Cane brown rodent first (6)
I believe the answer is:
rattan
'cane' is the definition.
(I know that rattan is a type of cane)
'brown rodent first' is the wordplay.
'brown' becomes 'tan' (tan is a kind of brown).
'rodent' becomes 'rat' (rat is a kind of rodent).
'first' says to put letters next to each other.
'tan' after 'rat' is 'RATTAN'.
(Other definitions for rattan that I've seen before include "Plant with stems used in wickerwork" , "Climbing palm; cane" , "Cane for weaving furniture" , "Stem of climbing palm used in wickerwork" , "Stems of palms used for furniture" .)