Scrubbing, Baking and Boiling

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I've seen on here where people harvest their own chin safe wood and boil, scrub and bake it, to make it chin safe. What do you use to scrub it? how long should you boil it and how long do you bake it for?

I have some people around me that have pecan trees and I was wanting to make some toys out of the pruned branches for my chin, along with some other wild fruit trees we have around. Also, I know that fruit trees that bear fruit with pits in them ( peaches, etc ) are poisonous to chins, but does anyone know about citrus trees? Living in Georgia and so close to Florida, I have a lot of wild orange trees and lemon trees around where I live and was wondering if they were safe for chins, if you do the scrub, boil and bake thing with them. And one final thing, can you really give chins pine cones to chew on, if they are done the same way?

 

[alli713]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41
http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm

According to that safe wood list, orange, lemon, and other citrus trees should not be given to chins.

Some people do give pinecones, I do not. You'd have to make sure all the sap is gone, and since it's more work than what I think it's worth I don't give them.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Thanks! I will stick with the apple and pecan wood and the occasional grapevine twist.

 

[Idgie]

Yes, I would steer clear of pine cones. Plus, many people assume that the cone is from a pine tree, but there are many other conifers (evergreens with cones). And most of those trees are on the unsafe list.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

^^ Now, that is a bit of info I did not know about..thanks! I think me and Herby will stick with what she knows and likes. Better to be safe than sorry..

 

[Ruby]

I scrub mine, them bake them on the lowest temp until the bark is dried and crunchy. I don't boil mine, I think it takes away the flavor, since I bought some from someone who boiled hers, and the chins didn't like them. Just my opinion though.

 

[borwin98]

I scrub mine, them bake them on the lowest temp until the bark is dried and crunchy. I don't boil mine, I think it takes away the flavor, since I bought some from someone who boiled hers, and the chins didn't like them. Just my opinion though.

I'm going to try this, keeping 7 chins in chew sticks is a lot of work. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Amethyst]

I'm going to try this, keeping 7 chins in chew sticks is a lot of work. Thanks for the idea.

Just so you know, the boiling part does have a purpose, it kills anything that might be living inside the wood (though the heat from the oven should do that too) as well as it helps to remove some of the natural sugars from the wood. So yes it likely does change the taste, because it's not as sweet, but it also means it's safer for the chins to eat it.

 

[borwin98]

Just so you know, the boiling part does have a purpose, it kills anything that might be living inside the wood (though the heat from the oven should do that too) as well as it helps to remove some of the natural sugars from the wood. So yes it likely does change the taste, because it's not as sweet, but it also means it's safer for the chins to eat it.

Thank you, Amethyst, I haven't started on my wood yet so will definitely boil it before putting it into the oven. My babies deserve the best care I can possibly give them.
I read somewhere that chins in the wild eat bugs, do you know if this is true or not? Too much on the net is false so you can't rely on it too much. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

 

[Amethyst]

Thank you, Amethyst, I haven't started on my wood yet so will definitely boil it before putting it into the oven. My babies deserve the best care I can possibly give them.
I read somewhere that chins in the wild eat bugs, do you know if this is true or not? Too much on the net is false so you can't rely on it too much. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

In the wild they likely do sometimes eat bugs, but their diet is also much poorer compared to what we feed domestic chins, so bugs could be a source of protein for them that they may otherwise be lacking if the vegetation in the area is having a bad year. It could also accidentally eat bugs while eating plants. Here is a list that researchers back in 1983 found they actually for sure ate in one area based on what was found in their poops. In case you are wondering, yes it does list they eat copao fruit, which is a type of cactus, cactus fruit has a much lower sugar content then most fruits we normally eat.




Domestic chins are (or should be) fed a balanced pellet diet with much more nutrients and digestible protein sources the bugs, primarily alfalfa. As well as a much more nutrient rich grass hay like timothy. The occasional bug here and there isn't likely to hurt your chin, assuming it's not poisonous or toxic, and it's not uncommon for chins to catch the a fly or moth that lands in the cage, or a ant or spider that was on the floor during playtime that you didn't notice until the chin ate it. Intentionally feeding bugs is not something I would advise though.

 

[borwin98]

Thank goodness, I've had my fill of raising bugs. I raised mealworms and crickets, plus always had earthworms when I was raising baby birds, it's a relief to not have them anymore, but if my chins had needed them I would be back doing it.
Thank you for the wild chin food list, Amathyst, that will come in handy. There's always something new to learn about chins.

 

[Jawramik]

Thank goodness, I've had my fill of raising bugs. I raised mealworms and crickets, plus always had earthworms when I was raising baby birds, it's a relief to not have them anymore, but if my chins had needed them I would be back doing it.
Thank you for the wild chin food list, Amathyst, that will come in handy. There's always something new to learn about chins.

My chin actually ate a cockroach shortly after we brought her home. We keep crickets, mealworms, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches to feed to our reptiles, and occasionally one will make a successful bid for freedom when we're pulling them out (it's rare, but it happens). One small roach found its way into Margaret's cage, and it popped out of the aspen shavings from under her hidey house when I picked up the house to move it. Before I could even react, Margaret pounced on it, grabbed it with her front paws, bit off its head, and proceeded to devour it. I absolutely believe that chins eat bugs in the wild, because she knew exactly what to do with it.

 

[lgr]

My chin actually ate a cockroach shortly after we brought her home. We keep crickets, mealworms, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches to feed to our reptiles, and occasionally one will make a successful bid for freedom when we're pulling them out (it's rare, but it happens). One small roach found its way into Margaret's cage, and it popped out of the aspen shavings from under her hidey house when I picked up the house to move it. Before I could even react, Margaret pounced on it, grabbed it with her front paws, bit off its head, and proceeded to devour it. I absolutely believe that chins eat bugs in the wild, because she knew exactly what to do with it.

OMG what a story and thanks for sharing. Chinny doing OK? Any tummy upset? Hope your reptileS doesn't somehow get into their cage! Security!!

 

[Spoof]

Here is a study that was done regarding the digestibility of animal based proteins. It is an interesting read.

It has been well known that they do fine with small amounts of animal based protein, most often powdered egg or milk was used in breeder feed formulations in the past. Neither of those products had a long stable shelf life in high heat and they are far more costly so most feeds utilize strictly plant based.

In the case of using wood like fruit woods, moderation is key as they are high in sugar. I use a variety of different woods in my toys.

 

[Jawramik]

OMG what a story and thanks for sharing. Chinny doing OK? Any tummy upset? Hope your reptileS doesn't somehow get into their cage! Security!!

She doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects. She certainly seemed to enjoy it, though! The experience actually prompted me to look into if I should be feeding her bugs, but the general consensus seemed to be that no, they shouldn't be a regular part of her diet, but that a single small insect probably wouldn't do her any harm (and that chins occasionally ate them in the wild).

The reptiles are all in secure enclosures. Only one of them (the ball python) even eats mammals, and I doubt he could kill and eat her even if given the opportunity.