What is the Best Enclosure for a Chinchilla?

Chinchillas are very energetic, active, and even acrobatic animals that need a lot of space to move around. The enclosure for a chinchilla should provide enough space to allow lots of activity, spaces to rest in, and a lot to play with. 

As a whole, large multilevel cages with sufficient space for jumping, climbing, and playing are good options for chinchillas. The cage should have chew-proof metal bars that are close enough to prevent chinchillas to squeeze through.

Chinchillas chew through everything. A plastic cage won’t last long, therefore it is essential to be an enclosure that is made of welded wire mesh. The floor should be solid because chinchillas should not be standing on a wired floor to prevent foot issues.

What Criteria Should a Chinchilla Cage Fulfill?

Unfortunately, many chinchilla cages that are sold in pet stores are way too small to fulfill the needs of an active pet chinchilla. The minimum size of a chinchilla depends on whether you own one or more chinchillas, and if you have a separate play area or let them roam free in a room on a daily basis. 

What is a Good Size for a Chinchilla Cage?

In general, you can say: The bigger the better. Chinchillas are very active animals that love to jump, explore, and climb. The cage should be as high as possible to allow your pet chinchilla(s) to fulfill the daily need for exercise. 

A chinchilla cage for a single chinchilla should be around 3 feet x 3 feet in width and length, and around 5 feet in height (approx. 1m x 1m x 1,5m). The minimum size can be 2ft by 2 ft by 3ft, but only if the chinchillas have a separate play area or roam free from time to time.

If you own more than one chinchilla, you will need a bigger enclosure.

What Material Should a Chinchilla Cage be Made of?

Chinchillas are rodents that love love love to chew. They will chew on everything they can reach. This is also why a plastic water bottle is not recommended, as chinchillas will chew holes in it. 

As a whole, metal bars and wooden or plastic floors and shelves, covered with fleece or towels are the best options for your chin. 

The best, and safest material is metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. Metal cars are durable enough (and hopefully chew-proof) and make a good long-term investment for your pets. 

Plastic cages won’t last long, because chinchillas can easily chew through plastic and it’s not good for their digestive system, and of course, it’s also a waste of money because you will have to buy a new cage.

The floor and shelves can be made of plastic, but in that case, you should cover them is fleece, or towels to make sure that your chinchilla does not slip. 

Wood is also a very good option for the shelves and levels, but make sure to only use wood that is safe for chinchillas such as pine, aspen, or poplar. 

The floor should not be made of metal wires. Imagine you have to stand on metal bars all day long. It’s not very comfortable. Chinchillas will also suffer from foot and health issues such as bumblefoot if they have to be on metal bars all the time. 

A metal wire cage is a good option but you have to make sure that the metal bars are close enough so that especially young chinchillas cannot squeeze through. And you might be surprised how thin a baby chinchilla can get if it comes to escaping a cage. 

It is also important to make sure that the chinchillas cannot entrap their limbs between any smaller gaps between the metal bars. This can be a very painful experience for your chinchillas and in the worst case, they might even lose a limb.

What does not work at all for chinchillas are glass cages, such as aquariums. Chinchillas need proper ventilation to prevent respiratory diseases, and glass enclosures heat up way too quickly. Chinchillas are prone to overheating and having a heatstroke, therefore a glass enclosure cannot be used for a pet chinchilla.

Our Recommendations for Chinchilla Cages

It is possible to go for a big birdcage, but make sure that it has either pre-installed platforms or you are able to insert your own platforms. Bird cages are sometimes not as escape-proof as chinchillas require, but there are also many bird-cage options that go for rodents such as chinchillas, as well.

We only recommend enclosures that are big enough for an active chinchilla and of good quality. The products are mid-range to high priced. Cheaper products often use materials that are not suitable for chinchillas and they might be able to escape or even injure themselves due to sharp edges. 

Here are our top 4 chinchilla cages for a pet chinchilla:

 1. The Yaheetech Extra Large Animal Cage

At a glance:

• Size: Rather spacious
• Price: Mid-range 
• Material: Metal bars (iron, steel) and rubber base
• Cleaning ease: Very good
• Overall rating: 8.5

The animal enclosure by Yaheetech is a good option for your chinchillas. This enclosure is rather spacious and very sturdy, and the overall quality is good. The cage can be placed on a stand with wheels, but you can also use it without that stand.

When you decide to get this enclosure, you will have to make a few small adaptions, such as either not using or covering the grate on the bottom. Chinchillas should not be standing on metal wires because it hurts their feet.

The ramps and shelves also need to be covered with some cloth, such as fleece. 

But other than that, this cage makes a good enclosure for chinchillas.

