Are imported or dyed woods actually unsafe?

[MyChinchillaIsBatman]

When I adopted my chin, the breeder had told me clearly not to purchase many toys from pet stores, as most of them contain wood that is either dyed or imported from China. He said that these are unhealthy for the chins, so I've only bought my chin's wood toys and chews online.

I came across this link from an older thread: http://www.nwichinchillas.com/safepetstoreproducts.htm and noticed that it contained many products with "bad" wood.

Is this true?

 

[Amethyst]

The dye used in most pet store wood chews (SuperPet, Ware, All Living Things) is vegetable based and completely safe for chins. The only really issue is it commonly comes off when wet (do to pee, spit, or water bottle leak) so it can stain the chin temporarily. Chins don't have that great color vision, so the color is really more for you not the chin. I would agree with making sure anything you buy is not made in China though, since they don't seem to have any regard for safety.
That being said, the price most pet stores charge for those colorful chew toys is way more then you'd pay going though one of the vendors online here, especially if you buy the toy parts rather then whole toys.

 

[Shenanigans]

I agree with Amethyst, although I will add that I, and many other vendors, are very careful to only use trees that have never been sprayed or treated. Even though some store stuff seems fun, I shy away from getting it because I don't know if their trees may have been sprayed with pesticides ever. As it's marketed for small animals Im not sure if this is being over protective or if it's smart knowing what else they market as safe for chins that we know arent. The not buying from China sounds like a smart idea though- have you seen pictures of the smog in their cities? some of that pollution has to go into the plants.