My roommate bought a new pet chinchilla last month and it’s currently staying in our living room without contributing to the rent. I spent some time with it and observed how it eats, plays, excretes and sleeps.
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- ” I just pooped all over the floor again and I feel a little guilty, but it’s not my fault that I don’t have a sphincter. “
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- “why is this big animal watching me? why is it putting its beige color paw on me?”
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- “My food bow is empty, when will it be refilled?”
From research, I found out that chinchillas originally live high above sea level up to 4000 meters in the mountainous regions of South America’s west coast. They live in burrows and rock crevices.
A suitable habitat for them should include:
-average housing temperature, dry and cool
-multi-tiered housing recommended
-paper bedding or wood shavings
-weekly cleaning
-fresh food, clean water, chews
-should be as spacious as possible
Since most chinchilla cages are made of wires. The appearance is somewhat unpleasant from both the owner’s perspective and from chinchilla’s perspective. It’s also feels dull and uncomfortable. Therefore I decided to redesign pet chinchilla’s housing in the direction of mimicking their natural environment.
–The housing is made of glass with big holes for ventilation.
–It has three layers that a chinchilla can travel to.
–The top is a comfortably padded resting area with a hammock and a semi-enclosed privacy bed.
–The middle layer is the dinning area.
–The bottom is a state of the art playroom. Other than a standard wheel, it includes a burrow, rocks and hay padded floor to mimics their natural environment. There are durable grass/hay surfaces cylinders with mineral chews attached. They are great for jumping around and chewing.
Through this design, I’d like pet chinchillas to have a space that meets all their needs while being comfortable and visually pleasing.
