I tried looking it up but just came up with the same question asked before. Does anyone know why is spruce unsafe? If kiln drying gets rid of the sap in pine doesn't it do the same with spruce? Or is spruce just another one that is debatable on it's safeness and therefore put one unsafe list just to, for lack of a better word, be safe?
Why is spruce unsafe?
- Thread starter Amethyst
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becky12883
Well-known member
I believe it's due to the types of phenols that are present in the wood, or created during kiln drying. Some phenols are deadly and some are harmless, and different woods have different combinations. I know that I have read about it before, but I'm not sure where.
akane
Well-known member
Usually you can't find kiln dried spruce only shavings. We did used to get in "softwood shavings" that were a mix of spruce and pine and they had less smell, dried better, and caused no more issues than plain pine. I tried to ask for them every time we needed more shavings for the guinea pigs but it was random whether they had softwood shavings or just bags of pine.
Spruce boards and branches are on the safe list for parrot items.
Spruce boards and branches are on the safe list for parrot items.
I got some spruce 2x4s for a home construction project so was hoping to give the chins scraps but saw on the chin wood list that it's unsafe. I did see it as safe on bird wood lists too that is part of what made me wonder, also I had seen recently you say you used spruce shavings.
AZChins
Pro Cage Cleaner Champion
I don't think it really is unsafe. There's really no toxicity to the spruce, or at least not any more than another other coniferous tree.
akane
Well-known member
Probably one of the more paranoid groups who are against the use of any softwoods since they all contain some level of phenols. Spruce shouldn't be any worse and I've found it better than pine.
melbur10
Well-known member
Remember that cedar is a coniferous and is obviously not safe. So not all coniferous are the same.
akane
Well-known member
And just because cedar is unsafe doesn't mean all conifers are.
AZChins
Pro Cage Cleaner Champion
Cedar is a lot different from pine or spruce, it's a wood that is used to repel insects. Animals eat spruce and in the past humans have used it for various different things. The vast majority of conifers out there are non toxic. The important thing is that they kiln dried or otherwise very dry, as stated over and over again....
Ok, so what I'm getting is the conclusion as to why it's on the unsafe list then is because it needs to be kiln dried just like the pine, since pine is also unsafe if not kilned dried and is some times found on unsafe lists. Cedar is very different, in looks as well as properties, and it contains a natural pesticide in it's oils. Spruce on the other hand is very similar to pine, and is sometimes referred to as a spruce pine or spruce fir pine.
seachin
Well-known member
Yes. In forestry terms, SPF (often seen stamped on wood) means "spruce pine fir" which means the logs came from a mixed forest and most can't tell the difference as far as properties go so the three are lumped together.
