Chinchilla breeding cages
Breeding cages: Oh no I used the bad word... Breeding cages aren't cruel. They are small for the safety of the babies. Babies can't jump as far as adults even though they will try. This cage was built for the safety of chinchillas in general! Babies and adults. I've seen one of these cages in person several times, the chinchillas are perfectly healthy. Pet cages are bigger to spoil the chin, breeders are in smaller cages for everyone's safety. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't make it wrong.
Let's get more into the function of them. Mostly known as breeding runs. Breeding runs are most commonly used by ranchers and many smaller breeders. They have been designed mainly for the safety of the animals and the convenience of the owner. There's several styles of runs, I will try to go into depth about each one and the accessories used.
What is a breeding run?
It is usually 3 or 4 holes with a run (tunnel) on the back for the male. The way they work is a female is in each hole with a collar on so they can't enter the run on the back. The male will enter each hole to breed, through a jumphole. Jumpholes are sometimes blocked off by a fork or metal slide when a female has babies or is thought to be pregnant. This is mainly so the babies can't get into the run and enter another females cage and to prevent breed backs. Females wear collars so if there's any aggression towards the male, he has an escape. The cage's design has been modified over the years. There's several styles of runs. Wooden, wire or metal dividers. Wire or solid flooring. It's the preference of the breeder. Most runs measure 15"W x 24"D x 12"H. This size is great for pregnant or nursing females for the safety of the babies. You don't want a tall cage for babies in case they fall from jumping. The wire spacing is 1/2". Newborn babies can squeeze through 1" wire.
Photo courtesy of Tiffany's chinchillas
Photo courtesy of VB chinchillas
Let's look into one...
Inside the cage
This is a picture of the jumphole for the male, the bottom picture is of one closed off due to babies.
Collars
This is a collar the female will wear, there are several types. They aren't painful. Regular checking is a must as they can get them off. Bottom picture shows a female wearing one.
Breeding runs can be made with wire or solid flooring. That's the breeders preference. Wire floors aren't bad and provide the animal on a clean surface. It doesn't cause bumblefoot as so many have heard, dirty surfaces do. the jumphole is under the male as seen in the next picture.
Holding cages
Some breeders use their breeding runs and just cover the jumphole, others have holding cages. They are similar to the runs but don't have the tunnel attached. Breeders use them for rescues, growouts or retired breeders. The sizes vary depending on who makes them.
Show cage
Small cage that is used in shows. They are small so the animal doesn't have room to jump around to damage it's fur before the judges see them. They don't live in these cages. They are only used so judges can see the animal's pelt easily without touching each animal.
Photo courtesy of Chinchillas.com Photo courtesy of Tiffany's chinchillas
If thinking about breeding please do your research as it takes alot of time, money and knowledge to start. Hopefully I covered everything, if any questions please email me and I'll try to help.
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Housing, temperature, bedding and grooming
Chinchilla cages
Feeding