I just received an enclosure I purchased for our Russian tortoise, and upon opening the box it’s has a very strong smell like cedar. The listing online says it’s fir. Can anyone share their experience with fir? Does it smell like cedar? I don’t want to keep it if it will make him sick.
Does fir smell like cedar?
- Thread starter Dcatalano
- Start date
I think what you’ve received is something made of Chinese Fir. I ordered a raised planter that was made of “fir” from amazon. My dad is a carpenter and I took the pieces to him to make a few ammendments and as soon as he saw the wood he told me it was cedar, not fir. I reached out to the company and after a very long investigation and a ton of research I learned it was made of Chinese fir, which isn’t the fir wood that you and I know in North America. It’s actually from the cedar family. Here’s a link to the thread where I wrote about this previously.
www.tortoiseforum.org
Can I use a cedar planter to grow tortoise food?
I recently ordered a large raised garden bed that I intended to use as an outdoor house this summer for my small Hermann’s tortoise (will be around 1 year old by the time it’ll be warm enough to go outside). The planter I bought was advertised as fir, but when it arrived it is definitely cedar...
www.tortoiseforum.org
Thank you for sharing your experience. I double checked the listing and it says fir. My husband agreed it was definitely cedar. Now I have to try to return it and find something that is safe.I think what you’ve received is something made of Chinese Fir. I ordered a raised planter that was made of “fir” from amazon. My dad is a carpenter and I took the pieces to him to make a few ammendments and as soon as he saw the wood he told me it was cedar, not fir. I reached out to the company and after a very long investigation and a ton of research I learned it was made of Chinese fir, which isn’t the fir wood that you and I know in North America. It’s actually from the cedar family. Here’s a link to the thread where I wrote about this previously.
Can I use a cedar planter to grow tortoise food?
I recently ordered a large raised garden bed that I intended to use as an outdoor house this summer for my small Hermann’s tortoise (will be around 1 year old by the time it’ll be warm enough to go outside). The planter I bought was advertised as fir, but when it arrived it is definitely cedar...
I know how you feel, the whole situation completely sucks. The listing for the planter I bought was advertised as fir too. I made such a big fuss about it to the manufacturer about how their advertising could have killed my tortoise, that they did change their listing to now say Chinese fir. Still, the buyer would have to do their homework to know it’s not from the North American fir family...but it’s better than nothing I guess. If I would have just built the planter and used it without taking it to my dad first, I would have never known the difference. I’m glad you and your husband realized something wasn’t right, right away. Good luck with your hunt for a new enclosure.
As soon as I opened one end of the box, I could smell cedar. I just thought maybe somehow fir was supposed to smell like that too. ?
Glad to know what the issue is and hope for a return and refund. I plan to build the outdoor enclosure but really wanted a nice covered enclosure for indoors over winter. The enclosure that came with him is coming apart but I might be able to fix it and (with my husband’s help) construct a lid for it. Thanks again!
