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Post by yoda on Dec 12, 2011 12:30:00 GMT -5
Hello everyone, I am still new to all things Chinchilla and I need some advise on what size cage bar spacing is acceptable for a Chin. Someone offered me a really nice extra large cage and it would fit great in the designated space I have in my room, but I am unsure if the bars on the cage are to wide at 1 1/4"? The cage would otherwise be perfect its 50" tall 36" wide and 23" deep. There would be lots of space to put shelfs and toys an all that I have a 4 month old female Chinnie and I could keep her in her smaller cage until she is older before putting her in the new cage. I have to make a fast decision on this cage the lady only wants $100 for it and she already has other people lining up to buy it. BTW the cage is like new. If anyone is able to give me some advise that would be super
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Post by mistywaterwoman on Dec 14, 2011 15:33:52 GMT -5
The Ferret Nation bars are spaced 1" apart, and I think that is probably as far apart as you can safely go, especially with younger chins. (FN's still need to be baby proofed with hardware cloth as it is.)
If this is an aviary cage designed for hookbills, it is probably too wide to contain sneaky chinchillas. We have had a few owners go through this issue before, and most ended up just buying a different cage after spending months trying to prevent escapes.
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Post by yoda on Dec 15, 2011 13:38:44 GMT -5
Thank you for your reply. Yes I think you are right at 1 1/4" it's just to risky. I had a feeling that would be the case. I watched tons of YouTube videos that show the amazing escaping skills of some Chnnies... lol Too bad, it would have been a nice big cage.. oh, well.. I am sure another will come along again. Better safe than sorry I didn't know that FN cages still need to be Chin proofed, wow I honestly thought they would be totally save and ready to go. Thank you for the info
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Post by resilientrosie on Dec 15, 2011 13:51:23 GMT -5
I didn't know that FN cages still need to be Chin proofed, wow I honestly thought they would be totally save and ready to go. Thank you for the info Well FN's need to be "BABY-proofed" if you have a young chin. For adult chins they are fine. They do, however, have to be "chin-proofed" in that you have to remove the shelves and ladders, add your own wooden accessories, and make sure that the door locks are actually closing all the way.
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Post by mistywaterwoman on Dec 15, 2011 14:57:41 GMT -5
Yep. I said "baby-proofed", not "chin-proofed".
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Post by yoda on Dec 15, 2011 15:19:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the clarification. I missed the 'baby' in the proofed... lol If I can't find a good quality used cage, then I think I'll get the Chinchilla Highrise from Martin's cages
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Post by secondchancechins on Dec 16, 2011 11:22:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the clarification. I missed the 'baby' in the proofed... lol If I can't find a good quality used cage, then I think I'll get the Chinchilla Highrise from Martin's cages If you go with Martin's, be aware you can have the internal wire shelving and ramps omitted and save a little money. You can make your own wood shelving and install it in the cage and end up with a cage with more places to hop and jump around without dangerous (and uncomfortable) wire to catch toes. I highly recommend NOT getting the drop in pan. You'll have to lift the cage out of the pan to clean it, AND the cage is not supported by a frame on the bottom so it will bow in at the bottom. If you are planning on any kind of a wheel, trust me, this will be very important. I had an adoptive client order the drop in against my recommendations to save money and ended up probably spending more to "fix" the cage than she would have if she'd gotten what I recommended in the first place. The way the cage was, it really wasn't safe. You might also consider a Townhome or Mansion from www.qualitycage.com. They have 1/2" x 1" wire available, and the mansion now is aviailable with 2 doors.
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Post by crazygoalie on Jan 18, 2013 14:54:09 GMT -5
Is 1/2" x 1" okay for the body of a cage?
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Post by crazygoalie on Jan 18, 2013 16:57:02 GMT -5
I meant 1" x 1" for a full size chinchilla. Most everyone has the fn and the bars are 1" by looks like 5"... I wouldth Think from what I am hearing about broken legs that 5"is too wide
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Post by deejaychin on Feb 8, 2013 15:59:51 GMT -5
From what I know about chins, and young chins I would recommend finding a cage with the 1/2" by 1" spacing.
I have my three guys in a Quality Cage Chinchilla Townhouse with the standard 1" X 1" spacing. That spacing is okay now, but when they were younger (adolescents) it wasn't great. Now, at 1" X 1" I never had problems with escapees, but that spacing really freaked them out when they tried to use the walls as springboards. The potential hazard of having a foot slip through was there, but the 1" size means that the foot can be slipped back in no problem, I think it was more a matter of the stress it put on the feet when jumping.
If I had to jump my feet onto a single bar, or even two bars spaced the entire length of my arch apart, repeatedly, with the force that a excited adolescent chinchilla exerts I would probably do some damage to my feet. I figure jumping up against those bars would be kind of like trying to jump around in high heels, and would eventually wreck the foot's structure and support. (Good luck finding orthotics for a chinchilla, lol)
Nowadays they don't jump off the walls (probably 'cause they are older and more dignified now) and I think they would have used them more if I had ordered the smaller mesh.
Quality Cage, from what I have been told, will make their cages with the 1/2" by 1" spacing if requested. If you considering a cage like this I would suggest you make the request. It will cause less stress on their feeties and their feet won't accidentally slip through the cage while they perform their acrobatics.
If I ever need to get a new cage I will mostly like stick with a Quality Cage, but order the smaller mesh.
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