Hey! 11" in diameter is too small - 15" is really the minimum because of the arch in their backs. They, like guinea pigs, can't arch all that well, so they need a wheel large enough to let them keep their backs mostly straight. The Chin Spin is an excellent wheel and it's not too expensive. The Leo Braun is probably the best, but runs about $150. A Flying Saucer is also an option, but not all chins can figure out how to use them. Mine never did. I think I still have mine; I"ll check. If I do and you want it, it's yours.
I'm wary of the idea of using a C&C cage for chinchillas. They can snap a zip tie with one snap of their teeth, and they are *highly* intelligent animals, so they will search all the zip ties out and systematically chew them off. I had a cage with plastic clamps at one point; my female (who's super smart) chewed all the plastic clamps off, and then chewed the zip ties off as fast as we could put them on. I'm afraid a chin would also chew the coating off the cubes and the coroplast.
My cage is made out of chicken mesh and melamine (the melamine because it's water proof.) Here's a picture:
Aspen is okay to use. Chins are very clean, and while they may poop everywhere, they generally pee in only 1 area of their cage. You may or may not be able to get them to use a litter box. I don't think fleece is a good idea for them, not even with a few litter boxes, just because of how they like to chew.
I feed my guys Mazuri, and they like it fine. I give them Oxbow or KM hay, though. I also use Blue Cloud dust. It's a finer ground dust than Kaytee (which is perfectly acceptable dust), so it gives them a shinier coat. I can also buy it for a lost less money than Kaytee. I pay $3.25 (plus shipping) for 5 lbs of Blue Cloud, and I'd pay $4.22 for 2.5 pounds of Kaytee (plus shipping.) I buy all of my chinchilla supplies at
www.chinworld.com
My female, Jelly Bean, will occasionally eat a few greens, but she vastly prefers fruits as a treat. Raisins are the biggest favorite, but an occasional dried banana chip or dried apple chip are also a favorite. I don't give them too many treats, though. They get more chew toys than anything else.
Chew toys are very important, not only for their teeth, but also for their mental stimulation. If you're going to get anything like hammocks for them as toys, you need to get ones designed especially for a chinchilla. The ones for guinea pigs, etc., are all dangerous to a chinchillas leg.
Plastic stuff in the cage is generally a no-no, as they'll chew it. So Pigloos (the plastic ones) probably won't work. My chins vastly prefer this wooden box that's open on 2 ends. They don't pee on it; they only pee in one area of their cage.
The only other thing that I think jdomans didn't mention is that chinchillas have very sensitive digestive tracts, especially to microorganisms like Giardia. Giardia is very plentiful in a lot of city water (gross, I know), so I'd start your chin out on bottled or filtered water, and if you have to give him city water, gradually add it in, a very little bit at a time.
Never grab a chin by its fur. Just like lizards will lose their tails to escape, a chinchilla will lose its fur.
They are nocturnal, and are such curious animals that they won't sit still for lots of cuddling. Like jdomans said, they can't stand high temperatures at all.
Congratulations! Chinchillas make the best pets. (shh - don't tell anyone, but I prefer chinchillas to guinea pigs.
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