Popsicle Sticks

by susb8383c Sun 25 Nov 2018, 2:43 pm

Hi,

So, we all make a ton of things out of popsicle sticks. But I just discovered that popsicle sticks are made out of birch, and birch is on the toxic wood list (at least for rats):
https://www.thesprucepets.com/safe-and-toxic-woods-for-rats-1238293

So...why aren't all of our mice having issues when they chew on these?

Just wondering. I've never heard of a mouse having a problem. My guys chew their popsicle stick furniture all the time!

by CallaLily Mon 26 Nov 2018, 10:33 am

Popsicle sticks are completely safe for mice. Wink

I don’t know much about rats, I’ve never kept them. But I wonder if this isn’t one of those cases where it’s easier to just lump all birch onto the “toxic” list, rather than go through and list which types of birch are safe and which aren’t. I’ve seen it before on other safe/unsafe lists.

Not mice or rats, but here’s what a list for gerbils says:

Birch, several varieties are safe, White, grey, broadleaf, silver and common birch wood are regarded as safe to use. But others can be quite dangerous, so if in doubt it's best left alone. The Leaves and bark contain salicylates and substances with haemolytic properties (destroy red blood cells). Salicylate concentrations are however very low

http://www.egerbil.com/safe_woods_for_gerbils

So it looks to me like it depends on what type of birch and how it’s been treated.

Popsicle Sticks

Popsicle Sticks

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