Safe Wood for Chinchillas
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One of the surprising things we learned was that not all wood is safe for chinchillas. And since chinchillas constantly chew on wood, it is important that only safe varieties be used in and around their cages.
We've found that apple wood is the easiest to get because of the many apple orchards in our area. We simply take a trip to an orchard, ask the owner if we can pick up wood that has fallen to the ground, and buy a pie on the way out. A good deal all around!
One suggestion that we've yet to actually try is “cooking” the wood for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. The idea is to heat the wood to a temperature that kills micro-organisms, but doesn't actually burn it. Also, we've seen recommendations that the wood be washed in salt water. We're still looking in to what benefit that would have.
The following is a list of safe and unsafe woods. We've used apple, aspen, kiln-dried pine, and pine cones with no ill effects to our chinchillas.
Safe to Use
- Apple (particularly good as chew toys)
- Aspen (shavings good for bedding too)
- Elm
- Hazelnut
- Manzanita
- Pear
- Pecan
- Pine (kiln dried is good, air dried isn't)
- Quince
- Willow
Not Safe to Use
- Almond
- Cedar
- Cherry
- Chestnut
- Fresh pine branches
- Grapefruit
- Lemon
- Orange
- Cherry Mahogany
- Oak (based on it being unsafe for horses)
- Plum
- Redwood
- Sumac
- Tallow
- Walnut
Not Sure if Safe
- Birch (white, grey, broadleaf, silver, and common birch might be OK)
- Ash (seeds produce hydrogen cyanide so why risk it?)
- Juniper (in small amounts might be OK)
Sources:
Chinchillas 2 Home
(7 votes, average: 3.43 out of 5)
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I have a lot of pinecones. Are all pinecones safe? I have pinyon, Ponderosa, black spruce, white pine, Norway spruce, scotch pine, Colorado blue spruce, limber pine.
The kind sold in the store for rodents to chew look like Ponderosa.
Also, 10 years ago my chinchilla ate some oak leaves and made him ill, he recovered after a week. So oak is definitely a no go.
I've created my own safe wood before, it involves boiling out the sap as sugars are unsafe for chinchillas.
Then drying and curing in the oven to make them crunchy and edible for chinchillas.
If you'd like to email me I can provide step by step details .
Few other safe woods that come to mind. Magnolia. And any fruit bearing tree without a hard nut.
Can chinchillas chew on cottonwood
I have juniper wood. Small branch I like to put in the cage. Will that be ok?
yes, as long as you prepare it by cleaning, boiling and baking it first. Scrub with a wire brush, boil 10-30 min (the thicker the branch, the longer you boil), bake them at 225°F for 20-40 minutes, thicker branches can take up to 2 hours. When the wood is no longer steaming, it's done. Don't burn it. If there is any lichen on the wood, don't use it.
Please describe the safe drying process for trees to use for my chinchillas. I have pine, apple, maple, plum, peach, birch
Hello Mark,
Would you mind sending the instructions over to my email: trey.dao3@gmail.com
Thanks!
Is Hemp bedding safe for Chinchillas?
Is Acacia wood Toxic for Chinchillas?
I bought a ladder made of Hevea wood. Is this okay?
I have a 2 month old Chin. She does NOT chew anything she is suppose too. I have many things in her cage to chew on but she'll chew for 2 seconds and be done with it. When I take her out the cage she chews on everything that is toxic to her bookcases, shoeboxes(she escpically loves them) my leather chest plastic whatever she can get to. What can I do? Is the stuff i have for her to hard being so young and does anyone recommend anything? She also doesnt seem to care to much for Timothy hay. She eats good and will eat the treats i give her but not her hay.....Thank you!
Kyla I have about 2-3 month chinchillas you can use toliet paper tubes,and cardboard. If she is not eating the hay then put some hay toppers you can get them at your local store and put like 1-2 apple slices on the hay maybe she will start to like the hay. I hope this helped :)
Thanks KitKat...i found out that she is actually a HE lol.....i think i have solved the problem i just got him 5 differnt kinds of hay and he likes 3 of them so he is eating his hay like a good boy now and he will eat the timothy hay cubes if there is something else in it hes so spoiled Thanks again for you reply 😊 Kyla
Hi Kyla! If she is not eating the timothy hay then you can try orchard grass. I use a blend of Timothy and Orchard grass for mine. I started Gizmo's run around time in the bathroom because he was so small when I got him and when he was older I moved him into the living room to run but I had to put plain cardboard on every piece of wood furniture because he would start to chew otherwise. If you can move things out of the room or put baby gates in front of places you don't want her to go (just make sure she can't get through the holes) it definitely helps. Also try not to give her treats until she is 6 months old and then just safe treats. Hope you are having fun with your chinny :)
Hello Jessica thanks for the info he does chew on EVERYTHING so i turned my spare room into the Chinny room and chin proofed everything he is definitely a big chewer. So now he has his own room haha. He LOVES his orchard grass that's his favorite! Thanks again! Kyla
I have 3 wonderful little chinie's that I spoil rotten. I have a apple tree in my back yard that I have given them branches off of over time. They love it. I don't boil, bake or dry it in anyway. Not saying this is the correct thing but they are happy.
