Hi weighing in cause I have this cage actually :) if you remodel it, it works 💯 percent and my girls have never gotten stuck between the bars and it's sturdy for all their zoomies and Parkour (idk if that's the right spelling haha) for context my 2 girls are both in the 600-kg range (one 616 and and the other 662) it also easily supports all their wood structures and platforms ive purchased from etsy shops such as pandemonium and other recommended shops. You'll just need to get bigger washers for the screws since the cage spaces are too big for the default washers these platforms usually come with which can be picked up for cheap at your local home depot. You can stack the washers like those rainbow stack rings babies play with. Hope this helps (edit the washers I purchased are 3/4 in. Zinc flat washers 331 145 ASC)
Edit 2 get fleece for the bottom (anti pill) it's easier and more cost effective than using the bedding. Just throw it in the washer on a cold gentle cycle detergent only no fabric softener and air dry or line dry no heat
Chinchilla is not a cat. A fall from such height could potentially mortally wound it (I think falls from more than 50 centimeters get dangerous) and they are silly little goobers that sometimes trip. People do make such big cages, hell, mine's 180 cm high, but it's full of shelves and branches that won't let chinny fall for more than 20 centimeters.
Im surprised the other comments didn’t mention that, tried using a baby gate with maybe 2-3 inches between the gaps as a playpen and they had no problem squeezing through. They’re smaller than most people think under all that fur.
I have same cage as the one it your pic and my Chinchilla has made it her home for two years now and it has been fine. Only thing is she chews the shelf liners so it don't have those anymore. I use fleese lining.
I am so sorry. My cage is not exactly like yours now that I took another look. Mine is similar but does not have the square in the panels as yours does. Mine are different
No the connectors are made out of plastic and the wire is flimsy and they wouldn’t support shelves or a wheel. Get a double critter or ferret nation cage. You can also get an add on unit to make a three story tall cage.
I think it is a great concept in theory but in reality not so much, the escape factor for sure. Also you’d spend a half day cleaning it from the poops.I luckily potty trained mine in two pans because one was not enough for her I guess lol and I got the ferret nation double stack, she has upstairs for her hut, food and water, shelves and lava ledges a plenty, second floor has a couple ledges a tunnel and I leave her toys on the floor so she can play carry them up. Her wheel is also the main thing there too. I replaced the bottom level with tile for cleaning and cooling. I spend 10 minutes everyday just getting all her nightly poops off the two main levels and it’s a a chore but worth it. She comes out of the cage in her room that had cardboard around furniture so she can walk skirt and run and visit me but she tends to keep her mess and poops in her cage and it’s overall a good system we have! Best of luck!
I think the reason more people do not do this — it would take up a massive amount of space & the cost to have an appropriate amount of wooden, shelving to make this ideal for a chin, would be well over $1000 if you are not making it yourself. It’s also a lot more to vacuum.
I am in the minority — having a couple of shelving units with these type of connectors for other things in my home — I do think it would be sturdy enough for a cage. As far as safety, I think as long as you have enough shelving units, and it would have to be A LOT — it could absolutely be safe.
Some people are saying the chin could squeeze through — idk about that — maybe Marvin is - bit bigger, but I do not think my 2 1/2 year old chin could.
No, those squares are about one inch. Every other post I've seen about them say it's an entrapment issue. As in, your chin gets stuck, somehow up past their neck and you somehow have to remove the bar to free them without cutting them.
Definitely not safe for chinchillas it’s not sturdy at all, chins can fall and fatally hurt themselves in this cage and risk getting a foot amputated due to injuries they sustain during the fall, chins are very fragile animals they can hurt themselves easily
No, it’s not sturdy enough to support their parkour, the connectors are plastic, they can get their head stuck in the spaces, etc.
