Bedding is essential to absorb chinchillas urine. In general, litter or bedding that have smells, pleasant maybe to us, must be avoided because chinchillas have sensitive noses and this could be very irritating for them. Various companies will supply chinchilla bedding, which is made of either pine wood shavings or cedar. However, DO NOT use chinchilla bedding made from cedar or undried pine, as they have aromatic oils, which can damage the respiratory tracts of chinchillas and cause liver problems. Safe litter, or bedding, includes aspen, kiln-dried pine or a commercially made substance that is all-natural, non-clumping and contains no dyes or fragrances.
What to Look For When Buying a Chinchilla
It depends where you live and what pet stores you have near it may be a big problem getting the right or at least the safest chinchilla bedding. Maybe the best solution is to have a wire bottom cage so the chins cannot reach the litter at least. I prefer the solid bottom cage and all my cages are solid bottom so I am in a nonstop searching for better bedding. I cannot really suggest one but if I must, I would say for now to get the classic one aspen or kiln-dried pine. I would not suggest paper litter only because they may eat a little and this can be dangerous to their digestive system. I also recommend staying away from corncob bedding as it is also very dangerous if ingested.
