Chinchilla Products to Avoid
There are numerous reports of chinchillas being injured from the following products:
Wire exercise wheels-legs can get caught and broken in mesh, crossbars can cause broken necks if chin tries to jump out while wheel is still moving, axles and small diameters can cause injury to backs. Any wheel used for a chinchilla should be a solid surface wheel with a diameter of atleast 14". Usually the wheels will work with a ball bearing so there is not an axle and crossbars.
Plastic exercise balls-these balls do not allow for adequate ventilation and can cause your chinchilla to overheat in a small amount of time. Also these typically are not large enough.
Cages made from storage squares-many people use these cages for guinea pigs with great results however they are not suitable for any size chinchilla as the mesh is too large and chinchillas can get their heads stuck. Cages with side spacing larger than 1" wide-your chinchilla can escape! Chinchillas are mostly fur and can squeeze into incredibly small spaces.
Jingelbells-use liberty bells instead.