D.I.Y Wood Chews

 One of the biggest expenses chinchilla owners face is the cost of chew toys, chew sticks, and wooden shelving. If you provide enough chew sources, we can hope that the chinchillas will focus on that and not their fancy houses or furniture. 

By collecting, cutting, and processing your own wood, you can save a pretty penny every year BUT only of you process your wood correctly. This means sourcing safe wood, cleaning it properly, and kiln drying it in your home oven. 
First you'll need to locate a source of wood. You'll need to only use wood that is SAFE for your chinchilla to chew. You can find a safe and unsafe wood list by clicking the button below. 
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Dirty water
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Finally Clean water!
One of the biggest steps is cleaning your wood well. You want to remove all the gross junk that has settled on your wood. Among the junk:
  • Dirt
  • Dust
  • Bird urine/feces
  • OTHER animal animal urine/feces
  • Most germs
  • Bugs/Bug nests
  • etc
I generally fill the sink 1/3 full of steamy hot water, and vigorously stir and rub the sticks together. The friction causes a majority of the junk to fall off into the water. That is what the picture ( above or to the left ) is showing, the first sink full of dirty water. If you skipped this step, your pet would be putting that in their mouths! Our domestic chinchillas do NOT have the immune system of their wild ancestors, so it's important we give them clean chews. 

Once you get the majority off, Drain your sink and clean each individual stick. Clean until your water runs clear. 
At this point, you would add your wood to a pot and fill it with water, but we like to add some chinchilla safe herbs to our water to give the wood some extra flavor and get the chins curious. We added hibiscus, Rose petals, Rosehips, and Bee Pollen to this batch. You can Omit this step and just add water! It's all personal preference! When you fill your pot, be sure to fill it where the water is just above the wood. You want it to be submerged. 
Boil your wood for 30 minutes. Drain, and Boil for another 30 minutes. This step helps hard deposits come loose and kills anything that may be on or in the wood. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam! 
After your second boil, Drain your wood and water in the sink. I chose to use a strainer ( because I had herbs I could collect and dry mixed in ). If you chose to add the same herbs I used, your water will be a orange/red color and that is normal. If you chose to use just water. you should drain a clear or slightly yellow water. If the water is brown, it was not cleaned well enough and should be rinsed and boiled until it runs as clear as possible.
Now, to bake and dry our wood! To bake, we recommend laying your wood out in a single layer, with similar sized pieces. This will help expedite the drying process. . . Though regardless it will take some time. ( we were sloppy here, sorry! ) 

Bake your wood on a lower temperature 200-250* checking it at 30 minute intervals until dry. ( this can take a few hours ). Smaller twigs need a lower temperature, larger pieces can withstand warmer tempature BUT do not exceed 350* or you risk burning your wood! 

( SOME chins do enjoy slightly toasted wood. Be careful you do not start a fire in your home trying to achieve this. ) 
To check if your wood is dry you can do a few things:
  • Snap Test: Try to bend your twigs/sticks. If they bend, they are not dry. If they snap, they are dry. 
  • When you open the oven, watch your glasses ( if you wear them ) to see if condensation forms. Normally this means there is still moisture and the wood is not dry. 
  • Tap larger pieces together and listen. It should sound hollow. If it does not, it is not dry. 
The outer bark will be darker, and look wrinkly. It should be hard. If you look at the end, you will see cracks in the wood, or the bark lifted slightly off the inner wood. 


Allow to cool, and store in a cardboard box, paper bag, or plastic container with holes drilled in it. Air flow is important to avoid molding if any moisture remains or is introduced back to your wood. 

A few tips! 

Save the blossoms. You can dry these to give to your Chinchillas as treats! 
Sometimes, depending when you harvest wood you will see white fuzzy stuff. It's safe, and on new growth... and Chin's LOVE it. 
Don't toss this! It's just a blossom bud. It just means your chinchilla will get a TREAT with their chew! Yum!
I know this may seem like a lot of work, but processing wood is a labor of love... especially when you consider it's just going to be chewed into oblivion. It IS a lot of work, and that is why it is $10-$20 a pound depending on the type and vendor! Many customers also forget, wood is a natural item. It won't always be beautiful, or straight, but as long as it is clean, looks are unimportant! Keep that in mind while you're shopping!