"Tequila wood" ?

[James Terry]

I am hoping that some of you wood experts can give me ideas on this question. At the pet shop I have seen 6"x12" blocks of wood that are for birds to pull apart to make nests. I believe it is a cactus wood. It is fibrous and light and I can scratch out fibers with my fingernails. The sales guy called it "tequila wood" which suggests to me that it is agave wood. Have you any ideas on the specifics of this wood and where I can get some?

My intent is to experiment with it as a nectar feeder for small sap-sucker mammals with the hope that they will learn to tear into it to get at the dripping nectar and get a little mental stimulation in the doing.

[Jon van der Linden]

James, I don't think you can get this commercially. I know that here in California people have used it to make surfboards. It has several problems. First, it's not wood. It also has lots of small fibers that will stick to you and make you itch like fiberglass can... so it might not be a lot of fun. In essence you have to catch the agave or century plant when it flowers (otherwise there's no stalk). Cutting the large flower stalk at the right moment is critical to getting something that isn't rotten, and it can have a hollow in the center.

There are other types of cactus material, but agave is where tequila comes from. I wouldn't recommend it for you or for the little critters.