# Natural branches..



## 86JAP (Mar 8, 2014)

Hey guys,

I got some gum tree branches yesterday for the enclosure im building and was wondering what peoples thoughts were on wether or not I need/should seal them? I have some water based Cabothane Clear left over and was thinking of giving the branches 2 coats with some fine sand in the second coat for traction. Im just concerned about when my Bredli wee's and poo's that it will soak into the wood and soil it also for ease of cleaning I can remove and rinse the branches.

Thanks Sam.


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## MrThumper (Mar 8, 2014)

I got mine from the bush, cut them and scrubbed with boiling water then put them in. I've never had one if mine do any business up a branch but gum won't absorb too much anyway. As for traction... They'll make their way up there no matter the finish


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 9, 2014)

Don't seal them - there is no need. You don't have to wash/scrub them either - they don't support any pests that could cause harm to your snake. Give the poor thing something natural to smell & feel instead of treating the crap out of it.

Jamie


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## solar 17 (Mar 9, 2014)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Don't seal them - there is no need. You don't have to wash/scrub them either - they don't support any pests that could cause harm to your snake. Give the poor thing something natural to smell & feel instead of treating the crap out of it.
> 
> Jamie


+1 solar 17


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## JAS101 (Mar 9, 2014)

I have a 3 step rule when finding and installing branches .
step 1 , find branch .
step 2 , cut branch to right size this normally means breaking out the chainsaw .
step 3 , install branch .
DONE .


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## Virides (Mar 9, 2014)

While I understand we all want to take the best care of our animals and are concerned for their well being when we want to add something to their homes, these animals have survived 100's of thousands - millions - of years by climbing over/through/under/around all sorts of surfaces and they have managed to stick around.

If anything, the only thing you would be cleaning off is the mould/fungi that allows you to maintain the quality of the branch itself from degrading. And even then the mould/fungi probably won't survive in the enclosure much.


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## notechistiger (Mar 9, 2014)

I mean sometimes I break out the hose and wash it down before putting it in... so I don't get bugs through my enclosure (last one was a cockroach epidemic that had made a home in a stump I threw into a coastal cage -.-).


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## pythonmum (Mar 9, 2014)

I scrub them, but don't seal them. A bit of drying time is good if you cut them green, as they may shrink or split as they dry out. Usually I get ones that are down and dry already.


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## tahnia666 (Mar 9, 2014)

I dry scrub them with a stiff brush. If its going in loki's enclosure I seal it with pond sealer, just one coat cause he likes to crap all over his branches :/ and it makes cleaning easier. But only for Loki, the others just go in with a dry brush. 

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## Ramsayi (Mar 9, 2014)

Don't choose branches that have been laying on the ground for any length of time.If you collect fresh branches then you can use them without doing anything with the exception of drying for a while and trimming to size.


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## 86JAP (Mar 9, 2014)

Great thanks guys, I just gave them the once over with a stiff brush and some warm water. I wasn't particularly concerned about bugs or parasites as I know that these trees are their natural habitat my concern was her "business" soaking into the branches and making them unsanitary, but if this does occur then I'll just have to find some new ones 

Cheers everyone, Sam


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## Varanoidea (Mar 9, 2014)

I boil my branches not for my snakes but because of the fact that one time I used a branch that had termites. That was fun.


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## pinefamily (Mar 9, 2014)

Loose bark is the only thing to worry about with fresh branches; there's always the worry of termites or other bugs from old ones already on the ground.


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## zulu (Mar 9, 2014)

i used to use natural branches and wedge them in ,had a few termites and little cocroaches that didnt do any harm.
Since gone back to smooth tas oak across the width ,just too much stuffing around when you go to get snakes off the rough branches for cleaning and inspection.
My snakes curl up on the man made branches and read the newspapers on the floor.


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## Gizmo101 (Mar 25, 2014)

I give them a dry scrub and a light spray with the mite stuff before they go in, just incase. 


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## SarahJane (Mar 25, 2014)

I bought myself a Karcher high pressure cleaner to help with my cleaning. Where it would have normally taken me half a day to pull branches and logs out to scrub them with steel wool under the tap (my snakes always soil their furnishings), it now takes me a moment to squirt them, and everything comes off. Quick dry out in the sun until everything smells great & back into the cage. I absolutely love the thing, if you have a few animals it's worth the investment.


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 25, 2014)

Varanoidea said:


> I boil my branches not for my snakes but because of the fact that one time I used a branch that had termites. That was fun.



Termites nests are not in the branches, they are under the ground. Termites placed in a snake enclosure will all be dead within a few days - they will not/cannot colonise when transposed like that.

Jamie


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 25, 2014)

Gizmo101 said:


> I give them a dry scrub and a light spray with the mite stuff before they go in, just incase.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Just in case of what? Snakes get mites from contact with other captive snakes, not from branches from the bush.

Jamie


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## AvidRepSupplies (Mar 25, 2014)

Hi Jamie.
I am just curious, have there been any studies into snake mites establishing populations in the wild?
Personally I would think there would be a high chance of that happening with escaped pets, releases of captive animals and especially with exotic species like the corn snake.

Just wanting to see if there has been a study done and whether my theory may have any ground to stand on.
Thanks
Shaun.


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## andynic07 (Mar 25, 2014)

AvidRep said:


> Hi Jamie.
> I am just curious, have there been any studies into snake mites establishing populations in the wild?
> Personally I would think there would be a high chance of that happening with escaped pets, releases of captive animals and especially with exotic species like the corn snake.
> 
> ...



Mites do not live very long off the host body and don't usually interact so that reduces transfer possibilities. Mites get out of control in a captive situation because of the small confined space we keep our reptiles in. I have not seen as many wild pythons as some of our members but the ones I have seen have not had visible signs of mites. They can also shed the mites off and move away from that location where the mites may be.


