Safe & Non safe Woods & Chews
Sarah Hamilton, Grandeur Chinchillas
WOODS THAT ARE NOT SAFE
Apricot
Cashew
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
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
These are safe BUT must be untreated, organic, fungicide & insecticide -free, and NOT glued, stained or painted.
These list’s I gathered from a number of people in the UK involved in Chinchillas in some way. I have also been told that these have been trialled and tested, so with that I hope no one will use the not safe wood.
Personally I only stick to Apple, Hazel, and untreated Pine (this for shelving). I used to give Willow but I found myself with my own chinchillas and rescues that Apple twigs/branches and Hazel is preferred over it. I found the best time to get Hazel twigs / branches are before Mid Summer, for some reason the Chinchillas seem to love it more at this time!
Apple twigs can also be used as a daily treat with the Bark left on. To prepare it wash them in warm water and then put in an oven to be ‘baked’, this kills off any bugs/larvae and any live bacteria.
Be Warned about wood used for bedding, Cedar is a common bedding and so are others that have “odour-reducing", these are dangerous for Chinchillas, mice have even been known to die with Cedar bedding. To many people do assume, if there is a item in reputable pet shop that is been sold or/and it is widely marketed, that it is safe for their pet. This is not the case at all. Items like Cedar (other wood that is not safe) can cause death or suffering, with or without you knowing. If a Chinchilla does survive it can get Brain Damage, Eye Disorders, Rashes, Respiratory Problems, Liver Failure just to name a few. People have also mistaken other symptoms for Dental problems, as Cedar (as with other woods & bedding) can make the eyes watery, loss of appetite and lose weight, even if the Chinchilla does not come into contact with it i.e. if the Bedding is under a wire bottom out of reach.
PLEASE NOTE: Watery eyes and other signs like this can mean a number of things other than bedding or Dental, it could also mean a deficiency of some kind, which will be in “Health, symptoms, possible causes, prevention & cures”.
MORE CHEWING HARZARDS IN OR OUT OF THE CAGE (please just use common sense):
Electrical Wires, commercial Cardboard i.e. scented toilet rolls, glue in some packing boxes etc, Cloth that strings, Medicated Anti-Fungal Powder i.e. used for fur fungus in dust but while dusting and after can get on chew toys, food etc so only use “Mycota” and only if necessary (also see “Health, symptoms, possible causes, prevention & cures”) and keep away from chew toys etc, Talcum Powder i.e. some put this in the dust bath so I warn that this is a ‘respiratory irritant’, House Plants, Plastics.
OTHER SAFE CHEWS
Cuttle Fish, Cholla, this is a dried cactus, great for chinchillas also a treat, similar to what Cactuses they would chew on in the wild but sorry NZ cannot get these, Pumice Stones, Mineral Stones OR Calcium Blocks that have Phosphorous but watch how much and what it contains, please see ‘Chinchillas and Calcium’ and ‘Diet & Nutrition’ about those two, also Hay Cubes which sorry we don’t get in New Zealand.
These Safe Chews do not splinter like wood, I am afraid with wood there is a chance of that, so try to provide lots more of these kinds of Chews. Chinchillas that already have teeth problems are best to stay away from woods (not the Barks, they are fine) and kept to these types of Chews. Quality Chinchilla Pellets and Hard Treats like Rose Hips naturally keep teeth warn down while eating.
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