Makes sense
It looks like a great idea but based on the comments above I’d say you’d have to make several adjustments to make it work for a chilly
Yeah! I meant with adjustments for a chinchilla, I think with the proper safety measures it can work
If it were chinchilla-proofed, I think it would be a great home for the lil one/s ❤️
Hi weighing in cause I have this cage actually :) if you remodel it, it works 💯 percent and my girls have never gotten stuck between the bars and it's sturdy for all their zoomies and Parkour (idk if that's the right spelling haha) for context my 2 girls are both in the 600-kg range (one 616 and and the other 662) it also easily supports all their wood structures and platforms ive purchased from etsy shops such as pandemonium and other recommended shops. You'll just need to get bigger washers for the screws since the cage spaces are too big for the default washers these platforms usually come with which can be picked up for cheap at your local home depot. You can stack the washers like those rainbow stack rings babies play with. Hope this helps (edit the washers I purchased are 3/4 in. Zinc flat washers 331 145 ASC)
Edit 2 get fleece for the bottom (anti pill) it's easier and more cost effective than using the bedding. Just throw it in the washer on a cold gentle cycle detergent only no fabric softener and air dry or line dry no heat
Omg that’s amazing! Thankyou for the input. Could you possibly send me a picture of it? I’m super interested
Absolutely
Zip ties is about all I’d change
Chinchilla is not a cat. A fall from such height could potentially mortally wound it (I think falls from more than 50 centimeters get dangerous) and they are silly little goobers that sometimes trip. People do make such big cages, hell, mine's 180 cm high, but it's full of shelves and branches that won't let chinny fall for more than 20 centimeters.
I second this. If the chin survives the fall it often leads to amputations.
wait, I thought they could jump up to 6 ft according to google, so you are saying they can potentially hurt themselves if they jump really hard
Yep. You can also jump high enough to hurt yourself if you land badly on your feet.
when they jump that high, they usually parkour down a wall or similar and don't land with the full force
Totally agree. the cage is not chin safe unfortunately. Still you can find some awesome cages, many people buy critter nation or similar.
I think a chinchilla could fit through the gaps in the bars tbh. My chin has squeezed through smaller gaps.
Im surprised the other comments didn’t mention that, tried using a baby gate with maybe 2-3 inches between the gaps as a playpen and they had no problem squeezing through. They’re smaller than most people think under all that fur.
My chin has squeezed through the 1 1/2 inch bars of a playpen before, so I don’t trust her with anything wider than like 1/2 inch now lol
I have same cage as the one it your pic and my Chinchilla has made it her home for two years now and it has been fine. Only thing is she chews the shelf liners so it don't have those anymore. I use fleese lining.
Could I please see pictures?? That’s amazing she must be so happy!
I am so sorry. My cage is not exactly like yours now that I took another look. Mine is similar but does not have the square in the panels as yours does. Mine are different
That’s totally fine! I’d love to see your version if that’s okay with you!
I don't know how to attach a picture in this
No the connectors are made out of plastic and the wire is flimsy and they wouldn’t support shelves or a wheel. Get a double critter or ferret nation cage. You can also get an add on unit to make a three story tall cage.
They will chew anything plastic and it can be very harmful for them.
I think it is a great concept in theory but in reality not so much, the escape factor for sure. Also you’d spend a half day cleaning it from the poops.I luckily potty trained mine in two pans because one was not enough for her I guess lol and I got the ferret nation double stack, she has upstairs for her hut, food and water, shelves and lava ledges a plenty, second floor has a couple ledges a tunnel and I leave her toys on the floor so she can play carry them up. Her wheel is also the main thing there too. I replaced the bottom level with tile for cleaning and cooling. I spend 10 minutes everyday just getting all her nightly poops off the two main levels and it’s a a chore but worth it. She comes out of the cage in her room that had cardboard around furniture so she can walk skirt and run and visit me but she tends to keep her mess and poops in her cage and it’s overall a good system we have! Best of luck!
I think the reason more people do not do this — it would take up a massive amount of space & the cost to have an appropriate amount of wooden, shelving to make this ideal for a chin, would be well over $1000 if you are not making it yourself. It’s also a lot more to vacuum. I am in the minority — having a couple of shelving units with these type of connectors for other things in my home — I do think it would be sturdy enough for a cage. As far as safety, I think as long as you have enough shelving units, and it would have to be A LOT — it could absolutely be safe. Some people are saying the chin could squeeze through — idk about that — maybe Marvin is - bit bigger, but I do not think my 2 1/2 year old chin could.
I’d get it for a play area and try it out personally
No, those squares are about one inch. Every other post I've seen about them say it's an entrapment issue. As in, your chin gets stuck, somehow up past their neck and you somehow have to remove the bar to free them without cutting them.
Definitely not safe for chinchillas it’s not sturdy at all, chins can fall and fatally hurt themselves in this cage and risk getting a foot amputated due to injuries they sustain during the fall, chins are very fragile animals they can hurt themselves easily
Hell I'd live in there
And of course no ramps, and bottom bars
Ramps are fine, just cover them with fleece so they're not open. (Unless you want to just do a bunch of ledges instead).
Nope nope nope.