pine wood for herps ??

[Morfias]

Hey guys,

am looking to do a DIY enclosure using an old tv unit, most of them are made from pine, i remember reading somewhere that certain woods are no good for certain snakes ?
can anyone shed any light on this please ??

 

[Jazzz]

i heard raw pine was bad because it gives off particulates that can be inhaled but i also heard that treated pine is also bad... im actually about to start a tv cabinet conversion as well so im not really sure atm...

theres heaps of people with pine enclosures though so it cant be that bad

 

[Morfias]

yeh i thought it was pine.. hmm...
all the tv units iv seen are made form pine dammit..

 

[Jazzz]

there is sooo many people who have done tv conversions though. I think it might just be a rumour... theres heaps of threads already done on this if you just have a search =]

 

[Tristan]

you want to treat the pine so it does not absorb water and waste this = bad.

you don't want to use Pressure treated pine (green stuff like railings around parks etc) this is treated with arsenic = bad

but you can use raw pine and safely treat it yourself with the right products to make it liquid proof and safe etc

 

[Morfias]

ok so treated pine is ok ? coz there is one im looking at that is stated to be treated pine..
i will prob have plastic down under the coconut husk for leakages etc, but dont want him to get sick from the fumes ..

 

[Bluetongue1]

Hope this isn't too late.

"Treated pine" is the term they use to describe the "green stuff" mentioned by Tristan. Raw pine is what you want. Or pine that has already been coated with a non-toxic waterproofing agent. Some forms of stain provide waterproofing but others don't. So if it has already been stained you need to find out what was used. Most paints are waterproof. Three or four coats of polyurethane will waterproof raw pine aand stained pine if you need it.

 

[wranga]

i had enclosures made many years ago by a furniture maker. their made from pine and have been stained. never had a problem with any snakes that have been in them

 

[Morfias]

Awesome thanks for the info guys

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

The only thing you need to avoid is treated pine( the green stuff) everything else is ok

 

[Pythoninfinite]

It's pine SHAVINGS as a substrate that might be a problem because it releases TURPENES which are volatile components harmful to reptiles. Untreated pine in the structure won't cause any problems at all - the surface area is not big enough to release anything like a dangerous vapour load.

Jamie