woodshaving chunks

[imogen]

So I have been using different kinds of woodshavings and bedding with my gerbils (making sure it's not going to be a wood they're allergic to of course), and one thing I've noticed with some woodshavings is that there can be larger chunks of wood IN the shavings, and that this a frequent complaint on website review pages from disgruntled pet owners, saying that it is "dangerous". Now I don't wanna put my little lads in danger! But when they encounter a large bit of wood, they just get stuck in breaking it apart, like Vaughan did this morning;




He simply grabbed this big piece and got to work. He didn't seem to be in pain or anything. Perhaps I am not seeing the risks yet? I of course wouldn't want to find a sharp wooden stake in there lol but they seem to enjoy breaking it all apart.

Rest assured, in their bedding right now they also have meadow hay, paper bedding and some Kaytee Clean and Cosy, so there's other stuff to snuggle in. Can gerbils get splinters in this stuff? They seem happy and active atm. I just wanted to know the thoughts of the forum~ Thanks in advance!

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

This is actually pretty much exactly how I have my tank, with the same bedding (the hay, paper bedding, and Kaytee as well). I've had it like this for about two years, and haven't had a problem. It does have some pretty big chunks like this, but as you're seeing with Vaughan, they actually seem to enjoy it, so I didn't remove it, and I've never had any problems. mygerbilprince pointed out in another thread about bedding, that these shavings can be dangerous for gerbils (for different reasons related to the wood itself, not the spears). I'm still looking into that a little bit, but as far as I've read, it seems that a lot of wood-shaving beddings are like that, while some are not, and it's just about getting the right one. Of course I may be wrong about that or the spears, but that's just my experience with this bedding.

[imogen]

Sept 14, 2023 6:45:49 GMT -8 TJ's Rodent Ranch said:

This is actually pretty much exactly how I have my tank, with the same bedding (the hay, paper bedding, and Kaytee as well). I've had it like this for about two years, and haven't had a problem. It does have some pretty big chunks like this, but as you're seeing with Vaughan, they actually seem to enjoy it, so I didn't remove it, and I've never had any problems. mygerbilprince pointed out in another thread about bedding, that these shavings can be dangerous for gerbils (for different reasons related to the wood itself, not the spears). I'm still looking into that a little bit, but as far as I've read, it seems that a lot of wood-shaving beddings are like that, while some are not, and it's just about getting the right one. Of course I may be wrong about that or the spears, but that's just my experience with this bedding.

Glad to see this isn't an outrageous bedding combination. I will of course keep an eye on this stuff to make sure they're not injured or anything, or having trouble breathing. For the record I've used Pets at Home woodshavings and atm I've got Wilkos woodshavings, largely because it's very cheap in the first place and of course Wilkos is collapsing right now and I thought I'd might as well try it while I can. I will say this current stuff is the prickliest bedding I've used yet, so I'll gladly use other stuff in future. But yeah, any opinions/experiences with the chunky stuff is appreciated.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Yeah, some of it is really difficult to use actually. When I first started using shavings I tried three other brands before I finally found the one I use now. One of them stuck me constantly, it was so prickly I didn't feel comfortable using it with the gerbs for long since it was just splinters everywhere, and I figured they couldn't enjoy that. Another one was so dusty I couldn't get through one small cage change without having to get a cough drop - really. It was absolutely horrible, I was on the phone with someone during the experience and often they couldn't hear me/I couldn't hear them due to the fact that I was drowning in dust. I figured the gerbils wouldn't be happy living in it if I couldn't survive in a cage change for five minutes. The third smelled completely of chemicals, so much so that I didn't even put it in the tank, I was sure it would make them sick, the smell gave me a headache. Then I found the one I'm using now, which both me and the gerbils seem to be quite happy with. I've bred litters on the bedding and have had completely healthy pups, as well as all my gerbils have been living on it with no apparent health problems. So I do believe that combined with the soft paper bedding, and fluffy bedding, wood shavings can be really great.

[LilyandDaisy]

Some types of wood shavings do tend to contain larger pieces, especially cheaper brands. I would remove any really sharp bits just in case they poke an eye or something while the gerbils are burrowing, but otherwise it's fine to leave any chunks in.

[mygerbilprince]

Hey! Since I'm mentioned here (thanks for the shout out!), I'd like to add that hemp and aspen shavings are safe for gerbils, but pine and cedar are generally considered not because of the impact they can have on gerbils little lungs If pine or cedar works for you, great! Who am I to tell you what to do?

BUT... I've seen many hamster influencers (ex. Victoria Raechel) who base their content on the very high standards of German animal care, and they suggest not to use pine and cedar because of the risks.

