KD Pine not available

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soqrbrad

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So Colorado seems to be a ways away from the pine forests. Home depot doesn't have kilned and dried pine. They do have KD fir though. For all the knowledgeable people out there, are all other types of KD wood OK except for cedar? I know cedar can mess with them extensively so there is no way I am going to buy that, but what other woods can I use for ledges that the chins can munch on?

I am assuming it needs to be KD because of the risk of bugs and bacteria in the wood, but would fir, birch, or any other type besides cedar be OK? Also what about particle board or any of the other cheaper plywood types?

Thanks!:cute:
 
I've seen others use plywood, although I'd be afraid of the glue. Not sure about fir and birch - try punching "safe woods" in the search box - that'll tell you for sure! Tunes has a master list set up!
 
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soqrbrad said:
So Colorado seems to be a ways away from the pine forests. Home depot doesn't have kilned and dried pine. They do have KD fir though. For all the knowledgeable people out there, are all other types of KD wood OK except for cedar? I know cedar can mess with them extensively so there is no way I am going to buy that, but what other woods can I use for ledges that the chins can munch on?

I am assuming it needs to be KD because of the risk of bugs and bacteria in the wood, but would fir, birch, or any other type besides cedar be OK? Also what about particle board or any of the other cheaper plywood types?

Thanks!:cute:
Click to expand...

Are you saying that the only pine they have is pretreated? I find it hard to believe that HD doesn't have pine. If they do have pine and it's not pretreated, then it's KD pine, it's just not marked as such.

Plywood is NOT okay for chins.
 
I know with our Home Depot and Lowes, they had the KD stamp hidden and it was on the sticker and I assumed they didnt have it till I looked a bit better. ( i had asked someone and they told me there was no such thing in the store, so much for them knowing their products)
 
You can use aspen wood.

Kiln Dry (KD) is use by the lumber business to eliminate moister. This eliminates shrinking of the lumber. They want the lumber to have so much moister in the wood so they kiln dry the wood. Wood that is just cut has very much moister in. To dry it proper would take 60 to 200 days naturally outdoors. So this is why they use the method of Kiln Dry. A much faster system to dry wood out. They also want to dry out most of the turpentine in the wood, but it does not make it solid completely.
 
On the wood here, it's also on the tag. And on some pieces it's stamped huge in black...or small in green. Kind of randomly though.
 
I am no pro, but the last time i talked to a guy at the lumber yard I purchased "Pine Select" which from my understanding is right above #2 Pine. And is not pretreated with anything, making it safe for chinchillas. I usually look for the KD on the tag or sticker.
 
Unless Home Depot and Lowes are not selling wood ,, I cannot imagine they do not have KD pine. I wouldn't rely on what any employee told you as I have found not all home improvement store employee's are created equal.

Both stores carry kd pine and other woods usually in the shelving section.
 
They have to have kiln dried. Ask for a supervisor, or go to a lumber yard maybe. It's just too common a product for them not to have it. It's probably not stamped the way you'd expect it to be.

Also--no plywood. The glue they use to stick the layers together is toxic. Only use solid wood.
 
Did you see pine, but not kiln dried pine? Typically all pine is kiln dried - otherwise it would be greenish and sticky to the touch, not suitable for building.
 
So is all the wood sold at home depo kiln dried? Would it be safe for chewing then? What other woods sold there would be safe for chewing? I am trying to find a more cost efficient way for chewies for my guys. I told my hubby we need to plant a bunch of apple trees. It is soooo expensive buying it by the pd. When you have quite a few chins. What do the ranchers do if anyone knows. Sorry if this is off the topic. If it needs to be moved, that is cool and i apoligize. Thanks
 
I am pretty sure all plain boards (not plywood or MDF) are kiln dried. That does not make them safe. The woods here and on most chinchilla or bird wood safe list are the only acceptable woods that you can find in board form over most of the country.

What exactly do you mean by what ranchers use? For chews? Ranchers with 500+ chins likely don't get anything, since they aren't a necessity. I know some ranchers use hard pumice chews - that is more for teeth health and boredom,
 
So after calling around to different lumber yards, it seems that I can't find the pine in anything wider than 12".

Is there anyway to get a good size pine board that is about 1 inch thick and has the dimensions of about 32" by 16"?

I never would have thought that this would be this difficult... Especially with the Home Depot employing such idiots...
 
Jinul said:
Is there a reason you need it to be 16" wide? 12" is pretty huge for width.
Click to expand...

the shelves on this frame are 32" by 15 13/16ths" I was just wanting to replace the melamine shelves because I didn't want to cut into them and expose an edge for the chin to nibble on and get a nice case of the formaldehyde tummy aches.

Here is the frame I am talking about:

Pachucosnewpalace.jpg


Those shelves are melamine and we are planning to convert the top 4 shelves to the backing of the cage and use wire everywhere else. Once I get the 32"x16" wood, we were planning on cutting holes out of it like you can see in the picture so that Pachuco can jump through it. I was thinking I really needed the full size ledges and then cut alternating holes in every level to avoid the risk of Pachuco falling from the top level all the way to the bottom.

I've already broke him once, I really don't ever want to have to relive that again.

I guess I could do some shorter pieces and leave some of the middle open or use a hammock or something. I would just like to have the full sheets to ensure that I can alternate the gaps on each level to ensure that if he does fall he doesn't fall more than a foot or so.
 
Jinul said:
I am pretty sure all plain boards (not plywood or MDF) are kiln dried. That does not make them safe. The woods here and on most chinchilla or bird wood safe list are the only acceptable woods that you can find in board form over most of the country.

What exactly do you mean by what ranchers use? For chews? Ranchers with 500+ chins likely don't get anything, since they aren't a necessity. I know some ranchers use hard pumice chews - that is more for teeth health and boredom,
Click to expand...

I know not all woods are safe for chins. What I meant is that if they were on the safe list, would it be safe to buy them from a store such as home depot or lowes.
as for what I meant about ranchers, yes for chewies. What do they use to keep their chins teeth from over growing? Chins HAVE to wear down their teeth or they will over grow, not cause they are bored.
 
Here is the link for the safewoods www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm
Fir is not considered safe. I'd go with aspen or poplar. They shouldn't really be much more money than pine and they look better. HD carries poplar boards, though I'm not sure how wide. I know that Menards has some nice wood, but don't know if you have them by you. (They are way better than HD, IMO, and I do remodeling for a living.) Good luck.
 
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