*sigh* Unsafe pine wood, right?

[Incadory]

So, I was trying to make modifications to my chinchillas cage and I made sure to buy untreated pine wood for it.

But, looking back on this it appears that it needs to be kiln dried pine wood.

Any recommendations on how I could make this pine would safe, dry it myself/cover it in fleece?
Or potentially a cheap place to buy it online? (I need quite a chunk to cover up the grate on the floor, I'm worried it's too rough on a chins feet.)

There's also pine wood used on the outside of the cage, but I'm not too worried about this as I can just keep an eye on my chinchilla to make sure she doesn't chew it.

 

[Amethyst]

If it was lumber like from a building store and would be intended for construction/woodworking (not as firewood) then it's probably been kiln dried. However if you are unsure about it, another way to tell its kiln dried is sometimes stamped with kd somewhere on it, as well as non dried wood will leak sap. If you can (I can't really tell the size from the pics) you could put the wood in the oven for at least 30 mins or so on the lowest setting to see if sap oozes out (a sign it's not fully dry), and if it does continue baking until fully dried.

Pine sap is poisonous to chins in it's non dried out state, so if it's not dried out completely it's not safe.

 

[LYChinchillas]

KD pine is very cheap at your local hardware store, and typically they will cut it to size for you

 

[LYChinchillas]

And covering it in fleece if you are unsure would be a safe option, too.

 

[seachin]

Kiln dried pine is exactly what you want. You're fine.

 

[Godofgods]

Kiln dried pine is exactly what you want. You're fine.

he bought untreated pine

 

[seachin]

Ah, sorry, misread that. The kiln dried part is only there because you need to make sure the wood is completely dry. The untreated meaning that nothing to prevent rot or insects was added (which you don't want). It is not very common (at least where I am from) to find any untreated wood that is still green (wet) so unless your boards weighed a lot compared to kiln dried wood your wood is probably kiln dried. As asked above, did you see a KD stamp anywhere on the boards?

 

[Narcissus]

If it was bought from a lumber store then it is kiln dried.

 

[Incadory]

Thanks guys! It would appear it is kiln dried after all! Thanks for the help! I was worried I had bought the wrong kind. C:

 

[fluke]

I'm trying to set up a chinny room in my new house. And in my idea was getting some of those large sheets of plywood and putting them against the walls. I know that wood may be more processed than typical lumber..and I'm asking this here because I've been trying to figure out what kiln dried pine is for a while since I've never seen it on anything in stores. As long as the wood is still pine, would that be ok? This room would just be for playtime. An hour or so a night. I've been using two playpens hooked together with some screening for the top. But I miss them being able to run around and kick off of walls. So would that be a good idea?

 

[Amethyst]

Plywood is sheets of wood glued together, the glue is toxic. It's fine so long as it's not pressure treated, you don't see any glue leaking though and there is no possible way the chin can chew on it. If they are just to make walls and floor out of that have no edges or holes in or through the layers to chew on that is fine. Just being pine is not necessarily, ok it also has to be non treated, pressure treating adds chemicals that are toxic.

 

[Idgie]

A good alternative to pine that isn't as rough and doesn't have the knot holes, is poplar. All the home improvement stores carry it. It is usually in flat boards or trim pieces (not 2x4's). Looks better and is smoother. Doesn't cost much more.

 

[fluke]

yea I have worked with aspen to make shelves. Definitely does look better. Only issue is I need to cover large area. An 11x11 room up to four feet high.

 

[Incadory]

Hey fluke, looking back I think my question was pretty dumb. It would appear most woods sold in hardwood stores have been kiln dried, otherwise they would have a greenish hue.

Look for totally untreated pine in your local hardwood store. As long as nothing has been added, and it isn't green, it should be what you are looking for. C: