Safe Woods? (acacia)

[DayDreamer210]

Hello,

We are looking to make or buy a crate type hay rack but are not sure about what woods are safe.

We have found one in Ikea that is made of Acacia wood I have trawled the internet but cannot find any information about Acacia wood and guinea pigs any thoughts and suggestions?

Thank you,
From Peaches, Apricot, Sweetpea and Buttercup (:

 

[Veggies Galore]

Anyone ?

 

[Eriathwen]

It's safe for gerbils if that's of any help? Ours had acacia bits and bobs from time to time. I would imagine if it's safe for one rodent then it would be safe for all?

 

[Namaah]

I may be wrong but I would say it's not safe for guinea pigs. I found something saying that the young leaves are ok for rabbits but the wood isn't.
I also found a study where they used guinea pigs to test the safety of handling acacia wood for humans. Some elements caused allergic dermatitis and respiritory problems. This was with extracted elements and probably in high concentrations but I dont think I would risk it

 

[Eriathwen]

From what I understand, it's a big 'no' for raw (twigs, branches etc) acacia because of the sap. Once it's been made into something and dried is when it seems ok to use, that being said, it's not worth the risk if you're not 100% that it's safe. I personally wouldn't give it to my two after having a better look into it and i've given it to other animals without issue.

 

[Swissgreys]

Hello,


We have found one in Ikea that is made of Acacia wood I have trawled the internet but cannot find any information about Acacia wood and guinea pigs any thoughts and suggestions?

The first problem is that any wood used in mass production (such as for a store like Ikea) is highly likely to have been treated, or exposed to a wood treatment at some point in the manufacturing process.
The storage and handling would not have been 'food grade', because the item isn't intended to be used with food, so the wood could have been exposed to all manner of things, both during manufacture and also storage.
Secondly there are hundreds of species of Acacia (one of my all time favorite Australian trees btw) and whilst I am know many are harmless, some are not, and without specific details on the variety used it is impossible to tell.

So if it was me I wouldn't risk it.