birch wood and rats

Question
Hello. we have two rats and are building a bigger cage for them. Part of the cage will be made out of wood. Is Birch wood OK for rats? I know there are certain kinds that are bad because of the oils, but i can't find anything about birch wood. Thank you!

Answer
I think birch wood is all right.  The woods that are bad for rats are pine and cedar, because they have aromatic oils.  Even then it's mostly the bedding that effects them, the wood of the cage shouldn't be that big of a problem.  One thing to watch though is that rat urine can quickly seep into bare wood and can get quite smelly after a while, so you should try to minimize contact with the wood so your cage lasts a bit longer.  Good luck!