Willow leaves

[Stormcrow]

Last weekend I heard from a friend of mine he was going to cut down his (weeping) willow, and I finally saw an opportunity to get a free and virtually unlimited supply of wood.

I cut up some branches that are drying in a garage as we speak, but during the trimming we had lots of finer branches and twigs aswell.
I first thought to strip them of leaves, cut them up and let them dry to feed them as a treat.
After checking on the wood in the garage 2 days later, i can see that the fine twigs and branches allready "snap" when I try to bend them, so I am sure they are dry enough. The leaves almost crumble apart upon touch.

I just took a whole branch with leaves on them and placed it like that in the cage of my chins, they both got curious instantly and a day later all the bark and almost all leaves are missing from the branch.

Needless to say; they like the branch and leaves for eating, playing and hiding when sleeping.

I have searched the intharwebz for more info on this subject, but next to the fact that weeping willow is on the safe list for chins and lots of people give dried leaves, I can't seem to find out what the actual effect of these leaves are on my chins. Is it healthy? Healthy to the extend that i can give it on a daily basis or rather as a treat (sparingly)? otherwise I would put a new branch in there every day.

I would like to see your opinion about this. Thanks in advance for the feedback

 

[becky12883]

The wood needs to be cleaned and dried in an oven at atleast 180 degrees Fahrenheit before you give it to the chinchillas. I don't think the leaves can be cleaned properly enough to make them safe. I believe some people scrub and boil the wood they use and then bake it. If you don't bake the wood, harmful bacteria can get into the natural flora of their guts and make them very sick. Here's a link with instructions on how to prepare wood: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41

 

[Stackie]

I definitely would not give them a lot. Willow bark & leaves contain salicylic acid, which is used to make aspirin and other medications (anti-acne cream).

When ingested, salicylic acid has a possible ototoxic effect by inhibiting prestin.[23] It can induce transient hearing loss in zinc-deficient individuals. This finding is based on clinical studies with rats. An injection of salicylic acid induced hearing loss in zinc-deficient rats, while a simultaneous injection of zinc reversed the hearing loss. An injection of magnesium in the zinc-deficient rats did not reverse the salicylic acid-induced hearing loss.

Given in moderation it should be okay, but I wouldn't give it every day or in very large amounts. I would rather give the twigs than the leaves, you really want to stay away from any leafy greens with chins.

 

[Tanya]

I would not feed willow bark and leaves on a daily basis because of the salicin, but as an occasional treat they should be safe.

I don't think the leaves can be cleaned properly enough to make them safe.

Drying leaves in the shade or dehydrator is enough to make them safe (they should come from safe plants, of course).

 

[Stormcrow]

thanks all for the quick replies!
I will give em a small branch a week then without leaves