Hello, quick question....has anyone heard of giving chinchillas dry wall to chew on? I guess it is made of gypsium or something like that. I have heard talk of some people saying they use it instead of litter and that their chinnies chew on it and it is totally safe??? Of coarse i am no expert on drywall but it doesnt sound like something i would want my chinnies chewing on. Maybe someone can educate me on this....thanks
Dry wall
- Thread starter ann1
- Start date
Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:
Brittney
Well-known member
Hmm... I would never deliberately give my boys dry wall..... But somehow over Christmas break last year, Bryson managed to chew a very large hole in my dry wall. I freaked and watched him very closely and he was fine.
From my experience working with my grandfather, who is a kitchen and bath designer by day and handyman/farmer by night and weekends, drywall is very powdery and he always wears a mask when dealing with it. I believe plaster is involved in making it, and plaster is harmful if inhaled as a powder. It contains crystalline silica which can cause lung disease if inhaled long enough.
There is just so much stuff in there such as boric acid and fiberglass. It won't be fatal if ingested in small amounts, but definitely would over time. It also has something called gypsum in it which is a powder and if it becomes wet, it expands and clumps which harden. Just imagine what that would do inside their stomach.
From my experience working with my grandfather, who is a kitchen and bath designer by day and handyman/farmer by night and weekends, drywall is very powdery and he always wears a mask when dealing with it. I believe plaster is involved in making it, and plaster is harmful if inhaled as a powder. It contains crystalline silica which can cause lung disease if inhaled long enough.
There is just so much stuff in there such as boric acid and fiberglass. It won't be fatal if ingested in small amounts, but definitely would over time. It also has something called gypsum in it which is a powder and if it becomes wet, it expands and clumps which harden. Just imagine what that would do inside their stomach.
AZChins
Pro Cage Cleaner Champion
I have heard the same thing from ranchers, who swear it is safe. I don't know, I don't like using it - I'd rather give them wood and pumice stones and leave it at that.
Just to be on safe side I'd stay away from it. I have heard that it is safe, but I don't know if any of that is true or if the people, who told me, know it to be true either.
Just to be on safe side I'd stay away from it. I have heard that it is safe, but I don't know if any of that is true or if the people, who told me, know it to be true either.
Spoof
Kung Fu Chinny!
It depends on the drywall. The new Greenrock stuff is treated with anti fungicides to prevent molding and I imagine is not safe.
The old cheap sheetrock used to be made out of cement compounds only. Cement tile backer board would probably work, mine doesn't list anything odd in it. I have also run into ranchers that used to use sheetrock instead of dust.
It's so expensive now it's not really economical.
The old cheap sheetrock used to be made out of cement compounds only. Cement tile backer board would probably work, mine doesn't list anything odd in it. I have also run into ranchers that used to use sheetrock instead of dust.
It's so expensive now it's not really economical.
Yeah thats why i asked. I actually talked and seen with my own eyes that some ranchers used it but i didnt know how safe it was.
Spoof; it wasnt greenboard, it was actual drywall. I just didnt know (other then the greenboard) if there was different grades of drywall. I also heard they use it instead of dust to. Kind of a multy purpose deal. They use it for their floor, to chew on and as a dust. Maybe it's not bad for them? Some of these guys have been at it for many many years
Spoof; it wasnt greenboard, it was actual drywall. I just didnt know (other then the greenboard) if there was different grades of drywall. I also heard they use it instead of dust to. Kind of a multy purpose deal. They use it for their floor, to chew on and as a dust. Maybe it's not bad for them? Some of these guys have been at it for many many years
