# Palm tree bark safe for Snakes?



## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Is palm tree bark safe for snake because I am wanting to use this piece inside his terrarium. (It will be cleaned and disinfected beforehand).






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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

i use palm tree frons like the bit that goes arond the tree


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Don't see why not, but just keep in mind this stuff can get pretty mouldy so try to keep it dry


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Feb 3, 2018)

I would probably be more inclined to use a piece of cork bark... We use that in turtle aquariums when the turtles get too heavy for their floating docks... It's shaped exactly like your piece of palm bark there, just a lot more less likely to turn to sh*t on you.










Most good pet stores will have it, Amazing Amazon usually does.
https://www.amazingamazon.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=cork+bark


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Aussiepride83 said:


> I would probably be more inclined to use a piece of cork bark... We use that in turtle aquariums when the turtles get too heavy for their floating docks... It's shaped exactly like your piece of palm bark there, just a lot more less likely to turn to sh*t on you.
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Pretty expensive though, now that its no longer imported. Really annoying because its a good thing to grow most orchids on.


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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

Foozil said:


> Don't see why not, but just keep in mind this stuff can get pretty mouldy so try to keep it dry


yes indeed thts why i use the fron bases


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Feb 3, 2018)

Foozil said:


> Pretty expensive though, now that its no longer imported. Really annoying because its a good thing to grow most orchids on.


Yeah but it's a one off purchase for a snake setup. Not an ongoing thing like food or electricity...


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Aussiepride83 said:


> Yeah but it's a one off purchase for a snake setup. Not an ongoing thing like food or electricity...


Thats true.


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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

Aussiepride83 said:


> I would probably be more inclined to use a piece of cork bark... We use that in turtle aquariums when the turtles get too heavy for their floating docks... It's shaped exactly like your piece of palm bark there, just a lot more less likely to turn to sh*t on you.
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dam i should've got some of that stuff i didn't know it existed


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

bluedragon said:


> dam i should've got some of that stuff i didn't know it existed


You certainly should, its fantastic. Also really good for bio-active setups if you're into that. Its good because it doesn't decompose quickly, unlike most other bark.


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

bluedragon said:


> i use palm tree frons like the bit that goes arond the tree


yep thats what I have, I dint know what it was called. thanks


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Feb 3, 2018)

bluedragon said:


> dam i should've got some of that stuff i didn't know it existed


Been using it for years, great for turtles, easy for them to haul out on, won't damage their plastrons and provides a shelter for them to hide under too and ambush from.


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Foozil said:


> Don't see why not, but just keep in mind this stuff can get pretty mouldy so try to keep it dry


thanks, yeah for sure his enclosure is pretty much always dry.


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Brandon said:


> thanks, yeah for sure his enclosure is pretty much always dry.


Just out of curiosity, what species is he?


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Aussiepride83 said:


> I would probably be more inclined to use a piece of cork bark... We use that in turtle aquariums when the turtles get too heavy for their floating docks... It's shaped exactly like your piece of palm bark there, just a lot more less likely to turn to sh*t on you.
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thanks what I originally wanted but can't find it in store anywhere and don't really have pieces like that around my area thanks though


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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

i think that one is a bit to wet for what i use these ones the bases of those exactly the same ones i use


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Feb 3, 2018)

No worries man, stores sell out of it pretty quick, it's like gold in the captive herp trade. Highly sought after.


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Aussiepride83 said:


> it's like gold in the captive herp trade.


Its also very highly sought after for orchids, as I said before. Fellow orchid growers often raid pet stores for their cork bark  sorry


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Foozil said:


> Just out of curiosity, what species is he?


a Capet python


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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Brandon said:


> a Capet python


Any pics?? I love a good carpet python


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

bluedragon said:


> i think that one is a bit to wet for what i use these ones the bases of those exactly the same ones i use


I just washed all the dirt and stuff off I'm gonna let it fully dry before I use it though


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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

good luck


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Foozil said:


> Any pics?? I love a good carpet python


I have some very cool pics, here are some





























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## Foozil (Feb 3, 2018)

Wow mate those are awesome pics!! Well done!


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Foozil said:


> Wow mate those are awesome pics!! Well done!


Thanks


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## Ropey (Feb 3, 2018)

Very good pix brandon


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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

Brandon said:


> I have some very cool pics, here are some
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nice caramel coastal correct me if im wrong


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## Brandon (Feb 3, 2018)

Ropey said:


> Very good pix brandon


Thanks mate



bluedragon said:


> nice caramel coastal correct me if im wrong


Thanks, Caramel jag sib very close though 

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## bluedragon (Feb 3, 2018)

oh yea now i see the jag


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## Bluetongue1 (Feb 4, 2018)

Beautiful snake mate and excellent photos.

