Degu and Douglas Fir?

[keph]

Hey all, I have guinea pigs and a rabbit along with my degu. I have these wood chew slabs made of douglas fir which screw onto the side of the cages from petco and I have one extra and was wondering if it is ok to put in the degus cage? I have read that "fir" is on the no no list of woods, but have read that Douglas Fir is really close to pine. 

Any input would be helpful.

Thanks!

Here is the link to the item in question - www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/you-and-me-small-animal-ledge-2493540?cm_mmc=PPC-Connexity-_-PTC_P_NTR_PPC-Connexity_FY18-Pet-AllProducts&szredirectid=15537201463580862144010090302008005

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you have your hands full with your furry gang.

I could be wrong, but is my understanding that pine is only really OK if it has been kiln dried to remove the resins, as it is the resin that is poisonous to degus. But I'm not sure about Douglas Fir.

winic1 is probably better placed to answer this one?

[bouncy]

This item should be fine. If it's offered for pets, it will have been appropriately dried. Anything fresh will need tonbe dried and free of sap.

[keph]

Thanks for the responses! Yes, I do have my hands full with the furry gang. The degu was a surrender at the local pet store and they know me well enough to sell him to me before they even put a price on him. Not sure why he was surrendered but I have been thinking about getting him a companion but I am worried because he is territorial to even the rabbit and the guinea pigs if he sees them on the other side of the gate. I have a 10 lb lop rabbit and Axl (the degu) isn't even afraid of going after him through the gate and trying to bite the rabbits nose if he gets too close, so maybe a companion is out of the question?

There was one piece that had a little bit of sap on it, but my understanding is that as long as its dried correctly in the kiln, the sap (what ever is left on the bark) should be neutralized; correct?

[deguconvert]

Hello, Keph, and welcome to the forum!

Any soft wood/conifer wood must be kiln dried to be safe for degus . . . and really for other small pets as well. The resin is toxic and the vapor off it is damaging to the respiratory system. I have been trying to see what I can find on that products, but just keep seeing the petco store website. I wonder if there is a way to talk to someone that could tell you if that wood is kiln dried?

Another thing you can do is, if you are able to see the product in person before purchasing, to give it the sniff test. Can you smell the resin? Does it smell pine ish? Also, is there any evidence of resin in the bark or in any knot holes?

If there is anything that gives me pause with this product, it is that there is still bark on the outside. Why? I think primarily because I have not seen kiln dried pine/spruce with "live" edges, and that makes me hesitant. If you can't find information that indicates that it is definitely kiln dried . . . I would err on the side of caution and not put it in with your degus.

[deguconvert]

Hmmm . . . cross post. The sap you can see, does it smell of pine? Can it be chiseled off?

[keph]

I already have pieces in with the guinea pigs and rabbits, it does not smell, even the resin doesnt. That's where the resin was, in some of the knot holes on the outside.

I've had a similar product that I bought for my other 2 guinea pigs (RIP) when I was out in North Dakota that had bark on it from the pet store and they were fine, if anything they liked the bark better than the wood itself. I'm just new to degus so I wasn't sure. It has taken me a while to find the product again as it wasn't sold in the store and only on the website.

[keph]

I guess I'll be better safe than sorry and just buy some poplar chews for the degu.

[deguconvert]

LOL . . . if they don't smell . . . they have likely been kiln dried. I'm not the only opinion on here. LOL!!

I built all of the shelving out of kiln dried pine and spruce in my two wooden DIY cages, and never had a problem with them. I just haven't seen live edge on pet things. Having said that, I'm sure I remember there was a member that had kiln dried pine/spruce in their cage with the bark still on, and their degus loved it, a few months back. No adverse reactions.

[moletteuk]

It will be fine. You could scrape off the resin if you wanted but it's such a small item it will be fine, I lost some faith in the resin being dangerous when my degus always went straight for any knots or more scented bits of wood.

[deguconvert]

That is a really interesting point, Moletteuk!