WOODS THAT ARE SAFE
Cottonwood
Apple
Willow (BUT stick with Goat,
Weeping or Pussy Willow)
Pear
Mulberry
Crab-apple
Hazelnut
Dogwood rose
(dried rosehips
are healthy daily treats too!)
Chinese Dogwood
Horse Apple
Kiwi
Pine (kiln dried & untreated
with preservatives etc)
Pine Cones that have been
opened free of seeds, washed,
baked and dried
Bamboo
Grape
Manzanita
Hawthorn
Magnolia
Pecan
WOODS THAT ARE NOT SAFE
Birch
Cedar (including litter cedar shavings)
Cherry
All Citrus woods such as orange, grapefruit, lemon or lime (and stone)
Elderberry bushes
Chestnut
Eucalyptus
Spruce
Fir Aralia Spinosa (Other names are devil's walking stick or Hercules’ club)
Juniper
FRESH CUT Pine or Pinecones (see note in safe woods) Beech
Oak (Bark is safe and is used in remedies and as a treat) Walnut
Rosewood
Black locust
Maple
Blackwood
Almond
Mahogany
Plum
Cherry
OTHER TOXIC WOODS ARE MAN-MADE BOARD’S such as Chipboard, Plywood, Block board, Fibreboard, Hardboard, Stirling board
fungicide & insecticide -free, and NOT glued, stained or painted.
Preparing Wood Chews:
1. Ensure that the wood you are about to prepare is listed on the "Safe Wood Species for Chinchillas" list.
2. Be certain that the tree from which you are about to cut from has never been sprayed by pesticides, fungicides, or other chemicals either directly or indirectly from nearby fields.
3. Begin gathering wood using clean pruning shears (as not to strip the bark), selecting live twigs off the tree that are about pencil-width and cut them off in about 4-inch pieces.
4. Once you have collected several sticks, soak the twigs in a tub of hot water and use a scrub brush to thoroughly clean each stick. After scrubbing, leave the wood in the tub until the surrounding water feels cool, swirling the sticks in the water periodically. As the (harmless) tannins are released from the wood, the water will turn an orange color. (some people boil their wood)
5. Dump the water and repeat the soaking process in step 4 again.
6. Dump the water, rinse the sticks, and lay them out on old, clean towels to air dry. The next steps will require the use of an oven for an extended period of time, so do plan in advance.
7. Once the sticks are dry, and while the oven is still cool (do not pre-heat), lay a double layer of aluminum foil over your oven racks (rather than a baking sheet) and spread the dried sticks on the foil.
8. Set the oven to its lowest temperature, usually around 170 or 180 degrees F. Wait for the oven to reach that temperature, then turn it off again and let it cool while the sticks remain inside (refrain from opening the oven). It is important to remain near the oven during this process because chinchillas will reject the wood if it becomes burned.
9. Repeat the baking process (step 8) 4-5 times or until the sticks are very dry. When a stick is sufficiently baked, it will snap fairly easily (like a dead twig would) when you try to break it.
10. Allow sticks to completely cool before giving one to your pet.
another option
is to boil in salted water for 20 minutes and bakes at 200 to 250 degrees for 2 to 8 hours (depends on thickness of wood)
Difference between 'kiln dried' and 'air dried'
Many woods with bark contain flora and fauna in the form of insects, pitch, mold and fungus. High kiln temperatures
sterilize the wood, killing fungus and mold spores, insect eggs and larvae. kiln drying also crystallizes the pitch
so it doesn’t ooze out of the log and cause stains when exposed to warm temperatures
Air-dried products make no provision for these natural nuisances. Warmer temperatures encourage mold and fungus growth, awaken dormant insect eggs and larvae and cause sap to seep down the face of the log
Wood that is PRESSURE TREATED - is this safe? NO - there is general use of chemicals with the treatment:
