Willow leaves and branches? are they safe – getting them from outside?

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

 so in my neighborhood we have a huge willow tree. i never really thought about that willow tree until i received my order from BB and i saw some of the willow toys i ordered and they looked familiar… but i never really made the connection  

but a couple days later i realized that we have a willow tree and that the branches are the exact same thing that the toys are made of. so later that day i got some dead willow branches that were still hanging in the tree (it was very windy that day and past few days so i guess some branches snapped off the tree and they were just hanging on top of other branches) so i got those and they were already dried but i waited a day or two and then i gave them to my rabbit and he LOVES them, also a few days ago i got some willow branches that had some leaves on them and after waiting a day or two (so they were dry) i gave them to my rabbit and he loves the leaves even more ;o

i was just wondering if this is safe? i doubt they use pesticides because its on the side of the sidewalk and on the other side of there are the “woods” (i think they are trying to make houses there…. i dont know… they WERE but nothing has happened for a couple of years) and plus that tree has been there for YEARS, atleast 9 years. my friend lives right next to the tree so i would always remember that tree. i was also wondering if there is a special way of drying willow leaves/ branches? i just set them out on a table and the next day or two they are dry. my rabbit usually doesnt touch willow toys from the store but he loves the willow sticks i give him. is this safe? should i bake them first? i do not think there are any pesticides btw; in the summer there are lots of grasshoppers or cicadas hanging around in those trees. 

[Monkeybun]

It takes more than a day or 2 to safely dry wood.

Unless you are positive, 100%, that no pesticides are used, I would be cautious.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

well the willow branches i got were sort of already dried since they werent attached to the tree. they were already broken off from the tree, but they werent on the ground; just hanging on other branches since willow branches are sooo long

[kinggoblin]

Willow is one of the few that is safe raw or dried, you just have to worry about pesticides + bugs but putting them in the freezer or in the oven on 200 for awhile will kill the bugs.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

oh so its okay if the leaves and branches are still “alive” / wet/ raw? there arent any bugs on it at the moment since its winter though. but i will keep the freezer thing in mind when it gets a bit warmer

[Stickerbunny]

It’s usually best to bake wood at 200 for about 2 hours in order to sanitize it before giving it to domestic pets. Bacteria, fungus, bugs, etc grow inside of wood and you want to make sure to kill all that off. Freezer will kill off bugs, but it doesn’t kill off certain bacteria, heat is more effective.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

ahh okay, i never thought about that! my dad is afraid that they will burn on maybe catch on fire…. possibility? the willow branches here are EXTREMELY thin. (of course they are different sizes but most of them are very thin, around the size of a .9 piece of pencil lead)

[Monkeybun]

Wood needs to be at a very high temperature to actually catch on fire. 200 in the oven wouldn’t be enough to do that.

[BinkyBunny]

With willow — as long as there is not pesticides that has been used or anything toxic, then you can dry them without putting them in the oven, however, it’s best to make sure they are well ventilated with a constant fan going otherwise, (turning regularly) as fresh willow leaves and branches are moist and can get mildew.  Depending on how much willow and how thick it is, it can take several days to dry. 

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

the willow branches are EXTREMELY thin here (of course it varies from branch to branch) but its pretty thin. and oh okay, i’ll put them in the oven next time i get the willow branches! also, what about the leaves? do i need to put them in the oven too? the leaves usually dry completely in 3 days or so.

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