I like what you stated about how important it is to pick the right cage. I have had several chinchillas for a few years now and have learned more and more about them everyday. With research and hard work you will know which chinchilla supplies and cages will work for your pet. I do have some suggestions though. I would not recommend using newspaper on the bottom as they may tend to chew them up to much. This can cause a blockage in their intestines if they consume to much paper. Since they do not have a gag reflex it could potentially become a serious risk. Also there are many cages at the pet store that you can purchase, but most do not come “chin safe” There are stores out on the market where you can purchase a safe chinchilla cage such as http://www.chinnieshop.com, but if you do decide to buy one from a pet store. Make sure that you remove any plastic levels or ramps from the cage, and that the wiring is not coated in paint or plastic as they will chew it. This again goes back to chinchilla being rodents and wanting to chew everything. You can either make or purchase platforms made out of wood for the cage. Make sure you use the correct wood, the cheapest I have found that works best would be pine, but it must be kiln dried. They will enjoy that much more. Also there are no needs to leave the ramps, chinchillas are very agile and will enjoy jumping from one platform to the other. Well hope this has helped!