Thinking of using some harvested branches. - Page 2

Terranaut · 11-13-13, 08:17 AM

So do people using bioactive substrates wash and clean the bugs they introduce to ensure they are not carrying parasites?

@formica
In Ontario, non comercial use of pesticides has been illegal for years now. I almost wonder if your UK wood has different potential pitfalls than on this side of the pond. BUT I still caution your use of the words "understanding" or lack there of as I have seen you post in another thread. Just for once consider that maybe you are the person lacking understanding here? Maybe doing all of this washing and baking is for not? Please show me an example of someone who has lost there snake due to some infestation from wood they gathered from the wild....many members here have proven the "no wash" method works fine.
Perhaps being on different continents presents different situations?

Kid Boa · 11-13-13, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

Wow... insane.

Use them AS IS.

Are you germophobes afraid of cooties???

What exactly do you think is going to happen?

Agree ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All I ever do is strip the bark off and let the wood dry and I only do this because I like the looks.

On the other hand, if you wanted to clean the wood you can, its just really not need.

I have had 12 Boas over the years and never had an incident.

MizCandice · 11-13-13, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

Wow... insane.

Use them AS IS.

Are you germophobes afraid of cooties???

What exactly do you think is going to happen?

Um where I live I worry about pestasides from local village/city spraying.... bugs of all sorts... and yes germs from animals captive bred snakes arent exposed to! I personally do bleach solution AND dry in the oven. If there to large though you can of course air dry itll take longer though. Maybe its overkill but Id rather err on the side of caution... if it were a local wild caught animal then the exposure to the natural fauna wouldnt be an issue but a ball python, sand boa etc.. I wouldnt risk it.

KORBIN5895 · 11-13-13, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terranaut

So do people using bioactive substrates wash and clean the bugs they introduce to ensure they are not carrying parasites?

@formica
In Ontario, non comercial use of pesticides has been illegal for years now. I almost wonder if your UK wood has different potential pitfalls than on this side of the pond. BUT I still caution your use of the words "understanding" or lack there of as I have seen you post in another thread. Just for once consider that maybe you are the person lacking understanding here? Maybe doing all of this washing and baking is for not? Please show me an example of someone who has lost there snake due to some infestation from wood they gathered from the wild....many members here have proven the "no wash" method works fine.
Perhaps being on different continents presents different situations?

Are you saying he might not know what he is talking about?????? Seriously? I think that may be the understatement of the year.

Terranaut · 11-13-13, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Are you saying he might not know what he is talking about?????? Seriously? I think that may be the understatement of the year.

What I am saying is maybe he shouldn't tell others that they don't know what they are talking about when they are well aware of "enter topic here" . He actually told me in another thread I have no understanding of thermo regulation. I let it go but now suggesting many of us suffer a lack of understanding...well...you know how I would feel right ?

Mikoh4792 · 11-13-13, 10:15 AM

So what is there to understand about thermoregulation?(that we don't know of)

Terranaut · 11-13-13, 10:22 AM

I don't want to kill this thread so I will leave it at that. If you find an old thermostat thread where I support the use of cheaper thermostats you can read the whole thing. Once he said that I just laughed and moved on.

Mikoh4792 · 11-13-13, 10:27 AM

nevermind i remember that thread

drumcrush · 11-13-13, 10:27 AM

I baked my branches at 250 for an hour

shaunyboy · 11-13-13, 10:40 AM

i fill my bath with water and add some bleach,then i put the branches into the water, wieghing them down with a few house bricks,to keep them submerged,i let them soak for a few hours...

then i empty the bleach water out the bath and hose the branches down with my shower head,scrubbing any dirty areas with a scrubbing brush...

then i fill the bath up with clean water and let the branches soak for another few hours,to fget rid of any remaining bleach...

then i put the branches into the cuboard our hot water tanks in to dry out

once dry i cut to size and put them in the snake tanks

cheers shaun

formica · 11-13-13, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terranaut

So do people using bioactive substrates wash and clean the bugs they introduce to ensure they are not carrying parasites?

