10/12/2026
Look at the natural habitat from where our domestic chinchillas came from. This is a good example of why tall cages are not a great design for a chinchilla. A wide cage is better. I've seen countless preventable injuries to domestic chinchillas from improper tall cages and wheels. In the wild, they stay low and scurry from rocks and bushes.
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1518810913612594&id=100064510997410&post_id=100064510997410_1518810913612594&mibextid=CDWPTG
Wild chinchilla habitat. That's me next to a Puya plant. See that dirt - that's what the wild ones bathe in- no volcanic ash. Also, that is the height of the habitat. They are adapted to scurry around on the ground. No climbing nails- not long, sharp, or hooked. Most cages are taller than anything a wild chinchilla would jump.
