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Post by moletteuk on May 4, 2012 18:11:38 GMT
Wood, bark and leaves of the following trees are safe:| English Name | Latin Name | German Name | | Pear | Pyrus | Birne | | Apple | Malus | Apfel | | Quince | Cydonia oblonga | Quitte | | Cherry | Prunus | Kirsche | | Plum | Prunus | Pflaume | | Peach | Prunus | Pfirsich | | Blackthorn | Prunus spinosa | Schwarzdorn | | Hazel | Corylus | Haselnuss | | Hornbeam | Carpinus betulus | Hainbuche | | Alder | Alnus | Erle | | Silver Birch | Betula pendula | Birke | | Oak | Quercus | Eiche | | Beech | Fagus sylvatica | Buche | | Linden/Lime | Tilia | Linde | | Plane | Platanus | Platane | | Hawthorn | Crataegus | Weissdorn | | Ash | Fraxinus | Esche | | Aspen (Eurasian & Trembling) | Populus tremula & tremuloides | Espe | | Black Poplar | Populus nigra | Schwarz-Pappel | | Cottonwood (Eastern & Fremont) | Populus | Kanadische Schwarz-Pappel | | Willow (Weeping, Goat, White) | Salix | Weide | | Bamboo (grass) | Phyllostachys | Bambus | | Maple (Sycamore, Field, Norway) | Acer | Ahorn |
Kiln dried pine timber is safe and other types of kiln dried construction softwoods found in hardware & DIY shops are thought to be safe. Avoid large knots or pockets of resin or anything with a strong aroma. Cork and grape vines are also safe. Mopani and mangrove root are safe but please be aware they may not be ethically or sustainably sourced, in the UK all sustainably sourced wood is certified by FSC or PEFC. There is insufficient information on some maple species for them to be on the safe list, in particular red maple, silver maple and sugar maple. Unsafe TreesBlack Locust Elder Juniper Laburnum Rhododendron & Azalea Yew Box Twigs, leaves and branches should have bird faeces, fungus and lichens washed, scraped or scrubbed off. Otherwise they can be given fresh or the leaves left to dry out. If you are particularly concerned about insects or cleanliness, items can be washed, scrubbed and/or baked in an oven, but this is not usually necessary. Websites to help you identify trees:The Woodland TrustNatural History Museum Tree ToolArbor Day FoundationSources: Degupedia.de, Octodons.ch, Deguforum.de, Degu & Chinchilla World Forum.
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Post by jackjack on May 4, 2012 19:14:58 GMT
Brilliant guide  . |
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Post by alrm198 on May 7, 2012 21:44:04 GMT
Thanks for the list! |
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Post by DRattmann on Aug 16, 2012 8:16:56 GMT
Do you know whether coffee wood is safe? The p@h in my area sells big parrot perches made of coffee wood branches which would be perfect for my goos if it was safe.
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Post by yasmin on Aug 16, 2012 17:09:59 GMT
Yeah, these lists are very useful. I'm especially surprised by what is on the Unsafe list – Maple, Ash, Elder.  |
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Post by davx on Aug 18, 2012 17:55:29 GMT
Probably at least some of the North American species are safe as well. I created a more complete list some months ago, you can find here: www.octodons.ch/index.php/WoodsWe classified the red maple as problematic because it is classified in literature as toxic. Silver maple and sugar maple we also excluded from the suitable species and classified them as problematic because it seems that the wood contains higher amounts of sugar. However this is probably not that big problem... For elder (Sambucus nigra) it is quite similar, in literature it is considered as toxic and my experiences showed me, that degus doesn't like it much. Finally the ash, I think we have to reclassify this species and move to the suitable species. The reason for the actual classification is, that there were concerns in the German degu community and there is little experience with this tree. No I don't know. I never saw coffee wood in "wild". I know only the beans and the whole living plants from botanical gardens. |
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Post by steve503 on Sept 24, 2012 20:04:03 GMT
does anyone know if cork wood is okay for degus? i've seen loads of it for reptiles in pet stores and i don't want to have to go out and by an apple tree to get a branch of it haha
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 25, 2012 4:07:14 GMT
I think it is OK . . . and I don't think they are particularly attracted to it either, which is a nice thing! At least, our never seemed to be.
