Twigs and branches from outside?

[FoHGoR]

Hello,
I was wondering what anyone/everyone thought of using outdoor wood in their tanks. I read that boiling then baking it was a way to sterilize it. Is this correct? If not, is there a procedure for making outside wood tank ready?

P.S. I realize buying the overpriced driftwood found in stores is the best bet, but I've got some cool branches that would be perfect for my tank and I would prefer to use those.

P.S.S. This is going to go in a my cornsnake's tank.

Thanks,
Kris

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

Absolutely! Also, alot of invert keepers (myself included) us this stuff to decorate vivariums. Just make sure it's pest free (by boiling or baking) prior to using it in a tank, and obviously let it cool off first.

 

[FoHGoR]

Perfect! Thanks, Maurice..

 

[Surf_420]

if you do a google search you can find out how long you need to bake the limbs and what not. i seen it a while back but cant remember what site i was on. but yes the bakin process kills any parasites, germs , and cures it for long term use.

 

[eric]

i thought about doing the baking thing also but i couldn't get myself to put it in the oven call me weird but i cook in it. so i found a site that uses bleach to treat the wood.. it takes about three or four days to do but it worked great! you get a five gallon bucket fill it half full of regular bleach and stick the wood in and fill with water to top off place a lid or board on top to keep it in the bucket. let it sit for 24 hours after the 24 hour period dump out the bleached water and add fresh water wait 24 hours dump again you keep doing this until the wood doesn't have that bleach smell when it doesn't smell i let it sit in the sun until completely dry. it took me three days (i used some big pieces)and i had perfectly cleaned,safe wood for my dragons.

 

[moosassah]

This is from http://www.tetra-fish.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2268
but I pasted the specifics here for you:

Preparing the wood.

Once again, make sure there is no rot. Use a wire brush to remove any rot. Strip the wood of any bark. Prepare a large plastic container by cleaning it and filling it with clean water. Tupperware or Sterilite work well. Dump in a couple handfuls salt and mix it well. This salt-water solution will help draw out any impurities and dehydrate many organisms on or in the wood. Weight down the wood with rocks, submerging it completely and cover the container with a lid. The wood will most likely leach tannins, turning the water brownish looking. Soak it for a few days to a couple weeks, changing the water daily. Try to soak it until it sinks on it's own and stops leaching tannins into the water. The length of time you need to soak it is largely dependant on how sun bleached it is to begin with. When you feel it has soaked long enough, rinse it well.

Sterilizing the wood.

There are two ways to sterilize the driftwood – Boiling and Baking. Boiling or baking will kill anything the salt water did not and keep your fish safe. There are pros and cons to either method.

Many times, boiling the wood is impractical unless you have a very large pot the wood will fit in. Boiling tends to stink up the house a bit. But, with boiling, there is less risk of the wood catching fire. Boiling also helps to ensure the wood will sink when added to the aquarium. If you choose to use this method, boil it well for at least an hour at a full rolling boil. Make sure the water covers the wood at all times.

Another method is to bake the wood in an oven on low heat (200 degrees F) for several hours. I prefer my old outdoor gas grill. Usually the wood fits nicely inside and I can close the lid and simmer it on low heat for as long as I like. When baking the wood, keep a careful eye on it. The dry heat of baking can allow the wood to catch fire, so check on it frequently.

 

[ReptileMan27]

I tried baking it once, it stunk the kitchen up lol

 

[FoHGoR]

Once again, GF comes through! Thanks for everybodys input, I'll be sure to post of photos of him pretty soon!

He's going to be a gift for my son's 5th birthday on Saturday, so I still have a few days to fix up his cage.

BTW, does anybody else use their kids as an excuse to get themselves into a new hobby? LOL!

In the last 2 years we've added these guys to our family:

1.1 Crested with two eggs incubating at room temp
0.2 Leopards
1.0 Cornsnake
? Red Bellied Newt
? African Clawed Frog

 

[moosassah]

BTW, does anybody else use their kids as an excuse to get themselves into a new hobby? LOL!

Whaaaaaat????? I have absolutely NO idea of what you are talking about. Of course all these geckos belong to my boys:main_laugh: Jake got his when he was 4 because Gabe had fish. Gabe got his the 4 months later because I wanted to drive to another state to go to a reptile show. The next 2 came in because someone else didn't want to take care of them. The crestie came in because the tank was empty! LOL! The kids at least realize he's officially mine.

 

[eric]

We got our son a corn snake for his fifth birthday he loved it!! after that he was hooked!!

 

[FoHGoR]

The crestie came in because the tank was empty! LOL!

:main_laugh: Yep, I would say you're addicted.

I, too, have an empty tank tempting me into filling it. It's pretty small (12"x12"), but it's the perfect size for a cool invert like one of those black millipedes...:main_evilgrin: (The wife's tolerating the reptiles, but she would definitely flip if I brought one of those home.)

 

[liljenn]

BTW, does anybody else use their kids as an excuse to get themselves into a new hobby? LOL!

:main_laugh: LOL! My 4 yr daughter's fav part of the zoo is the "reptile room" (we go monthly!) She wanted a "lizard" for Christmas - so we got 1.1 SHTCT leos (1 for her & 1 for my 3yr son). NOW leopard geckos are MY addiction :main_rolleyes:
Just built a rack ... got gecko #3 ... and now I need more! Because I have more room of course!