# Fresh Cut Wood



## MzJen (May 28, 2017)

Hey everyone 
I'm sure there is a hundred posts already relating to this but I'm going to ask anyway 
How safe is it to use fresh cut wood (from my neighbors tree) in my enclosure?
I have read somewhere about a 'bleach and water' treatment before putting in the tank. Is this correct? How would I go about doing this if needed?
My baby's are a southwest carpet ( not ready for his grown up enclosure yet) and a 2year old Stimson 
Any help, tips, advice will be greatly appreciated 
Cheers


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## pythoninfinite (May 28, 2017)

Just cut it to size and put it in. You don't need to do anything to it at all. Just make sure it's not a toxic species like Oleander. Despite what you may hear about ticks, mites, bugs, germs, "nasties" (whatever they are...), branches from Aussie trees carry nothing that will harm your critters. Snakes don't wander around the bush swabbing the ground ahead of them with bleach solutions, hot water or anything else...

Jamie


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## Ramsayi (May 28, 2017)

MzJen said:


> How safe is it to use fresh cut wood (from my neighbors tree) in my enclosure?



Depends on the type of tree it comes from.



MzJen said:


> I have read somewhere about a 'bleach and water' treatment before putting in the tank. Is this correct?



Not needed. A quick brush off of any loose material is all that is needed.


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## MzJen (May 28, 2017)

Cheers for the help. 
Now to find a saw ......


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## Iguana (May 28, 2017)

I would maybe give it a spray with a hose, or maybe leave it in a room overnight. I just say that because I took a tree branch from the park down the road, and despite washing it with diluted bleach water, it had ants in it. And now there are ants in my enclosure, which I cannot get rid of. 
Maybe it was a crazy one off, but I'd recommend just washing it down or something.


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## pinefamily (May 28, 2017)

Iguana said:


> I would maybe give it a spray with a hose, or maybe leave it in a room overnight. I just say that because I took a tree branch from the park down the road, and despite washing it with diluted bleach water, it had ants in it. And now there are ants in my enclosure, which I cannot get rid of.
> Maybe it was a crazy one off, but I'd recommend just washing it down or something.



Is that a branch picked up off the ground? Ants shouldn't be a problem with a freshly cut branch.


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## MzJen (May 28, 2017)

So I've managed to cut 3 beautiful pieces 
Will need to get a little sandpaper to smooth a few rough edges and hopefully they will slot straight in


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## Iguana (May 29, 2017)

pinefamily said:


> Is that a branch picked up off the ground? Ants shouldn't be a problem with a freshly cut branch.



Good point, it was about a week or so old I believe, fell down after a storm.


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## nick_75 (Jun 2, 2017)

I cut the branches and dry them out for six months before using them. The bark comes off much easier after drying out. After debarking, I f10 then after drying seal the branches with a water based varnish. I varnish so that cleaning/hygiene is easy to maintain. Your snake will defecate on the branches and without the seal, any pathogens present can live and multiply within small cracks etc.

I believe that the precaution should be taken in captivity because animals in the wild are constantly on the move so therefore are not constantly living around their own waste. Pathogens are less likely to survive when subjected to outside conditions as compared to the ideal conditions we provide within our enclosures.


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## pythoninfinite (Jun 2, 2017)

nick_75 said:


> I cut the branches and dry them out for six months before using them. The bark comes off much easier after drying out. After debarking, I f10 then after drying seal the branches with a water based varnish. I varnish so that cleaning/hygiene is easy to maintain. Your snake will defecate on the branches and without the seal, any pathogens present can live and multiply within small cracks etc.
> 
> I believe that the precaution should be taken in captivity because animals in the wild are constantly on the move so therefore are not constantly living around their own waste. Pathogens are less likely to survive when subjected to outside conditions as compared to the ideal conditions we provide within our enclosures.



I send mine to Lucas Heights Nuclear facility so they can be bombarded by gamma rays, then I roast them in the oven at 300C for about 36 hours, after which I freeze them for about 8 years, then they're so weak I have to throw them out...

Jamie


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## MzJen (Jun 2, 2017)

Soooo a 9 year freeze is excessive then???


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## Nero Egernia (Jun 2, 2017)

pythoninfinite said:


> I send mine to Lucas Heights Nuclear facility so they can be bombarded by gamma rays, then I roast them in the oven at 300C for about 36 hours, after which I freeze them for about 8 years, then they're so weak I have to throw them out...
> 
> Jamie



If there's actually any traces of the branches left, lol.


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## danyjv (Jun 2, 2017)

MzJen said:


> Soooo a 9 year freeze is excessive then???



8 years as mentioned . 9 year would be way to much. 


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## MzJen (Jun 2, 2017)

Sold one of the cuts for $50.! Yay for me


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## nick_75 (Jun 3, 2017)

pythoninfinite said:


> I send mine to Lucas Heights Nuclear facility so they can be bombarded by gamma rays, then I roast them in the oven at 300C for about 36 hours, after which I freeze them for about 8 years, then they're so weak I have to throw them out...
> 
> Jamie



Hi Jamie,

I appreciate that we all have different ways of caring for our animals and if you disagree with an individual opinion, state your reasons. Leave the sarcasm for youtube comments.

