wood/bark

[pam]

is it ok to pick branches from the park to put in the degu cage for them to chew on or play on ? it would save a lot of money !  went to pets at home they didn't really have much in there

[Maravilla]

Hi

I would not do it. First, it might be somewhat illegal to take branches from public ground. Second, the branches you could find on the ground might not be really healthy; and it surely is illegal to cut them from the tree. And third, as not all woods are really safe for degus, you might pick something that could cause problems.
It would be better to look around for some garden owners and ask them for branches from fruit or hazelnut trees.

[natnat899]

It is possible to gather branches, probably not from the park though (prehaps place an advert in the paper?)- you just have to make sure that 1) the tree hasn't been sprayed with chemicals; and 2) that there isn't any "mouldy" bit on it (when it has that green stuff growing on the branches).

Some people scrub and/or bake the wood in the oven for a few hours to ensure its safe for the degu/chinchilla to chew

[pam]

Thanks for your replies I wasn't going to cut branches off trees or anything we have country park near us coombe abbey which I wouldn't of thought they would spray pesticides

They do have an area where trees have broken or been cut down for some reason and there ore chunky logs lying about

Baking them for a few hours sounds like a good idea

Thanks again

Pam

[ntg]

If it's a privately owned area you could contact them to ask if you could have some branches, even if you offer a donation, as long as you know the tree they come from and if it's a safe wood. That way you wouldn't be going against any laws as well.

[natnat899]

I'm not sure about the wood on ground level, usually they house insects and bugs, and (this is just an example) animals have more access to wood on the floor and may pee on it etc.

[moletteuk]

Here's the safe wood list deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15617/safe-tree-wood-list?page=1

If you are sure it is safe and it looks fresh and healthy, I would go for it, especially if you think you can liberate it without anyone noticing (but obviously I didn't say that )