Wood and Plastic

[Chibigirl]

So I know that plastic is not safe for chins and that only certain types of wood are safe. I found myself wondering today about how wood is safe for chins. Most animals can not ingest and break down wood unless they have a specialized bacteria flora or some other mechanism for the type of wood in their diet (or so I've heard). Also why does plastic pose a threat through blockage and rough edges where wood does not? I'm not trying to argue for giving chins plastic I'm just a Biology major and am interested in these types of things. Does anyone know if chins have specialized digestive systems for wood? If so that is a very cool chin-fact

 

[Laurie]

Your Biology brain is thinking too much LOL! I don't believe chins ingest much of the wood they chew. The point is for them to chew it to whittle down sharp teeth. Same as the plastic they usually don't ingest, simply chew to help keep their teeth growth down. Some chins don't chew plastic--heck some chins don't even chew wood--my Leonard is one of them!

 

[momenteller]

i've been wondering about this too...

 

[Chibigirl]

So then doesn't wood run the same risks as plastic for chins? Or is ingested wood less of a risk than ingested plastic? So maybe if wood is less of a threat to chins they are able to process it through their system? Would be interesting to know more lol I analyze things too much but I'm just curious.

 

[alli713]

Well, chinchillas are hindgut fermenters. Which means that they have bacteria in their gut that breaks down plant matter. Chins themselves wouldn't be able to digest the hay and fibrous material if it weren't for the bacteria. The way I see it, if they can digest hay, I'm sure they can digest some wood as it is both cellulose.

Plastic poses more of an issue because it doesn't break down at all. If they swallow a large part it'd get lodged in their gut easier.

That's the way I see it.

 

[Chibigirl]

Thanks Alli I didn't know they had hindgut fermentation, that explains a lot. What cool little critters. Do all rodents have this digestive system? My concentration in school is in botany so I would know more about the things they eat than the way they process it lol