homemade chew sticks

[Nugget-and-potato]

I was wondering if I could make my own chewsticks lately, and I've come up with an idea. If I cut some small healthy branches from a red maple tree, scrape off all of the bark, and boil it for 10 minutes, would it be okay to give it to them? I could also bake them, to help kill off any remaining bacteria or potential parasites.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Mine love having the occasional apple twig to chew on. I just take a piece off my tree, wash it and scrub it to ensure it is clean and any lichen isn't present and then just give it to them. No need to bake or strip the bark - its the bark they love chewing off so if I stripped it off, then they would just ignore the twig!

I dont know whether maple is safe thought, so you would need to check that.

 

[Nugget-and-potato]

Thanks!

Mine love having the occasional apple twig to chew on. I just take a piece off my tree, wash it and scrub it to ensure it is clean and any lichen isn't present and then just give it to them. No need to bake or strip the bark - its the bark they love chewing off so if I stripped it off, then they would just ignore the twig!

I dont know whether maple is safe thought, so you would need to check that.

 

[TinyPiggies]

I was planning on cutting some apple sticks for them. I do plan to let them out on the grass in the summer so hopefully a natural level of bugs etc will be ok.

 

[Swissgreys]

I regularly cut apple, pear, willow and mulberry twigs for the piggies and rabbits.
I rinse them and give them straight to them and they are always quite popular.
I once bought them form the pet shop and no one touched them - I think fresh and with bark (and the occasional leaf) makes them far more appetising.