Wood Branches

[jonny666]

I lve by a river and was wondering what is the best way to clean fallen branches for use in an aboreal cage? I've always bleached then put in oven to destroy anything and have not had any problems so far but wanted to see if anyone else had any tips thanx.

[Will0W783]

Don't bother with branches. Make them scorched PVC perches. PVC Climbing Structure/Perch - The Venom List (http://venomlist.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6475)

[Kmef07]

Ya the thing i would worry about with the branches is that they come off a tree that isn't poisioness to the snake. even though they are throughly cleaned it doesn't mean that they won't leak some sap or something over time.

[Kmef07]

Ya be careful though because the pvc when you torch it gives off very toxic fumes and they can be really harmful so make sure you do it outside away from kids.

[Will0W783]

Well yeah, and you rinse them off well before you put them in with the snake. Do it outside or in a ventilated garage.

[Kmef07]

Yep or you could be dumb like me and do it in your dads workshop and he comes down and says what the hell are you doing you are going to kill yourself. I found out about the fumes that way.

[Will0W783]

Lol- did you get loopy from them?

[Chu'Wuti]

1) You can check out plants here to be sure they're safe for your snake: Edible and Harmful Plants (http://www.anapsid.org/resources/plants.html)

2)Basically you want to avoid cedar, pine, fir--the aromatic softwoods. They are most likely (esp. cedar) to contain toxic phenols that could be harmful. The hardwoods are generally safe.

3) If you bake the wood you choose at 250 deg F for 3-4 hours, you dry it out completely and kill any organisms it harbors. Just be careful to check it frequently, say every 20-30 minutes, the last hour or so to ensure it doesn't start smoking. If you see sap bubbling out of it, bake it longer until it no longer bubbles.

[Kmef07]

sandy you are awesome i was just gettin on to check out your post on another thread about harmful plants and i came across this and it saved me a little trouble... THANKS