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Post by Lrak on Oct 25, 2012 9:31:39 GMT
Hope these will help others with tree IDs   |
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Post by ntg on Oct 25, 2012 9:38:02 GMT
Just found out there's a hawthorn in the back garden... And here I thought it had been removed ages ago lol.
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Post by Lrak on Oct 25, 2012 9:40:19 GMT
Yay ;D Free wood  |
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Post by ntg on Oct 25, 2012 9:44:02 GMT
Lol I don't know whether I fancy getting spiked by the thing  still gonna contact the national trust as well though! It'll be nice if I can get a good supply and variety for them! |
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 25, 2012 10:08:53 GMT
Oooh that's really good  |
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Post by Lrak on Oct 25, 2012 10:24:32 GMT
Well i am out tonight as a lot of the safe woods on the list got cut down at the yard and i said if they want to pay me i will clear it ;D (dont worry i'm not gonna take any money really ) So i was looking on line just to make sure i had the right trees in mind, been a while since i was in the scouts ;D and i found these lists. They looked good andi hope they will help others. |
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Post by xxxshadsxxx on Nov 28, 2012 0:20:55 GMT
Hi, I'm just about to get my first degus and I'm trying to make sure I have the hutch all kitted out before bringing them home. I was just looking for some advice on safe woods for them to chew etc and ways of identifying wood. It's winter here so a lot of the trees have already lost there leaves making it hard to identify them that way, so I was wondering if anyone had any tips or other methods of identification. I was also wondering about the other forms of identification because I live very near a river that often floods, and it washes up lots of nice drift wood on the banks, but I'm not sure if there's anyway to tell if its safe for the degus or not. It would be nice if I could use some of it rather than having to go and cut branches off of living trees. I was also wondering if anyone knew if horse chestnut wood was safe for them or not? I couldn't see it on either of the lists and just wondered if anyone knew. Thanks for any help that anyone can offer |
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Post by Wolfbane on Nov 28, 2012 0:34:35 GMT
www.octodons.ch/index.php/Woods Sorry I can't provide more help at the moment since i'm in a hurry, but from a couple sites such as this one it says that horse chestnut wood isn't safe for goo's so i'd be on the safe side and avoid it for now 
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Post by Lrak on Nov 28, 2012 8:52:41 GMT
Up near the top i have posted a sheet of winter twigs, that may help. You could always take a list of safe woods out and about in the country side and ask random people if they know any of the woods, you tend to find that most people in the country side know whats what and are friendly (even better if you know some country folk )There are tons of websites that can tell you how to ID trees. This may help www.native-scottish-trees.org.uk/forest-woodland-trees-links.shtml There are also loads of books you can get from shops and off line (country life seams to be popular ATM) Good luck with this and let us know how you get on |
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 29, 2012 10:30:34 GMT
If you stick to native deciduous trees, you can use anything you would commonly find except horse chestnut, elder or ash. The leaves are still pretty in tact under most trees ATM, so use those to guide you, along with any 'fruit' like beech masts or sycamore seeds which are also still visible. You might find some alder growing along the river, identifiable through little hard catkins and tiny cones (although its decid), oak is easy to identify with its unique leaves, likewise beech with masts lying around and smooth bark, silver birch with its silver bark. I'd leave the driftwood as a last resort because you don't know what it's soaked up and would need more cleaning.
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Post by xxxshadsxxx on Dec 7, 2012 18:51:46 GMT
thanks, most of the trees up here have lost there leaves already unfortunately, but my friend is doing a horticulture course and has brought me some nice bits of apple tree I have another question thought. does anyone know if rubber wood is safe for degus? I'm trying to gather materials to make a running plate/flying saucer thing, and I've gotten a lazy susan bearing from a friend (we took it off of the back of a turn table thing that she never uses) and now I'm looking for a wooden plate to put on it. My work has some rubber wood ones, and i was wondering if they would be suitable? |
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 7, 2012 22:58:59 GMT
I tend to think not . . . thinking that if there is any resin left in the wood it would be bad, but then again it may have all been dried out of it with processing. I would avoid it myself.
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 8, 2012 12:41:20 GMT
There seems to be two different woods that can be described as rubberwood. One is Hevea brasiliensis, which I'm not sure about, and the other is Ficus elastica, which is poisonous. I have in mind the rubberwood that they make kitchen items from but I don't know which this is, I'll ask David.
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Post by davx on Dec 9, 2012 21:07:20 GMT
Ficus are considered as toxic, yes. And at least in fresh state it (and its leaves) is not known as fodder wood. However degus probably can deal with this species if they ingest small parts unintentionally, but I wouldn't try this out. For dried wood I assume it is less problematic, however I cannot say if it is suitable, because it is very uncommon. "One is Hevea brasiliensis, which I'm not sure about" Yes I found this as well, here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberwoodrespectively: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hevea_brasiliensisBut as Pará rubber tree are uncommon here in Europe (=knowledge is scarce, I do not know much about this species) I assume the much more common Ficus species are meant when referred to "rubber wood". |
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Post by dyzired on Dec 22, 2012 20:42:42 GMT
Can someone tell me if these are oak trees? And If they're safe?   There are acorns all over the ground by these so I'm assuming they came from them which is why I figured they were oak. And these are the acorns (not sure if there are different oaks and some aren't good?)  |
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Post by davx on Dec 23, 2012 10:47:39 GMT
Can you make photos from the leaves?
At least the acorns looks like they are the fruits of an oak.
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Post by banditcuster on Mar 2, 2013 21:35:34 GMT
now with birch is the yellow and white birch in the US safe? A snow storm nocked down part of a birch so i was thinking of going and nabbing it for the girls (would be fun to put their ledges else where and use a tree to go up to the second level.)
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Post by animalmadchloe on Sept 28, 2013 20:00:21 GMT
What about bamboo sticks ?? It says bamboo grass and me not reading with my glasses on didnt see grass so I bought sticks and let th have the sticks for about 10 mins and they loved it but then on double checking and reading grass I promptly removed it !! Lol
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 29, 2013 10:48:16 GMT
Bamboo is fine |
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Post by animalmadchloe on Sept 29, 2013 10:53:43 GMT
Haaa good as I have loads of it |
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still gonna contact the national trust as well though! It'll be nice if I can get a good supply and variety for them!
we miss you 
