I need chinchilla help!!!?

Question

Where can I find a reasonably priced chinchilla cage with a divider?

I have a male and a female chin and plan on separating them after they have mated. (My female should be expecting since yesterday) I want one that is similar to a breeding cage but the ones I have seen seem a little bit too small. I wanted them to be able to interact after she gives birth. The other cages I have seen cost almost $1000. I am looking into getting it up to 200 dollars at the most. Is that a realistic price?

I have two cages right now. Should I go ahead and just separate them now or would it be too traumatizing to separate them?

It's either I separate them or end up having the male neutered. But I'm not too sure if that's a better option.

If I custom make my own chinchilla cage, how much would I end up spending in total versus buying it from somewhere? Time is not an issue, I have quite a lot of free time to do this

Sorry I have a bunch of questions that need to be answered! I really need help!

Answer 1

your going to be ending up spending so much money on them that you wont have any money for yourself. iknow having more is great but there will be a high price for earch chinchilla good luck.

Answer 2

Never be afraid of asking too many questions! :)

$200 isn't really realistic if you want to get one cage that is big enough for both chinchillas with the divider.  Chinchillas need a lot of space to run around and by dividing the cage, you cut that running space in half.  This is why breeding cages are so pricy.  They are big enough that both chinchillas have the space they need, but that are attached.

If you want my best suggestion, I think you should go ahead and buy the Chinchilla Mansion specifically made for baby Chinchillas.  Baby chinchillas can escape through one inch spaced bars, but the Chinchilla mansion for Baby Chins has 1/2 inch spaced bars just for that reason.  Then you can just put the two cages (the one they are currently in now, and the new cage) side by side. That way the chinchillas can see each other and still smell each other, but they can't breed, and the father can't hurt the babies.

Then, when the babies have grown, having a cage that has smaller bars won't hurt the chinchilla that lives in it normally.

Chinchilla Mansion:

http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_pa...

You can buy those for under $200.

You don't have to separate them until the female gives birth.  But I would recommend separating them before then.  Maybe wait until a week before she is suspected to give birth? Chinchillas can breed again almost *right* after giving birth so leaving the male in after giving birth is a rather bad idea so it is best to get him out before then.

Separating them is the best idea because getting the male neutered is HIGHLY DANGEROUS.  Chinchillas don't take anesthesia very well and him waking up from the operation is about 50/50.  But you'll have to remember, since the chinchillas won't have each other to play with, you'll have to become the friend chinchilla and make sure you get them out often.

I wouldn't suggest making your own cage unless you have extensive welding skills XD  CHinchillas will chew wood faster than you can build cages, and I would be worried that they could have sharp edges you may have overlooked and your chinchilla could get injured.

Best of luck with your chinchillas! :)