Kntting wool, and teady bears

[debdegu]

so would it be safe to give my degu a knitted square like animal to keep it comfy the only thing in the wool is wool and maybe some big thread, also i am buying a bear today and I am going to take the stuffing out and put hay in but i am worried about the degu and the fabric on the outside of the bear.

[jamiee]

It should be fine as long as the bear has no plastic pieces like eyes. If it has a label, this should also be taken out. Other members may be able to tell you if wool is safe, as I do not know.

[debdegu]

thanks I'll take the labels off and any plastic off

[Maravilla]

Is your degu alone? No toy can substitute another degu. So it would be far more important to either find him at least one new friend at your home or to give him to another degu family.
After all these scandals with toys not suitable for babies (due to chemicals, materials etc.) I would be careful with buying some cheap stuff as a degu surely would try to chew it. It would be better to look for some suitable cloth, fill it with hay or straw and then sew it. But also this is not a permanent solution.

[debdegu]

my degu is alone for now as my other one died monday and my degus used to love chewing up there hammok and they left the farbic in that.

[moletteuk]

Natural fibres like wool and cotton are usually thought to be safe because if some is ingested it will break down. There is still some risk of getting claws hanked on loops of thread, or getting parts of the degus stuck if the fabric goes a bit stringy, but risk of harm from this is low when the fabric is loose (as opposed to fixed in the cage like a hammock).

Synthetic fabrics are more dangerous because they can block the whole gut, however people (including me sometimes)do use synthetic fleece because it's convenient and warm and it is less likely for them to get hanked or stuck in it.