So their is a lot of controversy regarding these bark hamster accessories! Here I will try and post the factual evidence behind these products.
Most of these bark toys come from either Niteangel or Trixie but this post is mainly focusing on Trixie bark products as I did not get an email back from Niteangel.
Now before we go in depth about what is wrong with these products,lets clear up a few definitions:
What is coniferous wood?
"The Pinophyta, also known as Coniferophyta or Coniferae, or commonly as conifers, are a division of vascular land plants containing a single extant class, Pinopsida. They are gymnosperms, cone-bearing seed plants. All extant conifers are perennial woody plants with secondary growth"
What are some examples of coniferous wood?
"Typical examples of conifers include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauris, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews. The division contains approximately eight families, 68 genera, and 630 living species. The Ponderosa Pine, aconifer, is the Montana State Tree."
Is coniferous wood dangerous to hamsters?
"Some of this wood on its own is safe if chewed such as china fir. The problem comes in with them leaking resin, this substance can cause harm to the cheek pouches, rip out fur and is highly toxic to animals."
Now lets talk about resin
According to the brand these products are made of china fir, a coniferous wood. This wood is a variation of the softwood family, meaning they have the possibility of either producing resin canals through trauma or simply resin canals already in the wood (explained in info graphic below)
So what does this mean? Any coniferous/softwood tree can produce resin ducts if they are not already present, but for this to happen their needs to be trauma on the wood. These can not be caused by hand and must take place while the wood is "alive".
So knowing this possibility (resin) what information is there on the topic? Luckily for us nature is one of the most studied subjects that also presents the largest amount of information available. Here is the abstract of a study made on conifers and their production of resin:
In the study it is speculated that the resin produced with the purpose of killing insects such as bark beetles to aid in the survival of these trees, this being said it is easy to say that these trees produce a toxic type of resin. Trixie themselves also admitted to this resin being poisonous as seen below
In the following pictures their will be a few more elements talking about resin ducts to finish one of the main concerns when it comes to these products as well as one of the biggest risks run when using them.
Now lets talk (more) risks
Not only do these products run the risk of producing resin but their are a few more risks to consider:
1. Nails; Trixie has mentioned before the use of nails in their products. Many individuals have reported these having a misplacement and sticking out of the wood which can harm a hamster in many ways.
2. Glue; after messaging trixie they informed me they use cellulose or rubber mix for their products. After researching I found the following study made on the most common type of cellulose glue which is Carboxymethyl Cellulose
It was recorded that this chemical lowered the GSH levels in hamsters at a 19 and 36 percent. It is mentioned at the beginning of the study that if these levels lower to much it can cause the death of cells (picture of the study below)
As you can see if their is a large change in the GSH levels can cause cell death, and as shown in the study this chemical compound lowers these levels from a 19 to 36 percent when fed a small amount of this material, if a hamster were to consume large amounts of this glue they can run the same risk
3. Splintering; It seems to be a common occurrence with these products for them to splinter, sadly this can cause cuts on the paws, cut open skin and possibly poke an eye meaning this is an important factor to look out for
4. Small entry ways; Dwarf hamsters need a minimum of a 5 cm entry way while syrians will need a 7 cm entry way. This is an important factor when it comes to hides, because if an entry way is to small a hamster can harm their cheek pouches while trying to cross. This is the reason these minimums are set in place
5. Small hides; Just because hamsters like getting into crammed spaces doesn't mean they should have small hides. Hamsters should be provided with large and multiple hides providing enough space for them to get up and turn, move and overall sleep comfortably which sadly these toys don't provide
Testimonies
All of the following testimonies have been submitted by different individuals about the following products or similar variations.
Before we begin I would like to mention the following:
You CAN NOT induce traumatic resin canals forming. These are already present in the wood (mentioned in picture below) all an individual can do at home is help the resin to leak, this is normally done accidentally by baking products as a form of sanitation for wooden items
After reading all this I assume you have made your own opinion on these sort of products. There are many factors to consider with these products and just like any situation it isn't all black and white.
A few elements in this toy line like the solid wooden wheel by trixie COULD be modified to make it safe for long term use but once again no one has done this successfully and there is multiple cases of these wheels leaking which is one of the huge downfalls of these products.
It seems to be that these products present an issue of quality control considering the large amount of products produced by this brand. I can not sit here and tell you what to think as those are your own conclusions to draw. All I can do is bring these issues to your attention and hope your draw your own conclusions.
I personally find way more cons to these style accessories and do not agree with the use of these products. They are considered unsafe not only by me but by multiple owners. If you have any of these products in your enclosure I highly recommend for you to remove these products from your pets environment to avoid any issues with your small pet as there have been reported issues of these toys causing harm to rodents.