AH!! I must modify my answer . . . I would say it is safe to use it around them, but I wouldn't really promote it as a chewing type of wood/bark. And as I said above, they don't seem to find it overly appealing anyway.
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Post by steve503 on Sept 25, 2012 12:02:02 GMT
Ahh okay. Thank you think i'll put a few things of it in then |
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Post by pixierodentrescue on Oct 11, 2012 23:00:30 GMT
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 12, 2012 10:09:33 GMT
Yes, mangrove and mopani are safe, it's best to scrub and boil or bake first as any bugs could be quite exotic.
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Post by animalmadchloe on Oct 13, 2012 9:45:45 GMT
We were hoping to use pine to build the new cage so is it ok to use as long as it kiln dried? And how would I know ?
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Post by ntg on Oct 13, 2012 10:00:54 GMT
If it's from b&q their wood says kiln dried timber, other wood shops tend to do the same. If in doubt ask someone who works there if it's kiln dried |
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 13, 2012 11:04:59 GMT
It's mostly kiln dried if it's decent quality construction wood, especially if it's planed. It's actually not likely to be pine unless you buy 'redwood', more likely to be spruce, but we've all been buying the same stuff for several years now without any problems. The main thing is to check it doesn't smell too strong, avoid pockets of resin and any messy looking knots that may have lots of resin in.
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Post by animalmadchloe on Oct 13, 2012 14:26:36 GMT
If it's from b&q their wood says kiln dried timber, other wood shops tend to do the same. If in doubt ask someone who works there if it's kiln dried my dad works at build base its coming from there ill make sure he checks! |
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Post by animalmadchloe on Oct 13, 2012 14:28:24 GMT
It's mostly kiln dried if it's decent quality construction wood, especially if it's planed. It's actually not likely to be pine unless you buy 'redwood', more likely to be spruce, but we've all been buying the same stuff for several years now without any problems. The main thing is to check it doesn't smell too strong, avoid pockets of resin and any messy looking knots that may have lots of resin in. ok my dads getting it all from his work for us for nothing (still going to get a recipt made up and bill P@H for it though!!) ill make sure he checks everything he gets! |
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Post by davx on Oct 14, 2012 18:43:25 GMT
Please keep in mind that mangrove and mopani are rain forest trees and most of them are from illegal cuttings responsible for rainforest destruction. Also the American redwoods are endangered species and I can highly recommend not to support such wood from uncertain sources. Sustainable production can help to prevent illegal cuttings.
In addition we also have non threatened wood species suitable for degus.
As far as I know wine branches are also sold in pet shops and seems to be a good alternative. Or you can try to find cuttings from walnut trees. The wood is enduring... I had a branch for more than 4 years.
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Post by Lrak on Oct 15, 2012 8:09:43 GMT
In the UK (not sure about the rest of the world) every thing timber wise (paper as well) HAS to be FSC or PEFC certified, this tells you and ohers that the timber has come from sustainable sources. Hard woods are slowly getting FSC or PEFC but this will take time as most hardwods have been in storage, air drying since before the new rules come in. These have come in to protect the forests around the world as all timber sold in the UK now has to be replaced with live trees. Hope that helps abit |
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Post by davx on Oct 16, 2012 20:38:33 GMT
Yes FSC is a good help for sustainable wood sources and it seems that it is at least known in Europe.
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Post by Lrak on Oct 17, 2012 8:07:25 GMT
I think they are planning on bringing this in world wide, it would be really great if they do (even if it does make it harder for people working in the building trade ;D )
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