Chinchillas.org






                                  

Chinchilla Community Forums

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Cedar armoire  (Read 2881 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Brian

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Appreciation points: 0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 1
  • member
    • View Profile
Cedar armoire
« on: January 16, 2020, 04:04:01 PM »

My daughter wants to buy an old armoire to make a cage out of,  and it might be cedar. I see everywhere cedar is toxic to chinchillas,  but to what extent?  Chewing on it,  breathing it?  Being anywhere near it? What if the cage is coated? What if the insides were wrapped with wire where they couldn't chew it? I've seen so many cages on Pinterest that had to be made of cedar,  just wondering to what extent the toxicity is.  After all,  the wood needs to be kiln dried in order to make furniture out of it. Any thoughts are welcome.  Thanks.
Logged

GrayRodent

  • Chinchilla Club and CBO Forum Administrator
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Appreciation points: 153
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 2761
  • # of Chins: 2
  • Status: pet owner
    • View Profile
    • Chris Hamilton
Re: Cedar armoire
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2020, 03:46:18 PM »

Cedar is toxic to ingest and inhale for any kind of rodent. It is irritating to the lungs and can cause acute pneumonia, and ingestion can cause liver damage over time. Long term lung irritation can put animals at risk of respiratory infections. It is the oil in the cedar that gives it its distinctive smell. In fact, it is advisable to prevent exposure to anything that has a strong scent such as air fresheners or scented candles to prevent fatalities from pneumonia. So you probably don't want this to be in the cage with the animal actually gnawing on it.

If wood is used white pine or aspen is advisable. If possible, it is advised to have an all metal cage with a wire floor with replaceable pine shelving. If the wood has a coating such as lacquer or clear coat it is toxic if ingested. Any pine chip bedding must be kiln dried.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2020, 05:06:09 AM by GrayRodent »
Logged
I'm a programmer not a chinchilla breeder. I learn by asking questions just like you.
Pages: [1]   Go Up