How to Take Care of a Chinchilla's Bedding

Lining your chinchilla's cage with fresh bedding is more than simply a way of supplying comfort for your pet. Chinchilla bedding also absorbs the urine and fecal wastes of your pet, temporarily controlling odor and making the cage more sanitary.



Chinchillas tend to urinate in the same spots -- often in the corners -- but they will defecate in multiple bedding areas. Keeping the bedding fresh, through regular removal and replacement; as well as regular cage cleaning, is important in maintaining chinchilla health and controlling pet odor.

Things You'll Need

  • Aspen wood shavings
  • Recycled paper bedding pellets
  • Disinfectant cloths
  • Small hand vacuum
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase Aspen wood shavings or recycled paper pellets for your chinchilla bedding. Avoid cedar and pine shavings, as both contain phenols, which can cause respiratory and organ damage in your chinchilla, over time.

    • 2

      Remove the bedding once a week. Increase the frequency of bedding removal to twice a week, if you have more than one chinchilla in the cage.

    • 3

      Vacuum loose bits of old bedding with a small hand vacuum, before placing new bedding in the cage. Wipe the floor of the cage, and the bottoms of the cage bars, with disinfectant wipe cloths, so that the new bedding doesn't become soiled upon placement.

    • 4

      Replace the Aspen or recycled paper pellet bedding in the clean cage, making sure that the bedding is a few inches deep, for absorbency, as well as chinchilla comfort.