Taking care of a chinchilla doesn't have to be expensive.
If you're going through a particularly rough time but still want to keep a chinchilla for company, don't let your financial state stop you.
You can save more than half the standard commercial prices of chinchilla houses and the good news is, your chinchilla will not even be able to tell the difference! In fact, they might even be happier if you follow these practical chinchilla care tips for your chinchilla house.
Custom-Built Chinchilla House Planning to buy a wired or wooden chinchilla cage? Is it a two-level cage with the features exactly as you want it? Stop right there.
You can actually have a chinchilla house custom-built with more or less the same design.
There are two ways for you to have the same chinchilla house you've been pining for, minus the inflated price cost: one, you can get your local carpenter to build you one; two, you can build one yourself! The materials for building a chinchilla house are available in your nearest construction supply store.
In fact, you can build one with a wire sheet, wooden plank, scrap metal and some screws.
Aside from being inexpensive, custom-built chinchilla houses will allow you the freedom to design the house of your chinchilla based on its habits.
If you see it frolicking around too much, then you might need a cage with a very wide space.
If it likes jumping more, then expand the height of the cage.
Newspaper Shavings Wooden shavings can get expensive, especially the commercial ones that are scented and claim to have supernatural properties.
Guess what? They're just wood shavings.
You're not exactly advised to make your own wood shavings, as it might turn out to be poisonous or infested with bacteria.
Instead, you can use newspaper shavings and replace them every 3 days.
This is a lot more affordable, since you can just use yesterday's newspaper, cut it into pieces and place them inside the cage.
Although you can cut back on wood shavings, chinchilla dust baths should not be compromised.
You will still have to give your chinchilla once or twice a week depending on your area's climate.
Small Hiding Area Can't find a cheap chinchilla box for your chinchilla's private space? You can instead make your own wooden box with one big opening in it.
Another way for you to improvise on your chinchilla's hiding area is by finding any small metal box with an opening big enough for the chinchilla to enter in and out.
Be careful about cutting your own hole in a metal box.
You might be able to do it unscathed, but your chinchilla might not get as lucky.
It might wound itself as it tries to enter and exit the metal box.
Recyclable Feeder You don't need to buy a bottle feeder from your local pet store.
Instead, you can take any water bottle, cut it in half, and place a tube on the other end so your chinchilla can feed from it.
Make sure you do something so the chinchilla pellets will not pour easily out of the tube.
These are only some of the things you can do to cut back on chinchilla house costs.
By doing all of these, you will be saving about 75% of the usual price other pet owners have spent on their chinchillas.
And the best part is, you're just as close to your chinchilla as they are-if not closer.