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## Varanoidea (Mar 25, 2014)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Termites nests are not in the branches, they are under the ground. Termites placed in a snake enclosure will all be dead within a few days - they will not/cannot colonise when transposed like that.
> 
> Jamie



Ah okay. I was not aware of that. Thanks for the tip.


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## AvidRepSupplies (Mar 25, 2014)

andynic07 said:


> Mites do not live very long off the host body and don't usually interact so that reduces transfer possibilities. Mites get out of control in a captive situation because of the small confined space we keep our reptiles in. I have not seen as many wild pythons as some of our members but the ones I have seen have not had visible signs of mites. They can also shed the mites off and move away from that location where the mites may be.


Hi Andynic07.
That is true, but if a captive snake that escaped had a mite infestation before getting out, they will then have a host to live on.
Going from the papers that have been produced about _Morelia spilota spilota_, they do not venture far at all.
Meaning that they would have been tucked up in a cramped spot which would only encourage the mites to continue their life cycle.
Research on _Morelia bredli_ has shown that a female has used the same site for egg laying each year. So surely those 2 bits of research may indicate that the likely hood of a python shedding then moving onto another area is highly unlikely.

I think the chances of snake mites managing a population outside of captivity will be greater in areas where wild populations of exotic species are common.
Once they are out there, I believe it would be very hard for them to be eradicated.

Thanks
Shaun.


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## Snowman (Mar 25, 2014)

Some old threads on the same topic for your reading pleasure...

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/useing-natural-branches-192918/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/natural-branches-86070/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/safe-use-natural-branches-45420/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/.../branches-enclosures-varnished-natural-34609/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/bark-varnished-natural-33567/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/branches-enclosures-34276/


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 25, 2014)

There are some instances where rescued reptiles have been found to have snake mites (Ophionyssus natricis), but these have been in urban areas, and it is likely that those populations remain fairly confined. The chance of them being picked up and transferred to enclosures on branches is so unlikely as to be of no concern. The mite does no breed on snakes but needs to feed on snake's blood to grow into adult mites, and their life is not very long - if they don't feed, they die, unlike ticks which can go months or years without feeding. They are pretty fragile in fact.

They are believed to have originated in Africa and been spread throughout the world as reptiles were moved around by us, but in this country they remain largely an artefact of captive snakes.

Jamie


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## Gizmo101 (Mar 25, 2014)

I am overly cautious, no harm in that. And when I was younger my dad's snake (diamond python) who for 6 years never had any interaction with another snake, or moved cage, and got mites and the only thing we had changed was a new branch for his enclosure. So I'd just rather spray it.


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## Snowman (Mar 25, 2014)

Gizmo101 said:


> I am overly cautious, no harm in that. And when I was younger my dad's snake (diamond python) who for 6 years never had any interaction with another snake, or moved cage, and got mites and the only thing we had changed was a new branch for his enclosure. So I'd just rather spray it.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Yep often transferred from keepers who go to pet stores or other places where snakes or snake people are. I know a few people who put their clothes straight in the wash and have a shower after a herpetological meeting.


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## andynic07 (Mar 25, 2014)

Snowman said:


> Yep often transferred from keepers who go to pet stores or other places where snakes or snake people are. I know a few people who put their clothes straight in the wash and have a shower after a herpetological meeting.



I believe that has more to do with the goat ceremony mate. 


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## AvidRepSupplies (Mar 25, 2014)

Pythoninfinite said:


> There are some instances where rescued reptiles have been found to have snake mites (Ophionyssus natricis), but these have been in urban areas, and it is likely that those populations remain fairly confined. The chance of them being picked up and transferred to enclosures on branches is so unlikely as to be of no concern. The mite does no breed on snakes but needs to feed on snake's blood to grow into adult mites, and their life is not very long - if they don't feed, they die, unlike ticks which can go months or years without feeding. They are pretty fragile in fact.
> 
> They are believed to have originated in Africa and been spread throughout the world as reptiles were moved around by us, but in this country they remain largely an artefact of captive snakes.
> 
> Jamie


Thanks for the reply Jamie.
Looks like I will need to do that little bit more research on snake mites and how they reproduce (not just their life cycle).
Thanks for the extra info.

Thanks
Shaun.


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## Beans (Mar 28, 2014)

You don't need to do anything at all with them. Maybe just give them a good soak in an antibacterial soak and you'll be fine


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 28, 2014)

Beans said:


> You don't need to do anything at all with them. Maybe just give them a good soak in an antibacterial soak and you'll be fine



Why would bacteria be a problem?

Jamie


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## CrystalMoon (Mar 28, 2014)

I love natural branches, when I prune my trees I put the off cuts on my branch rack to dry out then pop them straight into the enclosures. My guyz crawl all over these same branches most of the time anyhow and haven't come to any harm.


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## Beans (Mar 28, 2014)

Well it wouldn't. That was just in case you were comfortable with putting it in with nothing done. In case you were overly protective


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## spud_meister (Mar 28, 2014)

I get deadwood off the ground, soak it in hot water to get the bugs out (because I have enough bugs in my house already), dry it in the sun and pop it in.


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## Rogue5861 (Mar 28, 2014)

I only give my branches a quick spray with the hose and a scrub, just to remove any loose bits (bark, dirt ect).

If the branch isnt reasonably fresh from a tree and laying on the ground i will normally drown the branch in the bath, i dont particually want my lizards eating stink bugs (poisonous as far as im aware) or other unknown bugs. Mites and bacteria are not a huge concern as most have already said, do be afraid to use real branches from your own gardens.


Rick


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