Second-hand bunny furniture, safe?

[a reader of books]

I saw a nice second-hand bunny bridge from solid pine, but I was wondering if it would be safe? It's untreated wood, so it wouldn't be so easy to disinfect, I suppose? I looked around on the forum, but could only find threads about second-hand hutches, but those tend to be a lot easier to clean, with the wood having been treated, but at the same time, I imagine hutches would get a lot more contact with nasty things than a bridge? So, I'm unsure.

 

[joey&boo]

initially I was thinking previously owned by other bunnies in which case I wouldn't risk it, but just regular second hand I would if I loved it enough.

 

[Shimmer]

You could give it a deep clean in something like Virkon, let it dry out in the sun for several days, and then seal it with paint.

It would help if you knew its history. I would be wary if there was ANY chance it had been from rabbits that died from one of the main viruses (myxo, RVHD) - but you are unlikely to know for definite (and owners lie or just won't know).

I've only ever taken second hand wooden items (a newish hutch, run and various castle bits) with the rabbit I was collecting - so its history was quite clear. I generally don't think it's worth the risk with wood, though. Other items (bowls, plastic items) are much easier to disinfect for reuse.

Most used hutches are untreated wood - most people don't paint them on the inside - so they can be quite grotty in the toilet areas where urine has soaked into the wood.

 

[a reader of books]

I do mean previously owned by other bunnies, j&b. Thank you for your relpy, and for your thorough one as well, Shimmer. Sounds like it's not worth the risk, then, since I don't know anything about the bunnies who used it. I didn't know most hutches are untreated wood! I thought they'd at least have been waterproofed on the inside in some way with something.