Pro:

• Three levels
• Rather Spacious (31.9 x 18.3 x 51.2 inches)
• Not too heavy (47.75 pounds)
• Chew-Proof Metal bars (Iron, Steel)
• Very sturdy
• Big, escape-proof doors
• Slide-out try on the bottom for easier cleaning
• Somes with a rope toy, wooden dowels, and food bowls

Cons:

• No full-width doors
• Grate on the floor
• Hard to assemble

Points for:

• Suitability for chinchillas 9 / 10 
• Spacious 8 / 10 
• Ease of cleaning 9 / 10
• Value for money 8 / 10

2. The MidWest Deluxe Critter Nation Animal Cage

At a glance:

• Size: Large, 36 x 24 x 50 inches and extendable
• Price: A little higher mid-range, especially with the extension
• Material: Metal bars (Alloy steel) and hard plastic floor and shelves
• Cleaning ease: Very good
• Overall rating: 8.3 / 10 (with the extension 8.75 / 10)

The MidWest Deluxe Critter with two stories is in total 36 x 24 x 63 inches big and made of metal. The cage alone is 25 inches high, which means that the two-story cage is 50 inches excluding the bottom part. The cage can be extended to 75 inches. 

It comes with two floors, and two extra shelves, that are adjustable, and has full-width double doors which makes it super easy to clean the cage. You can even get the add-on and create a super big three-story enclosure. 

The quality is good compared to many other products.

The only things that would make this cage perfect for chinchillas are wooden shelves instead of plastic ones, and the assembly is not that difficult. But other than that, this cage makes a really good enclosure for chinchillas.

Pro:

• Several levels
• Spacious
• Extendable with another level
• Adjustable platforms with ramps
• Full-width escape-proof double doors 
• Chew-Proof Metal bars

Cons:

• Very heavy (107 pounds and add on would be additional + 44.6 pounds)
• A little hard to assemble
• Pans are not very deep and bedding on the floor will fall out

Points for:

• Suitability for chinchillas 8 / 10 
• Spacious 8 / 10 (- with the extension 10 / 10)
• Ease of cleaning 9 / 10
• Value for money 8 / 10

 3. The Prevue Deluxe Critter Cage

At a glance:

• Size: Rather spacious (36 x 22.25 x 45 inches)
• Price: Higher mid-range 
• Material: Metal bars
• Cleaning ease: Good
• Overall rating: 8

The Prevue Pet Product number 484 Deluxe Critter Cage makes a good home for smaller pets. It has two floors and two extra shelves made of plastic. A hammock is also included. 

It weighs 60 pounds. Compared to the other cages it is still spacious, but a bit smaller.

There are a few things that need to be adapted for chinchillas: The grit above the base should not be used or be covered so that the chinchillas do not have to stand on it. The shelves should be replaced by wooden shelves or covered with fleece to make sure that the chinchilla does not slip on the plastic and does not chew it.

But other than that, this cage makes a good enclosure for chinchillas.

Pro:

• Two levels and two shelves (but made of plastic and need to be replaced or covered)
• Rather Spacious (36 x 22.25 x 45 inches)
• The tray on the bottom can be removed easily
• Chew-Proof Metal bars
• Rather easy to assemble
• Comes with a hammock

Cons:

• No full-width doors
• Shelves and levels are plastic
• Grit on the floor is not suitable for chinchillas
• Rather expensive

Points for:

• Suitability for chinchillas 8 / 10 
• Spacious 7 / 10 
• Ease of cleaning 9 / 10
• Value for money 8 / 10

 4. The PawHut Rolling Animal Cage

At a glance:

• Size: Large, 31.5 x 20.75 x 59.5 inches
• Price: Mid-range
• Material: Metal bars (Alloy Steel) and hard plastic floor and shelves
• Cleaning ease: Very good
• Overall rating: 7.5

The PawHut enclosure for small animals has 5 adjustable platforms and ramps. 

What’s special about this cage is the deep base that can be filled with bedding. The base itself can be removed, which makes cleaning that part easier. There is a grid in the bottom over that base, that needs to be covered or removed to prevent any injuries on the chinchilla’s feet.

The cage comes with rolling wheels, but they can be left out so that the cage simply stands on the ground.

The overall quality is ok, but the bars are not perfectly aligned and before putting a chinchilla inside you should make sure that there are no slots between the metal bars where your chinchilla might get a let entrapped.

It would be better if the platforms and ramps were made of wood, and the doors would be full-width. That would make cleaning easier and things inside of the cage would be more accessible from the outside. 

Pro:

• Five shelves (but made of plastic)
• Rather Spacious (31.5 x 20.75 x 59.5 inches)
• Deep basement for bedding and sliding-out bottom tray
• Not too heavy (41 pounds)
• Chew-Proof Metal bars (Alloy Steel)
• Rather easy to assemble

Cons:

• Plastic platforms can be chewed on by chinchillas
• No full-width doors
• The gap to pull out the base is rather big and baby chinchillas might be able to squeeze through

Points for:

• Suitability for chinchillas 7 / 10 
• Spacious 8 / 10 
• Ease of cleaning 7 / 10
• Value for money 8 / 10