Regards,
Nick


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## pinefamily (Jun 3, 2017)

As you rightly say, Nick, there are different ways of caring for our animals. While I personally lean towards the simpler approach to collecting branches, I see nothing wrong in what you do, as does Jamie. I think I can speak for him and say that while his comment can be viewed as sarcastic, it was more humorous. I am sure there was no malice intended.


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## Sheldoncooper (Jun 3, 2017)

pythoninfinite said:


> I send mine to Lucas Heights Nuclear facility so they can be bombarded by gamma rays, then I roast them in the oven at 300C for about 36 hours, after which I freeze them for about 8 years, then they're so weak I have to throw them out...
> 
> Jamie


Do u drive them to the nuclear facility yourself or use a courier? 


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## pythoninfinite (Jun 4, 2017)

Sheldoncooper said:


> Do u drive them to the nuclear facility yourself or use a courier?
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk





nick_75 said:


> Hi Jamie,
> 
> I appreciate that we all have different ways of caring for our animals and if you disagree with an individual opinion, state your reasons. Leave the sarcasm for youtube comments.
> 
> ...



Of course everyone is free to do whatever they want in managing their animals, but I get concerned that many of the suggestions here are taken by novices as being necessary to maintaining our animals in good health. Your post indicates clearly what you do, and that's fine, but in reality, none of the steps you take are necessary, as suitable fresh branches pose no danger in either the short or longer term. I neither agree nor disagree, what you do is up to you, but I try to dispel notions that easily take hold, such as the implied danger in untreated wooden decorations.

I certainly get a courier to do the deliveries to Lucas Heights Sheldon - he drives a lead-lined van for extra safety, and it has lead crystal instead of glass for its windows...


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## Sheldoncooper (Jun 4, 2017)

pythoninfinite said:


> Of course everyone is free to do whatever they want in managing their animals, but I get concerned that many of the suggestions here are taken by novices as being necessary to maintaining our animals in good health. Your post indicates clearly what you do, and that's fine, but in reality, none of the steps you take are necessary, as suitable fresh branches pose no danger in either the short or longer term. I neither agree nor disagree, what you do is up to you, but I try to dispel notions that easily take hold, such as the implied danger in untreated wooden decorations.
> 
> I certainly get a courier to do the deliveries to Lucas Heights Sheldon - he drives a lead-lined van for extra safety, and it has lead crystal instead of glass for its windows...


Oh ok
And the 300 degrees u cook the wood at is it a conventional oven or fan forced if its conventional then that would mean about 260 in a fan forced or if it is fan forced that would mean around 360 in conventional oven yes ?

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## MzJen (Jun 4, 2017)

Does anyone even use a conventional any more.?? 
Would a microwave be just as useful? Or does it need to be in the oven? I'm just wondering about those who don't have the time to wait for 300 hours


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## Sheldoncooper (Jun 4, 2017)

MzJen said:


> Does anyone even use a conventional any more.??
> Would a microwave be just as useful? Or does it need to be in the oven? I'm just wondering about those who don't have the time to wait for 300 hours


Nah its already been to the nuclear facility so a microwave isn't needed in this case. Plus it might be unsafe to put it in the enclosure if its been in a microwave. 

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## nick_75 (Jun 5, 2017)

pythoninfinite said:


> Of course everyone is free to do whatever they want in managing their animals, but I get concerned that many of the suggestions here are taken by novices as being necessary to maintaining our animals in good health. Your post indicates clearly what you do, and that's fine, but in reality, none of the steps you take are necessary, as suitable fresh branches pose no danger in either the short or longer term. I neither agree nor disagree, what you do is up to you, but I try to dispel notions that easily take hold, such as the implied danger in untreated wooden decorations.
> 
> I certainly get a courier to do the deliveries to Lucas Heights Sheldon - he drives a lead-lined van for extra safety, and it has lead crystal instead of glass for its windows...



Do you use unsealed timber anywhere else in your enclosures?


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## pinefamily (Jun 5, 2017)

Talking about unsealed timber is different to talking about untreated branches.


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## pythoninfinite (Jun 5, 2017)

nick_75 said:


> Do you use unsealed timber anywhere else in your enclosures?



There's quite a difference between structural and decorative perching/climbing "timbers." I wouldn't call branches "timber" in any way, sure both are wood, but for practical reasons such as cleaning or waterproofing where dampness may persist, causing rot or mould, sealing is important. Branches may occasionally need a bit of a scrub if they get grubby, but that's not common, or I can just replace them with fresh ones after a couple of months or more (usually much more). I think it's nice to put fresh, natural smelling things in the enclosures from time to time, instead of the constant use of and exposure to synthetic materials and coatings, all of which outgas, especially when warmed, into an almost closed environment, to a greater or lesser extent, for very long periods of time. You've probably heard of "sick building syndrome" - well, multiply that thousands-fold in a small enclosed and heated snake tank, and consider the implications for the inhabitant. This is probably far more dangerous in the long-term for the resident animal than the very small likelihood of a pathogen on a branch causing health problems. Where I live on the mid-north coast, there are pythons that have lived in roof-spaces (in harmony with the householders) for many years, and are surrounded by their own crap and shed skins, but remain in perfect health.

Jamie


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