Sanitizing Wood Shelving?

[Ottomatk]

Hey everyone, I'm about to be a chinchilla owner. I ordered the cage and it should be in any day now. I have all the necessary supplies, and have been doing as much research as possible for the little guy. I still have many questions, but a lot are being answered on this site, including how to make the shelving for the cages.

From what I understand, I'll be getting Kiln Dried Pine from Lowes or Home Depot, but looking out for "Whitewood" as some of it might be spruce, which is harmful to chinchillas. My only problem is this -

Do I need to sanitize this wood that may have harmful "chemicals" on it by boiling, washing, and cooking it? From looking at other posts I noticed that this is essential when letting the chinchilla chew on it as a toy.

This also brings up another question -

If I have leftovers from making the shelving, can I use these as a chew toy? I bought pumice blocks to let them chew on, and was planning on using cardboard toilet paper rolls as "treats" too.

This is my first post and I have many more questions, but your input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Otto.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

The woods that are harmful to chins are harmful even after prepared. They shouldn't be given at all or used to make shelves.

If you use Kiln Dried Pine to make shelves then yes, you can cut them into pieces and use it as chew toys if you wanted.

 

[Ottomatk]

Alright, so I don't need to boil/cook the pine?

 

[Ottomatk]

Alright, thank you!

 

[Cuddlebug]

No, you do not need to boil or cook the pine.

 

[ChinnieShop]

Go with the kiln pine, it is usually very inexpensive, and it has been baked already and safe for chins. This is what I used to make my shelves.