Of all of the forage out there, I would like to go on one little topic, twigs. Twigs are amazing chew toys for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, etc; but how do you prepare them to ensure that they really are safe? To answer that question, I will be going over 3 ways on how to ensure that those twigs you want to give your rabbit are safe.
Option 1: Vinegar:
This, in my opinion, is the easiest option out there to sanitize your rabbit’s twigs, but nobody seems to know it. When you think about it, 50/50 is water and vinegar, and is a disinfectant, and cleaner, so getting rid of the water just makes it stronger. The same goes with twigs, the bacteria will be killed, along with any bugs or other organisms.
The steps to this process are so easy. First, you go out and collect your twigs from a tree that is free of pesticides and isn’t dead. Next, bring the twigs in, spray them with white vinegar, and allow them to air dry, or wipe them off.
This option is great for summer when you really don’t want to turn on the oven and make the house any more hot than it already is, or you’re just too lazy to do a little extra work. I would recommend wiping off the vinegar when using this option, especially if these twigs are going to a picky bunny, they might not like the vinegar taste.
Option 2: Baking:
The next and most beneficial option would be baking the twigs for long enough to kill the bacteria and bugs in the heat of an oven. This is a great option to ensure that all of the bacteria is dead, but some people are more on the conservative side for energy, and I respect that. If you conserve energy, this may not be the best option for you.
To kill bacteria through baking, you will need your sticks from a pesticide free tree that isn’t dead, and a baking sheet to place the twigs on. First, preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or 120 degree Celsius. From there, place the baking sheet with the twigs in the oven and allow them to bake for 30 minutes. This will leave the twigs bacteria free, and crispy as well.
The reason I say that this is the most beneficial way to kill bacteria on twigs, is because of the heat. Heat is probably the best way to kill off bacteria, and this method does just that, and it gets the job done without much effort.
Option 3: Washing:
The last option I will be reviewing today will be washing the twigs. This is an option for everyone, and is great for younger rabbit owners. By washing the twigs, you will be killing any bugs from the water, and also killing bacteria through scrubbing harshly.
To wash your twigs, you will want to have your twigs already, and a sponge of some sort. For this process, all you have to do is take the sponge and scrub vigorously at the stick with hot water running over it. The hot water can kill bacteria as well. Allow the sticks to air dry, if not, dry them of with a towel.
Do NOT use soap because soap should never be ingested by any organism. By washing the sticks with soap, you are putting your rabbit at a large risk of sickness and death through poisoning. I’m sorry if I broke it to you, but soap isn’t food for us, so it isn’t food for your pets either.
Why is This Step Important?
The step of disinfecting the sticks is so incredibly important for your rabbit’s health. Giving a rabbit a stick to chew and eat that just so happens to have bugs and bacteria nesting on it just sounds bad, and it really is terrible.
Your rabbit could end up with countless diseases, mites, worms, or possibly flystrike if there are flies coming in with the sticks. Flystrike would be an extremely rare scenario if you are properly grooming your rabbit, but it could happen at any time.
This really goes to show that every little detail does count and could save plenty of money, time, and sorrow. I realize that the scenarios I put out are quite serious, but some of them could easily become an issue without this step, so please, disinfect your rabbit’s sticks and twigs.
Works Cited:
Bam, et al. “How to Prepare Sticks/Twigs?” How to Prepare Sticks/Twigs? – BinkyBunny.com – House Rabbit Information Forum – BinkyBunny.com – BINKYBUNNY FORUMS – DIET & CARE, 2006, www.binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/128536/Default.aspx.
Suzuki, David. “Does Vinegar Kill Germs?” David Suzuki Foundation, 2019, davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/does-vinegar-kill-germs/
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