In this section we look at the accessories that will make your Chinchilla feel right at home and comfortable mentally as well as physically. We also answer your most common frequently asked questions about which Chinchilla accessories are most important and why.
Chinchilla cage with ideal accessories
Chinchilla House
As we have make clear many times, your Chinchilla cage is its home and just like your own home you will want to provide as many comforts and facilities for your pet Chinchilla as you can. Think of this step as furnishing your Chinchilla cage just as you would furnish your own house!
So What Cage Accessories Should You Buy For Your Chinchilla Home?
Solid, heavy glass and metal bowls are essential accessories for Chinchilla food and water. Remember your Chinchilla is part of the rodent family, anything chewable such as plastic plates, bowls and cups are strictly forbidden as your Chinchilla will chew these and possibly get poisoned or bits stuck in their throat. Solid containers and heavy bowls are also practical because they are less susceptible to tipping over and spilling their contents.
Chinchillas love to climb and so accessories such as branches really give your Chinchilla a better quality of life. Some branches are poisonous (such as Cherry and Yew branches) so buy branches that are safe (such as Apple and Sycamore branches) and that have not been treated with any chemicals because as well as for climbing and jumping from your Chinchilla will also gnaw and chew these branches – Chinchillas chew everything they can get their paws on! Thick, straight branches are good and make sure they are firmly secured.
Chinchilla Dust Bath
Covered more fully on our Chinchilla dust bath page this is an essential accessory as it allows your Chinchilla to clean itself (in dust not water).
What Is A Chinchilla Wheel?
Also known as a Chinchilla exercise wheel this is one of the most important Chinchilla accessories.
A Chinchilla wheel allows the Chinchilla to exercise as much as it wants to no matter how large or small the size of the Chinchilla cage. Like a treadmill in a gym, a Chinchilla wheel spins round allowing the Chinchilla’s legs to run on the spot without the Chinchilla actually moving anywhere – ingenious!
With regard to health and safety make sure the Chinchilla wheel is totally enclosed with no gaps in the wheel where its legs may slip through and get caught and entangled.
Popular types of Chinchilla wheels are the flying saucer Chinchilla wheel and the metal Chinchilla wheel.
Chewable Accessories for Your Chinchilla Cage
In the wild Chinchillas just love to chew and gnaw on branches and trees. Chinchillas have four front teeth which continue all the time to grow so it is actually necessary to wear these teeth down so they don’t become overgrown which may get in the way of the Chinchillas feeding and eating.
This leads us to one of the essential Chinchilla accessories – the gnawing block also known as the Chinchilla chew toy. No training is required your Chinchilla will instinctively start gnawing and chewing to its heart’s content!
Where Can I Buy Gnawing Blocks and Chinchilla Chew Toys?
Most pet stores and shops will stock chew toys for Chinchillas as they are recognised as an important accessory when owning a Chinchilla. Gnawing blocks and Chinchilla chews are usually made of wood which is ideal for grinding down its teeth although every now and again as a Chinchilla treat try buying a chew made out of food and nutrients.
What Is A Chinchilla Hay Rack?
This is one of those Chinchilla accessories that hold Chinchilla hay. It is also sometimes referred to as a Chinchilla hay holder or hay feeder.
What Is A Chinchilla Nest Box?
If you understand the need to just ‘get away from it all’ on occasions then you will know exactly why the Chinchilla nest is one of the most important and essential Chinchilla accessories. The Chinchilla nest box is a bedroom to the Chinchilla where it can escape and feel safe from outside prey. This Chinchilla nest box is also its bedroom where your Chinchilla will sleep.
As well as a primary Chinchilla nest box we recommend having more nests, space permitting together with a series of tunnels for your Chinchilla. This then mimics the settings of your Chinchilla’s natural habitat in the wild where he would burrow and hide in tunnel in the Andes Mountains in South America. These tunnels provided a maze system with hiding places (nests) where he could hide when being hunted by predators.
Some people refer to these nests as retreats. Again with Chinchilla accessories it is all about making your Chinchilla feel at home, the more familiar to his natural surroundings the happier and quicker he will settle to his new life and home with you.
The Chinchillas nest box should allow enough space and room for your Chinchilla to move around a little bit without it feeling tight. The nest should also be dark so the Chinchilla can sleep.
Dimensions of approximately 20 inches long, 10 inches wide and 0 inches in height with an entrance hole just wider than your Chinchilla is perfect.
Chinchilla Bedding
To make your Chinchilla cage as comfortable as possible you should put down some covering on the floor of the cage, this is known as Chinchilla bedding.
Most typically this is made from wood shavings. It is important to buy the right type of wood shavings because some wood shavings such as cedar wood can contain toxins.
Chinchilla Accessories Video
Owning a pet Chinchilla requires providing a water bottle, laying down paper, aspen or hemp bedding, offering dust baths, and providing a large cage. Create a comfortable habitat for a new Chinchilla with advice from the manager of a pet store in this video on exotic pet Chinchillas:
As you probably can see now, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to looking after your Chinchilla but with a variety of Chinchilla accessories you will help put your naturally nervous and timid Chinchilla at home in his Chinchilla Cage.