So glad to fine a place where peopl talk about their chinnie. Thank you all for being here and sharing.
I have been giving my chinchilla mac nut branches, I have not seen any adverse reaction from this. We live in Hawaii and I cannot find any information on what locally grown trees are OK for her. I also tried guava but she was not interested. I have many other kinds of wood on my property but with no information on them I am dubious. She also likes the flowers off of my Mexican oregano plant.
I was wondering if elm is ok. In New Mexico there is a lot of elm so I was wondering if that's a good wood to give to my chinchilla. I was apple wood and chin play toy woods but wondering about elm. I want to make my chinchilla a natural hollowed out home.
I was given a bag of 100 Maiyuan sticks that I found out are used in crafting. I don't need them for anything so figured they are great size for my chinchillas who I give apple wood to a few times a week. Anyone heard of it or where you could find out if it's pet safe? I also have 2 Blue and Gold Macaws that love to chew wood but I wouldn't dare test it on any of these pets of mine. Just seeing if anyone had experience with it.
Is plywood okay to give to chinchillas?
No it isn't because it contains glue.
I was wondering if beech wood is safe to give to my chin ??
SAFE and not safe wood listed below
SAFE TO USE
Apple (particularly good as chew toys)
Aspen (shavings good for bedding too)
Elm
Hazelnut
Manzanita
Pear
Pecan
Pine (kiln dried is good, air dried isn't)
Quince
Willow
NOT SAFE TO USE
Almond
Cedar
Cherry
Chestnut
Fresh pine branches
Grapefruit
Lemon
Orange
Cherry Mahogany
Oak (based on it being unsafe for horses)
Plum
Redwood
Sumac
Tallow
Walnut
NOT SURE IF SAFE TO USE
Birch (white, grey, broadleaf, silver, and common birch might be OK)
Ash (seeds produce hydrogen cyanide so why risk it?)
Juniper (in small amounts might be OK)
Is beech safe ??
Where can i purchase safe wood to make shelving for my chin?
Would white poplar from Home Depot or Lowes be ok?
Kiln Dried Pine from Lowes or Depot?
that would be ok...however,you can also buy wood from petco(NOT PETSMART,they dont sell much chin stuff)you can also buy wood from...rescues,amezon...and lowse or home depot....but make sure to ask the customers if its kiln first....you never know..
B&Q kiln dried white wood you need
I am planning on adopting 1-2 chinchillas and I am preparing to see what the costs are and if I can pay for them. I know that chinchillas cannot have plastic because they are huge chewers and may chew it and it may cause death if that happens. So for my cage I would like to have wooden ledges instead. At a local craft store, they sell wooden plaques and strips and from 1/4-3/4 in. thick. First I would like to ask if anyone thinks that the 1/4 in. thick will hold a chinchilla while jumping from place to place. When I go in the store, I will ask about the wood that the plaque and one of the strips is made of, but I would like to know if any of you know whether or not Balsa wood is safe because that is what most of the strips are made of.
That is no good. You can't feed them that wood. Use Apple wood you can get it at any local orchard
I found a chunk of wood and believe it to be apple.
Also, this wood is completely dried out and old.
Should I take a chance on putting it in her cage for good.
I've put the wood in and she starts chewing on it. I have pet store wood for her, but she doesn't seem to want it.
Also, I have apple brances that I got right below the apple trees. I washed it, but once again I am afraid to leave it in her cage.
Does anyone know about baking the branches or killing bacteria in the wood?
Thanks!
I put my apple wood sticks into a bowl, and then boil water, and pour it over them, and leave them to soak for at least 20 minutes. Then let them dry before giving them to your chin
What about "GrapeVine" wood?
yes as long as it is prepared properly and was never treated, grapevine is safe.
I would like to know dog wood is ok for my chincilla
as long as it was never treated, and prepared properly dogwood is safe
Hey, I have 2 chinchillas and I also have this big bag of softwood shavings. I don't know what type of trees it is made of. Could I still use it?
