Tree Bark and Wood?

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This topic has 6sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by Bunnybuzz.

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- 09/19/2018 at 3:27 PM
  Bunnybuzz
  Participant
  223 posts
  Hi there
  
  I was thinking the other day day about how Ivory, my bunn, doesn’t get enough chew toys. She has willow balls and sea grass mats but she’s not much a chewer. Only chews what she’s not supposed…like blankets…and wire cords
  
  I have some un-treated pines out back and I know my past outdoor bunnies used to chew the pine sticks that fell on the ground. I would always take the sticks away because I wasn’t sure if they were safe. I know in the wild, bunnies eat tree bark and branches but didn’t know if it was safe for my bunns. Can I give her some to eat/chew? What trees are safe? I don’t have any willow sadly…
  
  Thanks,
  
  Finn
- 09/19/2018 at 3:46 PM
  Bunny House
  Participant
  1241 posts
  Oh no, please don’t give pine to bunnies. It is very toxic. Safe wood for buns is willow and aspen. That’s why most toys are out of willow sticks.
  You can buy untreated willow sticks for buns online like here and amazon. Getting hay blocks from kaytee are my buns only things they chew, I buy them so much to chew but they don’t care for anything besides the hay blocks.
  
  Hope that helps!
- 09/25/2018 at 1:05 PM
  Bunnybuzz
  Participant
  223 posts
  Posted By Bunny House on 9/19/2018 3:46 PM
  
  Oh no, please don’t give pine to bunnies. It is very toxic. Safe wood for buns is willow and aspen. That’s why most toys are out of willow sticks.
  You can buy untreated willow sticks for buns online like here and amazon. Getting hay blocks from kaytee are my buns only things they chew, I buy them so much to chew but they don’t care for anything besides the hay blocks.
  
  Hope that helps!
  
  Thank you so much! This will help me out a lot, good to know.
  
  Finn
- 09/25/2018 at 1:33 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16999 posts
  The House Rabbit Society has an article on chewing: http://rabbit.org/faq-chewing/
  
  My Bam loved apple twigs but also pieces of bigger branches. He was crazy good at gnawing off the bark. It seemed very enriching for him and he could have apple twigs even when he was on a diet because there’s apparently not lots of calories in them. Beware of apple trees that have been treated with pesticides though.
- 09/25/2018 at 2:53 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  I do agree with Bunny House that you have to careful about pine when it comes to litter and housing. (the phenols need to be removed). . Pine shavings as a litter has not been recommended due to the phenols that can affect the liver negatively. And pine pellets need to be free of the accelerants (if wood stove pellets). But as as far as chewing “untreated” pine, I have never heard of it to be toxic to chew on. The main HRS site, that Bam linked to, includes pine firewood; and untreated fresh pine lumber attached to cage so it doesn’t move–piece of molding, 1″x2″s, or 2″x4″s; as one of their suggestions for chewing. We actually have used that second suggestion of untreated pine lumber to cover hot chew spots and almost all my bunnies in the last decade or so have loved chewing on that.
  
  But if you have any concerns, there are definitely other options as Bam and BH have suggested. Willow, Aspen, Dogwood, Artichoke Sticks, Apple (fully dried). In the BinkyBunny store there is a variety pack of Nibble sticks which offer 4 different types of bunny safe wood chews.
- 09/25/2018 at 9:10 PM
  Bunnybuzz
  Participant
  223 posts
  Posted By bam on 9/25/2018 1:33 PM
  
  The House Rabbit Society has an article on chewing: http://rabbit.org/faq-chewing/
  
  My Bam loved apple twigs but also pieces of bigger branches. He was crazy good at gnawing off the bark. It seemed very enriching for him and he could have apple twigs even when he was on a diet because there’s apparently not lots of calories in them. Beware of apple trees that have been treated with pesticides though.
  
  Ooooh thank you, I’ll read that That’s good to hear.
  
  Thank you,
  
  Finn
- 09/26/2018 at 11:57 AM
  Bunnybuzz
  Participant
  223 posts
  Posted By BB on 9/25/2018 2:53 PM
  
  I do agree with Bunny House that you have to careful about pine when it comes to litter and housing. (the phenols need to be removed). . Pine shavings as a litter has not been recommended due to the phenols that can affect the liver negatively. And pine pellets need to be free of the accelerants (if wood stove pellets). But as as far as chewing “untreated” pine, I have never heard of it to be toxic to chew on. The main HRS site, that Bam linked to, includes pine firewood; and untreated fresh pine lumber attached to cage so it doesn’t move–piece of molding, 1″x2″s, or 2″x4″s; as one of their suggestions for chewing. We actually have used that second suggestion of untreated pine lumber to cover hot chew spots and almost all my bunnies in the last decade or so have loved chewing on that.
  
  But if you have any concerns, there are definitely other options as Bam and BH have suggested. Willow, Aspen, Dogwood, Artichoke Sticks, Apple (fully dried). In the BinkyBunny store there is a variety pack of Nibble sticks which offer 4 different types of bunny safe wood chews.
  
  That’s what I thought I had never seen anything saying no to pine wood but maybe…I don’t know. I’ll try those out! Thank you so much everybody,
  
  Finn
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