How I Made Chew Sticks!

[chillathechinchilla]

Hello everyone. Chew sticks cost a few dollars at my pet store for about 10 pieces. Of what? Wood. Apple tree wood to be exact. So I went to my aunts house and chopped a branch of her pear tree. Then I cut them into tiny pieces, scrubbed them with water, boiled them for 20 minutes in salt water, let them dry for two hours, and baked them at 250 degrees for about 3 hours... And voila! I have about 30-40 sticks that didn't cost one dollar!

 

[jess32247]

Does your chin like them? My chin goes nuts for them, she likes them a whole lot more than the pet store kind!

 

[ChinnyMom]

was this pear tree at your aunt's house organic? wood used for chins should never have any pesticide or anything like that used on it for the life of the tree.

 

[Essentia]

Why salt water?

 

[Stormcrow]

Why salt water?

I can think of two reasons;
- salt is good for killing bacteria & other things you don't want in it
- adding salt to boiling water rises the temperature even a few more degrees, wich will contribute to the above aswell

 

[Brittany]

I can think of two reasons;
- salt is good for killing bacteria & other things you don't want in it
- adding salt to boiling water rises the temperature even a few more degrees, wich will contribute to the above aswell

Wood is very absorbent, especially when it is boiling. The boiling hot water really opens up the fibrous pores. As a clarinetist I play on cane reeds and they will absorb anything that is in my mouth. If I've had a soda, and not brushed my teeth they retain the sugar etc....

I would not add salt to the water for cleaning wood, there is no way of knowing how much the wood will retain, and how much will get into your chinchilla's diet. Raising the water a few degrees isn't going to make that big of a difference. People have been preparing their own wood for years without the use of salt:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41

:thumbsup:

 

[Sycamore Chins]

While salt does raise the boiling point of water - in the amount used in homes it doesn't even raise it 0.5 degrees F. So...pointless. Unless you want to make your pasta saltier.

 

[FutureDVM]

Wood is very absorbent, especially when it is boiling. The boiling hot water really opens up the fibrous pores. As a clarinetist I play on cane reeds and they will absorb anything that is in my mouth. If I've had a soda, and not brushed my teeth they retain the sugar etc....

I would not add salt to the water for cleaning wood, there is no way of knowing how much the wood will retain, and how much will get into your chinchilla's diet. Raising the water a few degrees isn't going to make that big of a difference. People have been preparing their own wood for years without the use of salt:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41

:thumbsup:

I'm sorry this is off-topic, but I didn't know you played the clarinet. That's awesome! I am a bassoonist

 

[chillathechinchilla]

Sorry I'm late answering your question. Yes, all of my Aunts trees she owns are pesticide free. My grandfather who lives with them takes care of their plants, and he even has a farm back home. My chinchilla loves the chew sticks, and I'm finding they work just as well, even better actually, than the manufactured processed chew sticks.