Adding untreated wood shelves to the cage is helpful, as chinchillas prefer to be in high places. Commercially raised chinchillas are typically kept in polygamous caging arrangements. A single large cage may be used, but due to the aggressive behavior of dominant females, escape boxes must be provided for males and less dominant females. More commonly, a system of small cages connected with a runway us used in which the females are confined to their cages by a metal disk fastened around their neck. This prevents the females from leaving while males come and go from the cages at will.
Chinchillas are fanatical in their grooming habits.
This behavior necessitates dusting or bathing them in a mixture of silver sand and Fuller's earth, which is available at pet stores or from chinchilla breeders. Typically, a small container of the dusting mixture is placed in the cage for a short period of time daily for the chinchillas to clean themselves. If the dust is left in the cage for long periods of time, it will become soiled with feces and hidden bits of food. A good quality grass hay supplemented with commercial chinchilla pellets should be fed to chinchillas. Food should be constantly available.