input on some of these items please!

[ChinnyMom]

hey all,

as you may know, i'm up here in Canada (read: igloo land! lol), and access to good chin items isn't as easy as it is for y'all down in the States, between the shipping costs to get stuff here and the chance that customs could snag any order that has barked wood in it..... ugh.

i was browsing petsmart's site, since i have a petsmart within walking distance to my home, and was wondering if the following bird items (which i have seen in my local store) are safe for chins? i know bird toys in general are safe as long as the wood is on the safe list, but would like to know specifically about the following:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147805&lmdn=Bird
(a yucca product)

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750670&lmdn=Bird
(another yucca item)

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10912712&lmdn=Bird
(it doesn't say what kind of wood it is, but there's lots of bark that i'm sure Rhino would love!)

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147252&lmdn=Bird
(grapewood item)

and if safe, has anybody given the above products to their chins? if so, did they like them?

 

[peachydays]

Yucca and Grapewood are both safe for chinchillas. I thought we used to have a "safe woods" list somewhere around here, but I couldn't find it...

Personally, I would avoid that third item, since you don't know for sure what kind of wood it is.

I bought that fourth item for one of my chinnies, and he loved it!

 

[ChinnyMom]

thanks for the input! and yes, the list is still floating around here somewhere, and i did take a look at it, but grapewood/vine is not on the list, but other threads mentioned it being used safely.

i linked the yucca items because they don't really seem like wood to the touch, more fiberous and 'papery'. i've never seen yucca wood before, is it supposed to be like that?

i think i'm going to do what i can to find out what kind of wood that really 'barky' item is made from. perhaps an email to the manufacturer. i just know Rhino would go gaga over it if i could safely give it to him.

 

[Sdo9396]

Here's the link for safe woods:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34

 

[Amy555]

Yucca is supposed to be kinda of um squishy, like balsa wood but pulpier. Grapewood is good, the thick stuff makes great perches and the little wreaths made of grapewood vines are great for destroying. I'm always wary of mystery wood though.

 

[Chub_Chub]

I've given my boys the grape wood one. I got the medium and took the pieces off the chain so each cage would get a piece of wood. They love it

 

[ChinnyMom]

Yucca is supposed to be kinda of um squishy, like balsa wood but pulpier.

ah, yes! that is a good description of how those two yucca bird toys feel!

 

[3CsMommy]

Unless you can figure out what kind of wood that 3rd one is made of (if it's the one I looked at the last time I was in a bird supplies store, I think it's maple or oak, and hardwoods aren't okay for chins) I wouldn't give it. I've gotten the grape vine one, though, and as far as I know, there are still pieces of it hanging in my ex's chin's cage. Thick chunks like that last forever unless you've got a very determined chin.

There's an ebay store I order from occasionally that's based in The Great White North (Toronto? Niagara Falls area maybe). She might be able to help you out: http://stores.ebay.com/Birds-n-Stuff She's SUPER nice and was thrilled when I told her I was entertaining chins instead of a parrot.

 

[ChinnyMom]

thanks for the link 3C's, i'll go take a look.

for the most part, i much prefer to get things locally if i can, and being able to touch, look, and hand pick which item i want to buy is so much better in my books, along with not having to pay shipping!

ok, will scratch that barked wood toy off my list of ideas for toys. definitely going to pick up one of the yucca items to see what Rhino thinks of it, maybe i'll grab the grapewood one too )

 

[Chintastic!]

I would just beware of items coming from other countrys. Sometimes toys will be fumigated or have something else done to them before they can come in to the US. Also be careful with anything thats not wrapped, you never know if a dog or something has licked it etc. and left some germs that could be harmful to your chins.

 

[Chin_Up_Sunshine]

I always scan the Bird section for potential toys and perches. The yucca and grapevine are good clean fun!

 

[Amy555]

Have you looked into http://chinchillaparkplace.ca/chinstuffstore// ? They're in British Columbia

 

[ChinnyMom]

i have Amy, but they have a flat rate shipping charge that is 15 or so bucks, and in emails back and forth there was not mention of a cheaper shipping option. i do like some items on her site, but i'm not about to pay that much in shipping when my order isn't even double the shipping cost.

i'm still in the process of finding out what Rhino likes as far as toys and wood, so i'm not doing any big orders right now, mostly just 'sampler' style ones. once i know his highness's likes and dislikes, then getting stuff shipped in will make more sense, since my orders will be larger.

 

[ChinnyMom]

hey all, need some input on this one: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753633

i saw it in petsmart the other day and thought it would be cute - a little bag fixed to the side of his cage that he could pull the popsicle sticks out of. your thoughts? the bag is coconut fiber.

 

[3CsMommy]

Coconut fiber is safe, and usually so are popsicle sticks. I'd be tempted to make a foraging toy like that out of fleece and get some loose coconut fiber as stuffing, or hide a rose hip under some hay. Guess I'm just cheap.

 

[Tagna]

I don't give popsicle sticks because of splintering.

 

[Siany]

My chins really love yucca wood, i bought a couple peices for them to try and i will definatly get more

 

[alli713]

Some people use popsicle sticks some don't. They can splinter horribly, and one person even had a chunk get stuck in her poor chin's mouth.

 

[ChinnyMom]

with popsicle stick type toys, i keep a close eye on them and remove any sharp or splintery edges/pieces asap, and with me being a stay at home mom, i'm able to spend lots of time keeping an eye on things. Rhino really likes popsicle sticks so i do try to have at least one item in his cage that has them on/in it.

 

[Stellaluna]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34

The safe wood thread