I highly suggest this video if you're interested in learning more: Safe & Unsafe Bedding 
and this link to a study on the impacts of pine and cedar on humans: Study

As for the chunks of wood, I wouldn't worry! If they're breaking down the larger bits I think they'll be alright!

[imogen]

Sept 14, 2023 18:48:18 GMT -8 mygerbilprince said:

Hey! Since I'm mentioned here (thanks for the shout out!), I'd like to add that hemp and aspen shavings are safe for gerbils, but pine and cedar are generally considered not because of the impact they can have on gerbils little lungs If pine or cedar works for you, great! Who am I to tell you what to do?

BUT... I've seen many hamster influencers (ex. Victoria Raechel) who base their content on the very high standards of German animal care, and they suggest not to use pine and cedar because of the risks.

I highly suggest this video if you're interested in learning more: Safe & Unsafe Bedding 
and this link to a study on the impacts of pine and cedar on humans: Study

As for the chunks of wood, I wouldn't worry! If they're breaking down the larger bits I think they'll be alright!

Hi! I'm glad you brought up the pine/cedar thing because I really care about whether the bedding I buy has anything the gerbs won't be able to handle, and I've tried my best to investigate what different brands use, even asking staff in-store. However, watching that first video you sent me tells that "softwood" on packages just means its got cedar and pine in it. So you can imagine my ire when I find that I've been using different bedding that's advertised this way!

Wilkos for instance sells bedding that says "softwood" on it. It's so, so baffling to me that anything that might hurt your pet is sold like this. Why are they making toxic bedding! The mind reels. I shall be heading to Pets At Home and get them something appropriate tomorrow. My gerbils have only had the bad bedding about a week so hopefully they haven't developed any issues yet, but I shall be very paranoid about their health now

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

I work with pine bedding, and like I said I haven't had any problems with it so far, but I definitely do believe better safe than sorry. All the petstores available to me only sell things that include pine, and/or have too much dust, smells like chemicals. I'm looking for a good wood bedding that doesn't contain pine or cedar, that I can buy online.
I'm really not sure what to look for since it all seems to be marked and searched by brand... does anyone have any recommendations?
Like I said, the pine has been working well for me, but I don't want to wait until one of them gets ill to find out there's a problem, if there is a problem.
And yeah, thanks again to mygerbilprince for pointing this out to me, I'd never heard of it before now and I want to make sure above all that the gerbils are happy and well

[Markpd]

Cedar is an easy and clear 'no' to it's use for bedding due to certain fumes/vapours it gives off (I forget what).

Pine is more tricky and depends on the particular pine trees it was sourced from. It is generally considered that the kiln dried pine shavings here in the UK are safe, but in the US it is more dubious IIRC.
This article by fivelittlehams goes into detail and hopefully will give you the answers you need.

I use hemp, works well for my gerbils

That sometimes has big chunks too, which my boys enjoy chewing up . The issue is whether they are sharp, rather than being big. Lots of sharp bits could be risky to them when they burrow, but I bet that any plant/tree based bedding has at least a small amount of sharp bits!

[mygerbilprince]

For bedding I'd recommend Small Pet Select on Amazon, it's what I personally use. It comes in aspen, shredded paper, and pelleted paper bedding. Unfortunately, from what I've found, they only ship to the US. Paper bedding is my personal favorite, and I've heard Fitch and Megazorb are good brands in the UK. Aspen and hemp work just fine, just a personal bias of mine.

Imogen, no need to be paranoid! I'm sure your gerbils will be just fine! A week is hardly long enough to develop issues! Everyone makes mistakes, I had my gerbils in unsafe bedding for years until I researched it and realized! Don't worry, it's clear you love your pets very much and take excellent care of them!

[imogen]

Sept 17, 2023 14:32:45 GMT -8 mygerbilprince said:

For bedding I'd recommend Small Pet Select on Amazon, it's what I personally use. It comes in aspen, shredded paper, and pelleted paper bedding. Unfortunately, from what I've found, they only ship to the US. Paper bedding is my personal favorite, and I've heard Fitch and Megazorb are good brands in the UK. Aspen and hemp work just fine, just a personal bias of mine.

Imogen, no need to be paranoid! I'm sure your gerbils will be just fine! A week is hardly long enough to develop issues! Everyone makes mistakes, I had my gerbils in unsafe bedding for years until I researched it and realized! Don't worry, it's clear you love your pets very much and take excellent care of them!

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look into them for the future.

I do get very paranoid about them getting hurt- when I was a kid I had some gerbils and accidentally hurt one, she had to go to the vet. She was okay, but I am haunted by the thought I'm gonna cause my little ones pain   But I really appreciate you saying that, prince!