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What Woods Can Chinchillas Have?

Chins love to chew, that is no surprise! But what can they chew safely? There are many options out there that can be great chewing additions to toys and your chinchilla's cage. Always remember to double check what wood you're purchasing or harvesting. When in doubt, don't use it unless you are 100% sure of what you're getting. Below are some safe woods to choose from and unsafe woods to avoid:

Safe Woods

  • Apple

  • Artubus

  • Ash

  • Aspen

  • Birch - White (Silver and Common Birch)

  • Bamboo (be aware of splintering)

  • Broadleaf

  • Black Berry

  • Black Currant

  • Cholla - a form of cactus

  • Cottonwood

  • Crabapple

  • Dogwood

  • Elm

  • Fir

  • Grey

  • Grapevine

  • Hawthorn

  • Hazelnut

  • Kiwi

  • Larch

  • Magnolia

  • Manzanita

  • Mulberry

  • Ocotillo

  • Pear

  • Pecan

  • Pine (kiln-dried, found at home improvement stores)

  • Pine (white, also needs to be kiln-dried)

  • Poplar

  • Quince

  • Rose

  • Sycamore

  • Willow (not White Willow)

  • Yucca

Unsafe Woods

  • Almond

  • Apricot

  • Beech (some say beech is safe, other's say it is not so we don't use it as a precaution)

  • Birch - non-white (not Silver or Common Birch)

  • Black Locust

  • Black Lotus

  • Blackwood

  • Box Elder

  • Buckthorn

  • Cardboard

  • Cashew

  • Cedar (stay far away from that bedding sold at pet stores as they are toxic)

  • Cherry

  • Chestnut

  • China Berry

  • Chinese Snake Tree

  • Chokeberry

  • Chipboard / Particle Board / OSB / Fiberboard (this is scraps of wood glued together)

  • Citrus - Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Tangerine, etc.

  • Cypress

  • Ebony

  • Elderberry

  • Eucalyptus

  • Fir - Douglas

  • Fresh Pine (pine must be kiln dried before giving to chinchillas)

  • Ginkgo

  • Hemlock

  • Holly

  • Honey Locust

  • Hydrangea

  • Juniper

  • Kumquat

  • Locust

  • Laurel

  • Mahogany

  • Mango

  • Maple

  • Mesquite

  • Myrtle

  • Nectarine

  • Oak

  • Oleander

  • Peach

  • Pistachio

  • Plum

  • Pressure Treated (this is the wood at the hardware store that looks green)

  • Prune

  • Redwood

  • Sandalwood

  • Sequoia

  • Scrub Oak

  • Spruce

  • Stained or painted woods (stains and paints are toxic)

  • Teak

  • Unknown Woods (any unidentified woods are dangerous as they could be potentially toxic to chinchillas)

  • Walnut

  • Weeping Fig

  • White Willow

  • Yew

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