Ocotillo Cactus?

[feistychins]

Has anyone given their chins the Ocotillo Cactus sold on Pet Products by Nature. My chins don't care for the regular cholla sold at stores, but this has the bark on it.

 

[AZChins]

Ocotillo and Cholla are two different plants.

I've never tried giving the chins Ocotillo, I have about five solid acres of it here...maybe I should try.

 

[lindsay1980]

I use it to make a lot of my toys. The chins love it.

 

[alli713]

I've bought toys with the ocotillo, as far as woods, I think they liked it, but definitely like other woods better like apple or cottonwood.

 

[3CsMommy]

My guys fight over ocotillo, but tend to ignore cottonwood and other soft ones until the hard crunchy ones are gone. If yours turn out not to like it, you can always send it my way!

 

[Chinmama]

My guys love it! Thanks for the reminder, I need to go check out Barbi's site and see what all she has now.

 

[alli713]

Haha my girls must just be weird! Which I wouldn't put past them

 

[feistychins]

Well it sounds like something I should try with my gang.

 

[AZChins]

Do you all think it would be worth it to go out and cut some of the ocotillo? Maybe I should do that? I have it right out in the yard.

 

[AZChins]

Sorry to be a pest, how do you prepare the ocotillo? Are the needles removed completely? I got a couple of sections that are dry and ready to use.

 

[alli713]

The ones I got from Lindsay didn't have any needles on them

 

[3CsMommy]

Barbi's ocotillo is just the wood. I assume it goes through the same scrub-boil-bake process that any other wood should.

 

[AZChins]

I guess I need to snip off the needles and give it a good scrub down. Now I just need some time to do it.

Thanks! We'll see how the chins like it. It's a shame if they do, because I have burned so much of it as firewood over the years.

Seriously, I will start saving it in case anyone wants it.

 

[AZChins]

I snipped off the needles on the branches (sticks, I don't know if you can call them real branches) and I scrubbed it and dried it for a few minutes in the oven at about 200.

I decided to give one of the rescues a small piece. It's strange because she didn't treat it like a chew toy, it was more like a something she has just been dragging around the cage and sitting on. Very strange...maybe the chin is just a strange chin?

Anyhow. It seems to be something that the chins like fairly well.

If anyone ever wants some ocotillo, let me know. I can pack up a box of it and send it out for someone to make toys. I can get a lot of it already dried and ready for scrubbing, it's all over here in the high desert.