Eating aspen bedding--is this safe?

[hp7681]

My new rescue chin tries to chew on everything. I started her on shredded paper bedding but she just wanted to eat it so I immediately switched to aspen. Per the message boards aspen or pine are the best. She has several wood toys and a wood house to chew on but it seems her favorite pasttime is to pick up her bedding and eat it. Is she actually eating it like food or is she just chewing it down? Is this common? Okay?? It's like her bedding is an additional toy.

She also itches a lot. How common are allergies in chins? I'm allergic to pine so I hope she's not allergic to aspen.

She has some small scabs around her neck; the rest of her body seems fine, no marks. I don't have her history and adopted her two days ago. She's been scratching her neck the most. Is this a sign of allergies or could she have scratched herself from itching?

 

[Amethyst]

Eating the aspen is fine, and most likely she is just chewing it down not actually eating it. Especially if there are large chunks of wood chips it's normal for a chin to chew them up, and chins can digest small amounts of wood. You are good to have switched from the paper, that can cause an issue if swallowed.

I would check around for an exotic vet that sees chins and get the itching checked out. Chins just like people can have allergies, but it's more common for the issue to be pine allergy not aspen. It could also be ring worm or even fleas if fur is missing from the area.