Homemade chew toys

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
C

Caroline

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
601
Location
Renton, Wa
I have been looking at the different chew toys available and choke at the price for a few little blocks of wood. Since we already have a shop full of power tools, then it just makes sense to make my own for Hayley. I have read that sisal is the rope of choice for chew toys and that it needs to of course be kilndried wood. I am wondering if chinchillas prefer coloured wood over natural colour or is that just for looks? If coloured wood does make a difference then would it be ok to use food colouring to die the wood? Is there a maximum length that is suggested for safety?
 
I make toys all different shapes and sizes, my chinnies love the bark off natural wood but they do like to chew up the coloured KD pine so i do a mix of both.
 
i make all of Rhino's toys. it's way cheaper that way! and the best way to renew interest in a toy is to change the older pieces around and add just a couple new logs or coins to the same toy.

as for sisal and other natural ropes, etc for stringing toys..... DON'T BOTHER! lol. chins will seek out the rope and chew it up, causing the toy parts to be on the cage bottom the next morning. trust me, i know! i made Rhino a bunch of toys with seagrass rope and he must've had a blast because it looked like a tornado had gone through his cage! :rofl:

i picked up some wire from the hardware store (i believe it said stainless steel on the package), used what key rings, carabeener clips, binder rings, spring clips, and pear links i had kicking around, and got to stringing! lol. just make sure that none of the metal hardware is zinc coated, as zinc is harmful to chins. nickel plated is best. heck, you could even twist the end of the wire around the cage bars if you have no clips. just be sure to tuck the wire end around and away from your chinnies' inquisitive noses/faces.

there are a number of different woods that are safe for chins, and they don't have to be kiln dried, but they do need to be prepared properly. for barked wood, it is suggested that you scrub it clean, boil it, then bake it until the wood is dry. i've never processed my own wood, but hopefully others that have will chime in soon on exactly what to do.

woods and other toy parts i've bought for Rhino (all were pre-drilled, thank jeepers, as i'm no good with power tools! lol):

ocotillo
mulberry
willow
red willow
yucca
cholla (actually a cactus!)
apple
birch
elm
cottonwood
grapewood
kd pine blocks
loofah
vine rings/hearts/stars/balls, etc.
the coloured/flavoured wood pieces from petsmart
pumice
lava bites
palm leaf shredders

here's what i did just this weekend:

Image0464.jpg


edited to add: for dying wood, you can use either food dye or kool-aid. if using kool-aid, just use the drink mix with NO SUGAR added. soak the wood as long as you want, until the desired colour is achieved.
 
Last edited:
Kool-aid what a great idea! It comes in some pretty funky colours nowadays. I just left lowes with a board, rope and clips to use to make a sleeping hammock.
 
i would not use rope in a chin cage. they can chew it and ingest the fibers, which could lead to impaction in the digestive system.

anti-pill fleece or blizzard fleece is what we all use to make hammocks. there is at least one DIY how-to kicking around here on how to sew your own hammocks. you can also order hammocks and other awesome fleece items from members here on the forum. AnnieO makes WONDERFUL fleece accessories! Rhino loves his fleece hanging house from Annie!

As for boards from hardware stores, ensure it is kiln dried pine and not from the SPF (Spruce/Pine/Fir) pile. with the SPF you have no idea which of the three woods you are getting, and spruce is not safe for chins. i get my pine boards from the moulding section, not the lumber aisle.
 
Purchased kilndried white pine from Lowes to make a house for her. Will be making some chewtoys out of wood remnants. What are those interesting little pieces with the holes in them on your chewtoys? Have measurements and stainless steel clips for sleeping tube, will pick up fleece soon. No exposed seams of course, to protect toes from getting tangled.
 
sisal rope is ok if it is un-oiled. but for making hanging toys, wire or chain is a better choice because chins will chew the sisal and all the toy pieces will end up on the cage bottom. this i know! lol. made Rhino a bunch of toys a while ago with seagrass rope, and the next day not a single one was still hanging, lol.
 
i think the round things you are asking about are predrilled pumice stones.
they can be purchased on this forum or at other online retailers.

i also agree that the chain or wire is much more durable but the sisal is good for toss around toys!
 
Your toys look great Chinnymom!!

I want to make my own toys, but gotta get some $$$ together to purchase supplies :D
 
Well, to start, I bought a 4' kd whitepine board at Lowes for less that $5.00. I will be taking back the sisal and getting some lengths of chain and another clip. It should only take a few minutes to cut out some shapes with the jigsaw and drill holes in them. So I am sure that I will be able to plenty of pieces of wood and a shelf or two to boot out of that piece of wood. I can go into my backyard and get some branches off of the pear tree and there are lots of blackberry bushes around too.
 
im not 100% on the blackberry bush but the pear tree is a definate added bonus! tons of threads on how to properly prepare the wood. just make sure the trees are untreated.

also do a search on safe woods, you never know what lurks in your back yard and you will also be better informed on the unsafe woods.

you can also drill hay cubes and add them to your toys, if you are looking for stuff you can get locally and inexpensive. i have seen HUGE bags of of hay cubes at feed stores or tractor supply.
 
Found an extensive list on safe and unsafe woods. Blackberry was listed as safe. They recommend washing the woods in salt water or boiling them, then baking in oven at 300 for 30min.
Great suggestion re hay cubes.
 
after scrubbing the wood, i only do a quick 5 minute boil bath. skip the salt.

i prefer to bake them longer at a lower temp. honestly i think i bake them for at least 90 minutes at about 175 degrees. sometimes if the branches are real thick i will bump it up to 200 degrees. after they are done. i turn the oven off but leave them in there on the trays overnight. store baked pieces in open cardboard box. i put them in zip locks once and they got all moldy.
 
ChinnyMom said:
woods and other toy parts i've bought for Rhino (all were pre-drilled, thank jeepers, as i'm no good with power tools! lol):

ocotillo
mulberry
willow
red willow
yucca
cholla (actually a cactus!)
apple
birch
elm
cottonwood
grapewood
kd pine blocks
loofah
vine rings/hearts/stars/balls, etc.
the coloured/flavoured wood pieces from petsmart
pumice
lava bites
palm leaf shredders
Click to expand...

curious question about the yucca..what part of the yucca do you actually use and how do you prep it?
 
as for the pear tree mentioned earlier in this thread, if you are not sure if pesticides have ever been used on the tree, then don't use the wood for your chin. pesticides stay in a tree for a very long time, and unless you planted the tree and know for sure that it has never been sprayed, it isn't considered safe.
 
When I prepped applewood coins I scrubbed each piece individually under hot water, rinsed them, boiled them for five minutes, rinsed them again and then baked them at 200F for 3hrs. I also let them sit out overnight after coming out of the oven. They now sit in an open box by the cage. Took me about two days to prep 5.5lbs of coins. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top