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by Clif on January 14, 2005
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I found a really neat piece of an oak tree that would be perfect to put in my enclosure. My question is: does the wood need to be treated in some way to guard against parasites or anything else that could hurt the snake or is it ok to just rinse it off and place it inside? Maybe rinse it in alcohol and let it throughly dry? Microwave it? Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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by roadkruzer on January 14, 2005
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Hey Clif. Welcome to the SHHS website. I don't know how to disinfect wood, but it probably should be done to keep parasites away from your snake. I don't know that microwaving or soaking in alcohol would work suficiently because there is the possibility of alcohol not being able to soak completely into the wood to kill all the parasites. If a paraite is deep inside the wood the ammount of heat needed to penetrate that far could catch the wood on fire. I would try freezing the wood for a month or so. I know that freezing food items usually kills all paraites as long as it is frozen for a long enough period. Also, freezing should not damage or taint the wood like alcohol or microwaving could. I hope this helps.
Jason
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Anonymous post on January 14, 2005
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You could do a couple of things. If you were in a cooler climate there would be "less" to worry about. Some herpers rinse the logs thouroughly and this is all they do. I recommend a thorough rinse anyway. To treat the wood you could:
Bake the branch in the oven on a low setting @ 225F-275 for about a half hour. I wouldn't leave it alone during this time. Also, if you do this....soak your log in the bath tub for a good 20 minutes to prevent burning.
Place the log in a confined area and place a no - pest strip w/ it for a few days. Rinse the log thoroughly before serving ;-)
I also find that "Front Line" spray for dogs and cats works well for treating mites and ticks on snakes. If you sprayed the log down and rinsed it, I would think this would also do the trick.
If you ever have a "bug" infestation-when treating w/ any sort of chemicals it's imperative to remember to pull the water bowl.
Just a few ideas!
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by Clif on January 14, 2005
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Thanks, Jason.....freezing sounds like a great idea! And thanks for the kind welcome message.
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by Buzztail1 on January 14, 2005
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Clif,
I live (normally) in the same area that you do. I have baked stumps in the oven at 350F for 1/2 hour without soaking them with excellent results. If you do choose to bake your "cage furniture", make sure that you watch over it.
I baked a stump for my Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake community cage and it worked beautifully.
Good luck,
Karl
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by emtnurse on January 15, 2005
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Hey Cliff, I found the best way to treat this stuff is to freeze it for a couple of days. Either in a big freezer or if you live in a cold state like I do, then just leave it outsude. I search for driftwood when the lakes are down in January - February that way i know it has been froze. I had a wood hidebox I bought from the petstore and it gave my snake mites. I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes . And when I looked at it, I still saw mites moving around on it. I froze it after that, and never had any more problems. Just from my experience. Maybe my oven wasnt hot enough?? Anyways, hope this helps. Oh yeah, be sure to wash your wood in water before you freeze or heat it. Bryan
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by Granny on January 15, 2005
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Cliff, I don't know anything about snakes, I do however know a bit about wood.
If your limbs are green they will contain saps and gasses that prevent most any parasites.
Worms are the main parasites on oak trees and you would have noticed that already by the bore holes about the size of the tip of your finger.
Maybe a few ants under the bark.
Would'nt most snakes have a natural resistance to anything that may have came out of it's natural environment? But like I say, I don't know snakes.
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by agkistrodude on January 15, 2005
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Hey cliff, I've done this many times,I'd recomend alot longer than a 1/2 hour in the oven.This time of year the bugs go deep to keep from freezing.Make sure you heat it all the way through, at least an hour, I've done them for 2 hours.I also have a large chest freezer that I've put wood in. I'll usually wrap it up in a couple trash bags first and then freeze it for a minimum of 2 weeks.With both of these methods I've never had a bug problem. Good luck, Marty
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by emtnurse on January 16, 2005
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Hey Anonymous, that was pretty good information you gave. Looks alot like the info "The Phantom" gave before there name was degraded. Welcome back Phantom.
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