Things you will need
- Cage.
There has been recommendations that the chin's cage should be about 60-90cm in length, 45-60cm in width and 45-60cm in height. Chins are very active animals and giving them a big roomy cage (the bigger the better) would be would give them ample space to move about during the night. You can get Ferplast or Superpet cages easily in most stores, and the costs, for the cheaper ones, would range from $150-$300. Occassionally some owners would put up their 2nd hand cages for sale at a much cheaper rate.
There are 2 types of cages, the wire-bottomed ones and the plastic based kinds. This is entirely up to an individual's preference. If your pet is litter-trained, a plastic bottomed cage with a litter pan would be a good choice. Otherwise, just line the whole bottom pan of the cage with bedding.Wire-based cages allow for easier cleaning, though some feel that it might hurt the chin's feet or is dangerous. Just be sure that the wire openings are at most 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch..any bigger and the likelyhood of them getting their little feet in the wire is very high.
- Bedding
Never use cedar wood shavings as these have been proven dangerous to chins. Pine shavings have also been said to be dangerous as the resins from the shavings can affect your chin's (and any other small animal's) health. A good bedding would be paper-based ones made from recycled paper, such as Carefresh or Pet's Preference. They absorb the chin's urine quite effectively and because they are paper-based, will not emit any urine odours. Some others would be wood based shavings such as aspen shavings. Some say that kiln-dried pine shavings are also fine, as having been kiln-dried, the resins in the shavings have been removed.
- Food Container
It is best to buy bowls which are either fixable to the side of the cage, or heavy enough so that the chin would not tip the bowl over. I would recommend checking out cheap glass or ceramic bowls available in household shops, as they are much cheaper compared to getting the ones from the petshops.
- Water Bottle
The best would be to use a glass or metal-tubed bottle attached to the side of the cage. They can be bought from the petshops and there are a variety of shapes and sizes out there. Do not use a plastic-tubed bottle as the chin will chew on it. Do not use bowls for drinking water as well as it will not remain clean at the bottom of the cage. Droppings and shavings will eventually be kicked in by the chin.
- Dust Bath
Dust bath helps to clean the chin's coat by removing oils, grease and dampness. Chin's fur also looks great after a dust bath. It helps in keeping the coat healthy looking and in good condition. You can get chinchilla dust bath sand easily in petshops. One brand i would recommend in Blue Cloud.
Containers for the chins to have their dust bath in can also be obtained from the petshops, or any household shops. I would recommend a container with a lid, as the fine dust will fly all over the room while the chin is bathing.
- Toys
It is important that you provide wooden blocks for the chin to bite and gnaw on in the cage. Their teeth grow continuosly hence, biting these wooden blocks will help then trim their teeth. Be sure the wooden blocks are untreated.
Other toys such as cardboard boxes or even large sections of plastic drain pipes which you can find in the hardware or DIY stores can be enjoyable play things to keep your curious chins occupied and amused.
