safe chinchillas

Cages should be made of metal. Painting cages is not recommended. If there are plastic elements, they must be completely covered with anti-pill fleece (other fleece types are not safe). Chinchillas can and will chew plastic! Wooden cages are not recommended. 

These little fellas are excellent jumpers, but not so great at walking. Ramps can be a tripping hazard and should be removed. Wire ramps should never be used, as little feet can get caught in them and amputated or broken. 

Chinchillas love to jump! Ledges should be made of kiln-dried, untreated pine. Cages should be set up so that if a chinchilla falls, they won't fall more than18 inches. 

Prey animals need a place to hide away! Hides should be made of metal or kiln-dried pine - never plastic. Commercially-available chewable hides are generally not safe for chinchillas, due to the ingredients used to bind them together. 

Any fabric elements should be anti-pill fleece only, with no exposed threads. Other types of fabric and fleece, including polyfil stuffing, are dangerous. 

The safest bedding types are either aspen or pine shavings intended for small pets. Paper and cedar bedding should never be used. 

These little critters pee and poop A LOT! Plan for daily sweeping or vacuuming of poop, and every 2-3 days (at minimum) for urine cleaning. Litter pans can be used for urine, but chinchillas are not reliably litter-trainable, so don't count on this. Chinchillas are physically unable to control where they poop. Urine should not be allowed to remain in the cage for long periods of time - this can lead to infections in little paws.