The fact that chinchillas require a lot of space for a comfortable life - everyone knows this. But how to make a cage for your chinchilla by your own hands is not known to every fan. To do this, you should have a general idea of what the cell should be, buy the necessary materials and stock up in inspiration.
Homemade cage for chinchillas
The rod for rodents is better to make from natural or artificial materials with the minimum maintenance of glues, pitches and harmful admixtures. Use a lining made of wood, plexiglas, aluminum. Remember that chinchillas like to try everything "on the tooth" and this can lead to many diseases . For this reason, you should not use chipboard and toxic sealants for making cells. In addition, the material must be strong.
It is worth saying a few words about the size of the cell for breeding chinchillas. These animals need space, and the more, the better. The cell size should be at least 70 cm wide, 80 cm long and 40 cm deep. And the optimal size is 180/90/50 cm, respectively. It's better to make such a large cage on wheels so that it is convenient to move it.
So, we proceed to the process of manufacturing a wooden cage.
- The future cage-display for chinchillas will be made of a pine beam (frame), pine lining and galvanized mesh. The back part and side walls are lined with a lining.
- For fastening, use screws, pre-drilling holes for them to avoid cracks.
- To the bottom of the frame, two wide boards should be attached. They are needed to make the cell more stable, and later we will attach wheels to them.
- The bottom is the part of the cell that is subjected to the maximum load. Therefore, it is desirable to strengthen it with the same pine beam that was used for the frame. We will do it with screws and corners.
- Wheels (better - with a rubberized surface) should be metal, otherwise they can not withstand the weight of the cage. They are fastened with four screws to the lower boards.
- A large cage can be made with a "double bottom", equipped with a compartment for household accessories in its lower part. We make the bottom of the lower part of the cage and the bottom of its living part from a laminated fiberboard. If desired, a small grate can be mounted in the floor of the cage for easy cleaning of the chinchilla. Then the floor is covered with a sheet of Plexiglas with a cut out window for sweeping the garbage.
- Prepare a metal welded mesh. It should be attached to the cage with special screws for plasterboard (with wide hats). The size of the grid cells is chosen based on the age of the animal: if it is assumed that the mother-chinchilla with the babies will live in the cell, then the grid cell should be smaller.
- The doors can also be made of pine lining. In the gap between the slats, insert the fiberboard, and close the inner part of the plexiglas. This is necessary to protect joints from the sharp teeth of your pets.
How to arrange a cage for chinchilla?
- Filling the house usually includes shelves and various partitions. They should be made of the same safe materials as the cell itself.
- Arrange the shelves at a sufficient distance between each other (20-30 cm), so that the chinchillas can jump comfortably. The edges of the shelves must be grinded so that the animals can not get injured.
- After the interior decoration of the cage is ready, only the outer doors will remain to be made. We attach them to the piano loops. Joints are closed with Plexiglas or aluminum, so that the chinchillas do not gnaw at them.
- For aesthetics, you can cover the outer corners of the cage with beautiful wooden panels or decorative corners. Fig. 12.
- The house for your furry pets is ready!