Hope, I wouldnt allow giving your chinchillas any type of wood shavings. The reason I tell you this is because one of my chinchillas got into some pine shavings several months ago and it blocked his intestional tract. Took him to the vet. The damage was done and he had to be put down because of the blockage and because the shavings were toxic to his system. Try buying small blocks of safe wood from a pet store such as petco or pet smart. These woods are safe for your chinchillas....
some people use fleece liners also, but if you use it and see a chin chewing on it, you need to take it out asap, because that can also cause a blockage.
you might be able too....however,i would search online to see if there is a pictue of the same stuff...if its aspen,its A-OK!
hello,just a thought, dont chinchillas live in the wild of the dessert,would it not be easy to assume that,they eat whatever kind of wood available in that environment,so why all the concern about wood needing to be cooked ,dried only certain,kind,were not in the wild with them and they have survived.and before anyone decides to be mean about this message,my girls have two chinchillas,who are in great health,and we moniter everything they eat,just wondered if its worth worrying so much about.
Because chinchillas are adapted to low environmental temperatures, prolonged exposure to temperatures above 80°F can result in heat stroke.
It is highly important to watch what types of woods are used, as many types of wood are toxic to them, can make them sick, and even kill them. Not every type of wood grows in their native environment, and some probably do (but given if they eat it, it'd probably kill them).
Watching what is collected, how it's handled, and how it's cured is really worth worrying about. If you collect the wrong wood, it can kill them. Household chinchillas are in a sense babied from the normal type of germs that they would be exposed to as they would be in the wild (which can make them more sensitive to it), which is why cooking it is really recommended. If you dry the wood improperly you can create mold on the surface, which can result in sick animals.
Some commercially available wood can be glued together with a type of glue that is toxic to chinchillas, or sprayed with chemicals that can make them sick or kill them. So even if a product is made out of a wood that is safe for them, there is still other things that a company can do in the process of that wood to make that wood unsafe for chinnies.
Hope this helps :)
all wood should be scrubbed, baked, and dried to prevent your chinchilla from getting a disease from micro organisms, and to remove dirt.
What about Buttonwood?
No Peach either, same as Ash, and what about Maple?
maple is not safe
Pete,
Your advice is very sound. Getting multiple sources of information makes sense. Even then, what's true for the majority may not be true for your pet so it's also important to observe behavior and adjust accordingly.
I would like to remind the people who are finding information online concerning safe methods of caring for your pet(s) to make sure you check your sources and research further before going with anything you read online. You never know who is writing these things and opinions vary over any issue.
Thanks,
Pete
i am lucky enough to have recieved for my birthday a family of chinchillas, 3 of which are 11 mths old and mama an papa. now mama as jus produced her 2nd litter to which un known to me was pregnant when i recived them, 3 are thriving but 5 came and sadly 2 lost the fight of life,
i had planned to keep the females she produced for company for mama when she has to be separated while in season, but she has only produced boys,
so poor mama as no female company for when the boys are old enough to be independent and are put into there brothers an fathers cage, so would like to know where and to whom i could go to maybe ave a straight swop, male for a female.
so if anyone can help please contact me via e.mail trisharichardson@hotmail.co.uk thank you
Just want to let you know that I was doing some further research on Basswood for chinchillas and I found the following site that talks more about safe and unsafe woods for your pets:
http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm
It says the following about basswood as well:
Limetree - (Tiliaceae) The lime tree is not in any way related to 'Lime' as in citrus trees In the Uk it is called 'Lime tree' but in the States they call it 'Linden' and is also known as Basswood.
Thanks Melody
Melody,
Sorry, but we don't know anything about bass wood. The above list is what we've heard specifics about. It's probably best to not give types of wood to your chinchilla unless you sure it is safe.
Welcome to the world of pet chinchillas!
We just acquired a new Chinchilla and I was looking at your list of safe and unsafe woods. We gave our chinchilla Bass wood to chew on. Do you know if this is a safe wood?
Audrey,
It depends on what the dowel rods are made of. From what I've seen, they can be made of white birch, maple, poplar, oak, ash, hickory, cherry, walnut, mahogany, and ramin.
From that list, poplar is known to be safe. The other wood types are either unsafe or unknown.
I want to make "furniture" for my chinchilla, but I don't know if the dowel rods sold in arts and crafts stores are a safe wood. Can you help?
I'm a different Audrey by the way... but if there happens to be a label on the wood then check what type it is.. if it doesn't say or if there isn't a label then I recommend not using it.