Even for one chinchilla it really is essential to have a comfortably sized cage. While Rabbits by no means should be in small cages either, Chinchilla really quite more vertically agile, they like to hop around, climb and explore their environment as much as possible.

Unfortunately a 14 inch wide bookshelf really limits things, and honestly is just going to be far too small for an adequate sized chinchilla cage. Also, if the shelf the cage were to rest on were even somewhat tall it could stand a good chance of the cage accidentally falling over. The smallest cage I would suggest getting would be the Single Level Midwest 142 cage that is mentioned on the top of the page. Not only is this and the second level are by far the best quality and most solidly built I’ve owned, but it is also large enough size to allow your new baby chinchilla room to grow.

Anything smaller and the chinchilla would really be limited, and you would eventually have to upgrade them within a year to a larger cage anyway, which is why I always suggest making the initial investment and getting a larger cage sooner rather than later. If you didn’t want it to sit up on the wheels and sit on some other type of case or table, you have the option of simply not attaching the lower level with the platform and wheels so that the base of the cage would sit nice and sturdy.

That said, I understand what it’s like to have limited space, years ago when I was starting out I lived in a tiny apartment where I barely had room to put anything, and the economy now is even worse and more difficult for young people. So if this is not an option, as much as it may be hard to hear, it might be best to hold off on adopting a chinchilla at this time until you have the proper space for a cage to accommodate their needs, as they are quite active little creatures. Another possible thing to keep in mind, if space is limited, and the cage may need to be in your bedroom, they are nocturnal, and while they can adapt over time, with the little guy being young, he could very well keep you up at night if you’re a light sleeper. So just another bit of advice that most new owners are usually not made aware of.

As for the leash, I would advise against it, as chinchillas have a notoriously weak skeletal system that has led to many chinchillas dying due to unaware owners that pick up, squeeze or hold their chinchillas too tightly, causing organ failure. The leash, while most of the time would probably be safe, if any sudden jerk or movement were to occur by accident or on the chinchillas part, this or other injuries could possibly occur.

Chinchillas are not overly social small animals like ferrets, while they can be affectionate at times, they are much more interested in doing their own things and will never really be a lap animal like a cat or dog, or to a lesser extent a ferret may be.

I hopes this helps Allison, and I’m sorry if this wasn’t the news you wanted to hear, but I do my best to keep things honest and credible without any fluff like so many other chinchilla sites. If you can find a solution for the cage situation, I hope you enjoy your new friend, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask at any time!

Thanks,
Allison

p.s. the shelf is only 14 inches wide…

I manually approve the comments (for obvious reasons), so I believe you posted this question prior to my previous answer. So in which case, I have to echo my last post in that mesh/wire bottoms are generally not recommended, nor safe for chinchillas.

The space between the wires can be too large, making it it easy for your chinchilla’s feet to slip through. But if you get a small mesh, the space can still be too large and their tiny little toes could get caught in one, causing it to fracture, break, or put serious strain on.

If you get a fine enough mesh to where that isn’t an issue, well it isn’t going to be very effect for what you’re wanting to use it for. Chinchillas are a bit more difficult than rabbits in that respect when it comes to caging.

I suggest putting a thin layer of safe bedding (see our safe chinchilla bedding page) on the bottom of the pan, then get a heavy giant ball and fill it with bedding and begin to train your chinchilla to exclusively to use the bedding in the bowl. You can give them a healthy treat after each time they use the bowl as encouragement, more of less potty training them. Eventually you can stop putting bedding on the bottom of the pan once they learn to use the bowel.

Hope this helps Mandy!

I would highly advise against putting a wire mesh on the bottom of the cage like a rabbit cage. While it would be a lot more convenient to just have a removable tray at the bottom, chinchillas have little feet and toes that can often get caught in the mesh or fall through, causing them to often get injured.

For rabbits, it’s not a big deal, since they have long and flat feet that would be difficult to get caught in the mesh bottom. But considering the physical differences and risks, and that chinchillas are inherently fragile creatures, it’s best to not take the risk.

My suggestion would be to buy individual shelves and bottoms from the Ferret Nation cage, which they sell separately and should fit most standard cages. The material they are made out of is very tough and in my experience chinchillas rarely will chew on it.

If they do chew on it, it’s usually out of a lack of more suitable things for them to chew on. So just give them some wood or lava bars for them to chew on.

As for the cleanup, it’s really a good idea to try and train them to use a small litter box in their cage with some bedding. When I get some time I’ll write up a page with instructions on how to do so. If you have any other issues or questions, feel free to ask!

Now they are tearing the rabbit cage apart. I was really worried about it being toxic to them, but assume since it is a rabbit cage they’ll be okay. Having read your page on chinchilla safe wood, I’m quite relieved. That said, we’re needing a non-wood cage bad. Don’t want to go to the pet store around here, it’s a Pet Smart and they are notoriously overpriced. Luckily we have Amazon Prime, so free 2-day shipping, just ordered the Ferret Nation cage and hopefully all will be well. Fingers crossed!