my ball loves to climb and yes petsmart had one of those but i went with the wood bc it was bigger. I was just trying to fill my big cage with enough things bc my ball is just a baby. I think i may try to scrub the branch off with bleach and water and a scratch pad, let it dry out and then put a couple of coats of Environmental Zip Guard water based urethane to protect it. It says right on the front that its not harmful to the ozone, non-toxic after dry, and clean air compliant.