Where to get wood?

[Sp3294]

I would love to make new ledges for my three chins, but the only safe wood (kiln dried pine boards) that I can find are two inch thick (!!!) boards from Home Depot. I've used this for ledges, but I find them to be much too thick and heavy. I'm looking for something and inch or less, preferably. If there are any common places that provide these sizes, please answer below! Thanks!

---

Shannon

 

[Idgie]

You can use poplar boards. They have them at Home Depot.

 

[IkiKolohe]

Aloha!!

I'm pretty sure if you go to Home Depot and look at their "common" boards in 1" (which is really .75") thickness, they will be KD pine. If a helper doesn't know, look at the labels or stamps stuck to one end or the other for "KD PINE" or even check the little barcode tag usually found on the shelf. KD pine is really common on the mainland. The other place you can look would be the moulding boards but be careful not to get something that's glued together. Here's a list of woods that SHOULD be safe:

• apple
• arbutus/madrona
• ash
• aspen
• bamboo
• Birch: White, Common Birch Only
• blackberrry
• blackcurrant
• blueberry
• chinese dogwood
• cholla
• cottonwood
• crab apple
• dogwood rose (dried rosehips are healthy daily treats too!)
• elm
• red elm
• grape
• grapevine
• hawthorn
• hazelnut
• horse apple
• kiwi
• magnolia
• manzanita
• mulberry
• pear
• pecan
• pine (kiln dried & untreated with preservatives etc)
• pine cones that have been opened free of seeds, washed, baked and dried
• poplar
• quince
• rose hip
• sycamore
• willow (BUT stick with Goat, Weeping or Pussy Willow)

I've compliled this list from various "chinchilla safe wood" lists found in a Google search.

Seems like each list I found would be missing one type of wood or another... And that one was different than the other lists one (for example: hazelnut was on list A/B/C/D but not on E; A/C/D/E would have pear but not on B). So I used my database experience to create a "MASTER" list... I do my best to keep it updated as I read wood discussions across 3-4 Chinchilla forums. Adding anything that the consensus agrees is safe. In my database, I include a resource field that contains the URL of where I found that particular wood on first. I am going to create a dynamic web page that will include the source and update automatically, I just haven't had time as of yet.

Feel free to send me any corrections (add/delete). Please include where you found the wood type (add) or didn't find it (delete),

I hope this helps!!

A hui hou,
~ Tina