Cages Dilemma!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 8 months ago by kamdynandsunshinesmom.

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- 07/19/2013 at 2:43 PM
  PaaigeyBearr
  Participant
  61 posts
  Alright, so I wanted to start off by saying my rabbits cages are more of a nighttime thing. They get around 6-12 hours out a day. I have to put them away at night because my kitten thinks it’s clever hopping the baby gate and chasing them at night. D:
  
  Anyways, I have Jack my lionhead he’s small and he’s in this cage which is small.. I mean he has just enough room to stretch, that’s about it.
  
  I have my “Baby” she’s HUGE & she has this cage & i have the biggst size in it, I’m content with it for nighttime purposes. It’s big enough that she runs circles in it LOL.
  
  Anyways, recently I rescued a Chinchilla and his cage is WAAAY too small for the poor guy, so I went out and got a HUGE dog crate.. I can’t decide whether I want to give it to jack and make it comfortable and usable for Jack, and give the Chin Jacks cage. (I don’t think my chin would like it /: ) Or if Jacks perfectly fine just for night time, and I should put the dog crate on it’s side and install shelves and Chins hammack.
- 07/19/2013 at 4:26 PM
  Valkyrie
  Participant
  185 posts
  I would leave the bunnies in the cages they are in for now since they have so much out of cage time. The dog crate will be easiest to turn into a chinchilla cage I imagine, but I have never had them myself.
  
  Are you planning on making a bunny condo in the future? It would really save you some space to be able to have the night time cages stacked on top of each other (no need for ramps connecting the levels if they aren’t bonded). Plus you could build it to your size specifications so Jack will have a little more room and it can be very affordable. I’m currently in the designing stage of mine and am building it so I can also use it as a bird cage stand to save even more room!
- 07/19/2013 at 11:05 PM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Do you know what sort of habitat chinchillas need? Do they need a lot of space? If they need more space I would say then the dog crate shouldn’t be bad for him/her. I do have to second Valkyrie. It may be easier for you to have a NIC condo because it doesn’t take up as much space. Not to mention it will give your buns more space during the night. =]
- 07/19/2013 at 11:27 PM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Skipper’s Mama, I remember reading some time back a bit about the best kind of cage for chinchillas. I’m not sure what kind of square footage they should have but they like large flat spaces with some wide shelves. (Their needs and preferences are very similar to pigeons which is how I came across the info.)
  
  PB, even if it is only for night time use I do second the suggestion of a multi-story condo, … NIC if you have access to the cubes. The cubes are the best (least for those of us without tools and/or skills to build with raw materials) because you can design it precisely to fit your available space (the grids can be overlapped to obtain any size) and wouldn’t that be better for Baby? Then surely Jack could have her cage until they are bonded?
  
  From my memories of the topic I would definitely stay with a larger option for the Chinchilla, either the crate or Baby’s cage (though it seems hard on poor Jack if he’s the only one who doesn’t get an upgrade.) Is it just me or doesn’t the chinchilla need a sand bath? The “cage” that is best adapted to hold its sand bath maybe the best choice. (And do you know if “It” is a he or a she?)
  
  Good luck, nothing like accomedating a many furred population in one home.
- 07/20/2013 at 12:17 AM
  PaaigeyBearr
  Participant
  61 posts
  “It”… the kitten? She’s a girl.
  
  And yes, I’ve done so much research on building a condo. But unfortunately for the time being I have to wait a month or two to be able to afford supplies for one. (I got a call back from a Staples today & applied ten places last night — fingures crossed ) That and affording “Baby”s operation. Or I was considering being a big meanie and try to spray bottle the kitten everytime I catch her going over until she learns. I’ve tried everything else with her, I can’t lock her in a bedroom either because you wake up to her attacking you toes & everybody let’s it out of the bathroom D:
  
  … I was considering giving the cat the crate for a split second LOL
  
  Anyways regarding the cages, today I went ahead and gave it to the chinchilla & did some work on it. I figured it was the fair thing to do sense I don’t know if the poor baby is going to pull through and survive past the condition it’s last home left it in… & Yes they need dust baths, I heard it’s twice a week that the dust bath should be out on a whole day…. but I will do further research on him.
- 07/20/2013 at 1:44 PM
  kamdynandsunshinesmom
  Participant
  910 posts
  My friend had a chinchilla and it needs a cage that has levels because they love to climb. As for a rabbits cage I did use a dog crate it wasn’t big enough for my american sable. You can create a NIC cube cage and it wont have to cost alot.
  
  Heres a picture of my buns cage. You wouldn’t have to create one this large. The the floor of this cage is different i got a remenant of linoleum for free from a local carpet store. This cage cost me under $40.00 it was alot cheaper then a dog crate and much bigger than a dog crate. heres an article on chinchillas http://www.peteducation.com/article…mp;aid=366
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