Homemade Chinchilla Cage

Chinchillas are rodents that live in colonies at high altitudes in the Andes mountains in South America. They are animals that require lots of care and lots of space. They are playful and enjoy running and jumping as well as the essential dust bath. You can buy chinchilla cages, but they are frequently too small for the animal, so building one is a preferred option.

  1. Cage Floor

    • Plan your chinchilla's floor to be at least 24 inches by 18 inches. If you house more than one in the same cage, it should be 6 by 3 feet or larger. You can use a mesh floor or a solid pine or metal floor. If you use mesh, be sure it is smaller than 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch so chinchilla feet do not get stuck. You want even finer mesh if you plan to breed chinchillas and plan to have babies in the cage. Put a piece of untreated pine on the floor, so your animal does not have to sit on wires all the time. You do not want him to develop sores on his feet. If you opt for untreated pine or a metal floor, cover it with natural pine shavings. Do not use cedar shavings, because if the chinchilla eats them, it could hurt him. Do not use a plastic floor because it can also hurt chinchilla digestion. Remember that chinchillas chew on everything, so the entire cage has to be nontoxic for their digestive system. If you have a solid floor, remember that you have to clean the bottom of the cage often to keep bacterial diseases from hurting your chinchilla.

    Cage Walls

    • Walls should be at least 24 inches tall, and ideally 6 feet tall if you have multiple animals in one cage. Chinchillas are very sensitive to temperature. They can suffer heat stroke in temperatures as low as 80 degrees F and it can be very stressful for them in temperatures as low as 70 degrees F if the humidity is high. The walls and ceiling for a chinchilla cage need to be air permeable. Use mesh, but no larger than 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch, because chinchillas like to jump off the walls, and you do not want one to get a leg caught. Use untreated pine as the frame to hold the mesh walls and ceiling up. Make sure your walls and ceiling are very sturdy so the cage will not collapse on your animal.

    Cage Accessories

    • If you have the option, put wheels on the bottom of your cage so you can move it easily around your home. Do not place it in an area that gets drafty, and do not leave it outside, particularly in the summer. Chinchillas also need toys inside their cage to play with. You can build small shelves for your animal with untreated pine for her to jump on. Make sure they are supported very solidly so they do not collapse with a chinchilla sitting on them. Include a solid chinchilla wheel for her to run around on. Do not use a hamster wheel, because a chinchilla leg can easily fit through the wires and get injured. Put some wood and pumice blocks inside the cage, along with hanging toys like bells.

    Dust Bath

    • Dust baths should not be a permanent addition to the chinchilla cage. It is much healthier for them to get baths every few days for a few minutes at a time so they do not leave droppings or urine in the bath. Glass Pyrex dishes work particularly well and do not encourage any chewing.