Now then, we all know how much chinchillas looooooove to chew. After all, you only need give them a new toy and they’ve soon reduced it to a pile of shreds. So rather than have your chinnie cost you a fortune in ruined toys, he’ll be just as happy with some wood to chew on.
But not all wood is safe to give to your chinchilla. So what should you be looking out for?
Safe woods should all conform to the following:
- They must be untreated. This means nothing painted, colored, treated with chemicals or pesticides.
- Organic is good!
And the following are things that you definitely should NOT be giving to your chinchilla:
- No plywood or anything that’s been commercially glued together.
- No wood that’s been pressure treated.
- Any wood with a red tinge (such as redwood) is likely to be poisonous.
- Wood that has leaking sap is also likely to be toxic.
You should also be aware of the difference between ‘kiln dried’ and ‘air dried’ woods. Kiln dried will have been heated enough to kill anything that’s likely to be poisonous to your chin – such as insect larvae, mold spores and fungus. Air dried is literally as it sounds, and it’s still possible that toxic substances will be in the wood.
When thinking of fruit trees, the rule of thumb is that any tree that bears a fruit with a stone is NOT suitable for your chinchilla. However trees that have fruits with seeds should be okay.
This list is by no means definitive, and if you’re at all unsure about which wood to give your chinchilla to chew then you should seek expert advice.
Thanks for dropping by, and till next time – love those chinnies.
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