@formica
In Ontario, non comercial use of pesticides has been illegal for years now. I almost wonder if your UK wood has different potential pitfalls than on this side of the pond. BUT I still caution your use of the words "understanding" or lack there of as I have seen you post in another thread. Just for once consider that maybe you are the person lacking understanding here? Maybe doing all of this washing and baking is for not? Please show me an example of someone who has lost there snake due to some infestation from wood they gathered from the wild....many members here have proven the "no wash" method works fine.
Perhaps being on different continents presents different situations?

when I set up a bioactive substrate, the substrate itself is soaked and heated, to sterilize it, then I add various arthropods depending on the exact setup.

infact in the UK, reptiles are far rarer than the US, chances are lower of any of the said parasites et al, being present - that doesnt mean that they arnt there

imo it is good practice, and learning good practice is what people should do when they start....you can cut corners later on, once you have experience and are able to identify problems and their causes before they become critical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terranaut

What I am saying is maybe he shouldn't tell others that they don't know what they are talking about when they are well aware of "enter topic here" . He actually told me in another thread I have no understanding of thermo regulation. I let it go but now suggesting many of us suffer a lack of understanding...well...you know how I would feel right ?

you stated that pulse and dimmer thermostats cause snakes to become inactive, you infered that snakes require a specific tempreture, and once they find it, they wont move, neither of these things are true, and both suggestions imply a misunderstanding of thermoregulation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Are you saying he might not know what he is talking about?????? Seriously? I think that may be the understatement of the year.

grow up.

infernalis · 11-13-13, 12:34 PM

I am going to be honest, when I brought in the first ton of dirt, I did not realize it had dormant bees in it... what happened when that dirt warmed up?? we all know what happened, I had a couple dozen bees in my house during the winter.

Lesson learned.

However, a narrow diameter limb, cut from a LIVE tree and placed in an enclosure is low risk, IF the limb has bore holes in it, leave it in the woods..

I know MANY top notch keepers who have collected drift wood off beaches and used them as is, and I know several top name biologists who say the same thing as I do, bleaching sticks is overkill.

Do as you wish, but I am certainly not going to start getting scared of a stick anytime soon.

Sterilizing bio substrate? (no comment, I'd have to ban myself)

Terranaut · 11-13-13, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

when I set up a bioactive substrate, the substrate itself is soaked and heated, to sterilize it, then I add various arthropods depending on the exact setup.

infact in the UK, reptiles are far rarer than the US, chances are lower of any of the said parasites et al, being present - that doesnt mean that they arnt there

imo it is good practice, and learning good practice is what people should do when they start....you can cut corners later on, once you have experience and are able to identify problems and their causes before they become critical.

you stated that pulse and dimmer thermostats cause snakes to become inactive, you infered that snakes require a specific tempreture, and once they find it, they wont move, neither of these things are true, and both suggestions imply a misunderstanding of thermoregulation.

grow up.

Stay on topic. If you wish to discuss it start your own thread.
Show me examples of materials in a tree cut from a private yard where a snake became ill or died from it. This is not corner cutting....it is not wasting my time doing something that is not required. Do you wash prey? Do you filter the air in the enclosure? Do you bath your snakes in distilled water?
I do none of this and have never had a snake with a fungal, parasitic or any other infection that wasn't there when I rescued it.
I have had wood mites in an enclosure before...that's it.
I do not understand why you would bleech/bake dirt and then add bugs to it. Kinda like clear cutting a forest to grow some trees IMHO ???

formica · 11-13-13, 01:01 PM

myself and a significant number of experienced people disagree with you. get over it.

and if you dont want other things brought up, then perhaps you should leave those topics out of the thread in the first place. dont expect me not to retort when you attempt to discredit me.

Terranaut · 11-13-13, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

myself and a significant number of experienced people disagree with you. get over it.

and if you dont want other things brought up, then perhaps you should leave those topics out of the thread in the first place. dont expect me not to retort when you attempt to discredit me.

Get over what? I still see no evidence to prove there are silent killers in my wood. Please enlighten me. Also I am not a mod so I will say I think it is stupid to kill all the bacteria in soil just to add your own.