The frond base shown in the opening post is not a great sample. It looks like it might be from a Queen/Cocos palm. Irrespective, there are much better available. Kentia palms have excellent larger frond bases. Triangle palms, like-wise but the bases are quite woody and thick and not amenable to bending, so you might need to partially bury it or saw off the edges if you want to use it as a hide. The fronds shown in Post #16 are from a Golden Cane palm, another species very common in cultivation. Their bases are much thinner and bendable, except around the mid-rib).



Foozil said:


> Don't see why not, but just keep in mind this stuff can get pretty mouldy so try to keep it dry


Actually the bases of palm fronds are not prone to going mouldy, despite the fact that rainwater gets channelled down the trunk and into them. The white you can see on the one in the picture is residue from mealy bugs which like a moist, protected environment such as that provided by leaf sheaths on plants. Palm frond bases take a long time to decompose in the compost bin, so I used to throw them out but cut up and use the rest of the frond.


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## Foozil (Feb 4, 2018)

Bluetongue1 said:


> Actually the bases of palm fronds are not prone to going mouldy, despite the fact that rainwater gets channelled down the trunk and into them. The white you can see on the one in the picture is residue from mealy bugs which like a moist, protected environment such as that provided by leaf sheaths on plants. Palm frond bases take a long time to decompose in the compost bin, so I used to throw them out but cut up and use the rest of the frond.


In my experiences all parts of palm trees go mouldy much more easy than other plants. Even being left in the shade while relatively dry I've had them go mouldy, and not just the bases of the fronds. Could have just been ideal conditions though.
Freshly chopped stems go especially mouldy.


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## Brandon (Feb 4, 2018)

Bluetongue1 said:


> Beautiful snake mate and excellent photos.
> 
> The frond base shown in the opening post is not a great sample. It looks like it might be from a Queen/Cocos palm. Irrespective, there are much better available. Kentia palms have excellent larger frond bases. Triangle palms, like-wise but the bases are quite woody and thick and not amenable to bending, so you might need to partially bury it or saw off the edges if you want to use it as a hide. The fronds shown in Post #16 are from a Golden Cane palm, another species very common in cultivation. Their bases are much thinner and bendable, except around the mid-rib).
> 
> ...


Thanks mate. Thank you for all the info very helpful

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## Bluetongue1 (Feb 4, 2018)

Foozil said:


> In my experiences all parts of palm trees go mouldy much more easy than other plants. Even being left in the shade while relatively dry I've had them go mouldy, and not just the bases of the fronds. Could have just been ideal conditions though.
> Freshly chopped stems go especially mouldy.


 What species of palm did you experience this with?


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## Foozil (Feb 4, 2018)

Bluetongue1 said:


> What species of palm did you experience this with?


Areca lutescens. Not a particularly 'sappy' species, thats why I think it could have been a fluke.


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## Bluetongue1 (Feb 5, 2018)

My apologies but I probably did not make it clear enough that I was talking about palm frond bases which had fully dried on the tree before being removed. Some species self-shed old dead fronds while other develop a ‘skirt’ of dead fronds, and some do a bit of both. In these naturally dried frond bases only the wood component remains i.e. lignin.

Were your Golden Cane palm fronds naturally shed or were they stripped from the tree? Did they cop watering from reticulation? Were they in full shade protected from wind? Is the surrounding soil permanently moist and is are there plants near by? These sorts of factors can cause even eucalypt branches to rot.

The problem appears is that you made a generalisation based on a limited observation (which I would consider to be atypical). I have done that a number of times in the past and have learned the hard way to be more cautious in my wording of opinion based on limited observations. @bluedragon. Do you have ever any mould issues with the palm frond bases you use, as pictured in post #16?


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## Foozil (Feb 5, 2018)

It was (naturally) dried palm frond bases that were coated with dew each morning. In full shade on grass in a not so windy area.


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## bluedragon (Feb 5, 2018)

Bluetongue1 said:


> My apologies but I probably did not make it clear enough that I was talking about palm frond bases which had fully dried on the tree before being removed. Some species self-shed old dead fronds while other develop a ‘skirt’ of dead fronds, and some do a bit of both. In these naturally dried frond bases only the wood component remains i.e. lignin.
> 
> Were your Golden Cane palm fronds naturally shed or were they stripped from the tree? Did they cop watering from reticulation? Were they in full shade protected from wind? Is the surrounding soil permanently moist and is are there plants near by? These sorts of factors can cause even eucalypt branches to rot.
> 
> The problem appears is that you made a generalisation based on a limited observation (which I would consider to be atypical). I have done that a number of times in the past and have learned the hard way to be more cautious in my wording of opinion based on limited observations. @bluedragon. Do you have ever any mould issues with the palm frond bases you use, as pictured in post #16?


nope


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## Bluetongue1 (Feb 5, 2018)

Thanks for replying.


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