilla breeders build and sell cages suitable for chinchillas to live in.  They can often make cages to a variety of shapes and sizes to suit your own needs - and can recommend on the best  for you and the chinchillas that you intend to keep.  However there are some very good cages pre-made available from pet stores.

Cages can be made solely from mesh, or wooden construction.  When wooden be aware that parts may need replacing if chinny teeth can gain access to them and also the wood may absorb the urine and over time smell.

 

	The cage shown left is a type you may find in shops and called Thickets Cages (made by a company called Thickets House), these are generally sold in Pets At Home stores and cost approximately £70 each.  They produce two types - long and tall.     The long is 3 foot long and 24 inches high, the tall is 3 foot tall and18 inches wide - for keeping chinchillas only the long cage should be used..   These cages have a built in hay rack, an included food bowl that fits through the mesh, a large damage proof water bottle and a large accessible door.   They are good cages for long term use for a pair of chinchillas.
	Another commonly used type of cage is the Terenziani cages (shown left).  They come in grey or green metal and have an all wire construction and are made to flat pack - so can be very handy as emergency cages that can be kept easily stored away.  This type of cage if being used as a permanent home for a chinchilla I personally would remove the metal level and add wooden shelves.   These cages can be very noisy when the chinchillas are being active if the wire levels are still in place.  They come without food bowl or water. These cages come in a variety of heights, the single storey is not suitable for chinchillas, the double level or triple are better.   If you have the triple level and replace the wire shelves with wood, you MUST ensure that the cage does not have any drop of more than 18 inches at any point.
	Large Aviary type cages can often be converted to chinchilla homes by adding pine shelves.  When doing this, again ensure that there is no single drop of more than 18 inches - it maybe possible to add additional levels using wire mesh (3/4 inch 16 gauge) or by careful placement of triangular or quarter circle shapes projecting out from the corners. Large Bird cages (as shown left & right) can sometimes be converted for use with chinchillas by adding pine shelves, BUT if they do have a plastic tray at the base you must ensure that is it is not possible for the chinchilla to do this.  You can rectify this problem by adding a false mesh floor above the level of the tray.  This type of cage is best used only as emergency or hospitalisation cage.

Paul Spooner Cages

http://www.chillaquip.freeuk.com/contents.htm

 

John Hopewell Cages

http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/

 

Aileen Cook

http://groups.msn.com/KingdomChinchillas/cagesmadetoorder.msnw