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[Beardysteve1]

Hi all, another query from me. My chin Misty is doing great seems very happy and is now exploring outside of her cage every day or so. All seems to be going well. I have been watching a lot of youtube videos and reading a lot of comments on website etc and I am wondering about the implications of having a wire mesh floor to my chinchilla's cage.

The cage we got her from pets at home is quite big and easy to clean as it has a drawer underneath that collects her poop and hay etc as it falls. Here is the cage: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/small-pet/chinchilla/chinchilla-homes/chinchilla-and-degu-cage

Now the floor of this cage is wire mesh and I have read that this can cause irritation and bumblefoot. Ive read that I should have bedding for the chin to walk over but its a big cage and would need a lot that would also need to be replaced every day or so. What I have been doing is cutting toilet rolls and kitchen rolls in half and putting them on the floor of the cage for her to walk over. I have also got an edible mattress for her (kinda small but doesn't need replaced). Thought this would be a cheap and safe option.

What do you think of wire mesh cages, should I try and completely cover the floor or do you think this home method of mine should the trick? I will be aiming to either make a custom cage or buy a much larger ideal cage in the future but for the meantime I want to make the current one she has as comfortable as possible.

Many Thanks as always!

[GrayRodent]

Personally I don't think wire mesh floor is always a bad thing. It is standard practice to use wire floors with chins. Usually it's not a problem as long as you have lots of wood shelving as they will prefer to sleep and live on the other surfaces. The biggest advantage to wire mesh is that your chinchilla will have minimal contact with urine. Some chins seem to be much more sensitive than others and this can also cause severe foot problems. So the fact is that you have risks either way.
Some owners will cover their floors in fleece and not have any problems. It does make it harder to avoid urine so they must be washed frequently, at least, every other day. If your chinchilla starts eating the fleece that can cause a fatal bowel obstruction so beware of that too.

In my own cage rig I have custom made a floor where 1/3 of it is replaced with a panel that has wire mesh in a wooden frame. The other two panels are solid and one is covered with marble. My chinchilla will urinate through the mesh in one corner and spend the rest of his time on the other surfaces.

My previous cage had a wire floor as well. I built up a pile of bedding for him to walk on and left one side with exposed wire for my chin to urinate through. I only had to replace the bedding about once a week. In my new rig there is a tray below the mesh that my chinchilla cannot get to and I don't have to use bedding because he doesn't spend very much time on the wire part. This allows me to use a disposable pad which is very easy to change out.

[Beardysteve1]

Thanks Gray, that's all useful information.

On the point of urine (fun topic) I am just after cleaning the hay out of her little wooden house and noticed that she has been using it as a toilet. No wonder she hadn't been using it to sleep in.

[Oscardoodle]

I am no expert on anything, I have had 2 chins in my life.  My current one is 20 years old.  But my first chin, Mickey, was a tripod, he only had 3 legs because one was lost due to an accident with a mesh floor.  When I wasn't home he somehow managed to get his foot in it and in his fight to free himself caused quite a bit of damage.  He adapted well to having only 3 legs and lived a full live but it was traumatic for all of us   Sorry not trying to be doomy just sharing in case it can spare anyone else having to go through that!

[GrayRodent]

Wow I've heard of that happening with wire shelves but not a wire floor.
What kind of cage was it? Was the foot caught in the floor or at the edge where the floor meets the wall of the cage? Was it a front leg or a back leg?

[Oscardoodle]

It was a large cage with a wire mesh bottom with a tray underneath that you would fill with shavings and slide in/out to clean, he was right in the middle.  I wasn't home when it happened so I really don't know, but Mickey was a 'bouncer' he loved to leap and ping off the walls so my only guess was some fluke where he managed to slip or land just right so that his foot was on some weird angle to get through the mesh and then he panicked.  There was a full tray of shavings underneath at the time.  He had two surgeries. He came through like a champ and lived another decade bouncing as much as ever but on only 3 legs.  It was his back right leg.  Solid bottom cages and shelves for me ever since!!!

[GrayRodent]

What an unfortunate accident and a very unusual one at that. I can certainly understand why you prefer solid floors.

[kageri]

If the wire mesh is the proper size it *should* be safe.  Wire floors are more sanitary.  I usually cover the wire but my wired floor cages are bird cages, not made specifically for chinchillas and small animals.  Quality Cage company is often mentioned as a good cage source and they use wire floors.