How to Dye Wood for Non Toxic Pet Toys

Certain pets such as birds, rats and hamsters, all have an inborn instinct to chew. Providing them with plenty of objects to fulfill this need is of great importance, if you want them to keep from chewing on personal items or other personal possessions. The preferable chew toy material is wood, but only wood that is free of all dangerous chemicals. Regular hardwoods such as natural balsam and pine work wonderfully in designing your own wooden toys for your pets. And since most creatures that chew will be drawn to bright colors, coloring the wood with a non-toxic dying substance is essential. Kool-Aid not only tastes great, but it can also provide bold colors for your pet’s wooden chew toys. The whole process is inexpensive and easy to do, and the results are brilliant.

Things You'll Need

  • Pieces of natural, untreated wood
  • Saw
  • Rubber gloves
  • Unsweetened Kool-Aid packets
  • Water
  • Bowls
  • Vinegar
  • Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut pieces of natural, untreated wood into shapes and sizes appropriate for your pet's needs. Square blocks and triangular shapes are easiest and have great angles for gnawing and chewing. It is not necessary to make perfectly cut pieces. If an intended square looks more like a rectangle, your pet will surely not notice.

    • 2

      Sand all of the wood pieces until they are smooth and free of any rough edges. A piece of heavy grit sandpaper will smooth the wood, while still giving it enough texture to accept the non-toxic dye.

    • 3

      Open each Kool-Aid packet and pour it individually into separate bowls. Each packet will provide a different color dye for your wood pet toys. Fill each bowl with a small amount of water. But since you will want to keep the colors intense, use only about one cup per bowl of Kool-Aid.

    • 4

      Mix the Kool-Aid well, until all of the particles are dissolved in the water. Add a few drops of vinegar to the mix, which will help the Kool-Aid adhere to the wood pieces.

    • 5

      With a soft cloth, rub down all of your wood pieces with the rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol will work as a disinfectant on your wood toys, freeing them of anything that may be harmful.

    • 6

      Put on a pair of gloves to protect your hands from the dye, and set each of your wood pieces into the bowls of colored Kool-Aid, rotating them as necessary. The wood should immediately begin to pick up the brilliance of the colors, and the longer you keep the wood in the bowls, the more vibrant they will become. You can even switch the wood pieces into different bowls to mix the colors.