-
Hello!
Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.
Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....
Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.
Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.
Safe Wood?
- Thread starter LowNFToy
- Start date
Pretty much any wood is ok. You must either bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so or scrub and soak it in chlorine + water. If you use the chlorine way, then rinse very well and sun dry. Both methods will kill any parasites that would be harmful to your snake. I would not recommend using any paints or stains. :cheers:
I would go the route of bleach + water (which is what I do with wood or rocks that I collect to be used in vivs) as dminor9 stated above.
Although, I would avoid pine, cedar, fir, walnut, or any other toxic phenol containing trees. These types of trees pose a potential hazard to snakes when kept in contact for long periods of time.
As far as painting/staining goes, I personally would not do this, because it takes away from the natural appearance/beauty of the wood. If you do paint/stain, I would apply a topcoat sealer afterwards, and allow a few days to dry and air out before placing in your viv. With a piece of natural unpainted/unstained wood, you could also apply a topcoat sealer that would waterproof and prevent the decay of the wood (like Thompson's deck sealer). Sealers, paints, and stains are only harmful if ingested (as long as you have allowed to dry and air out, like I stated above). So as long as you are feeding your snake in a separate container, any of those options are alright.
Although, I would avoid pine, cedar, fir, walnut, or any other toxic phenol containing trees. These types of trees pose a potential hazard to snakes when kept in contact for long periods of time.
As far as painting/staining goes, I personally would not do this, because it takes away from the natural appearance/beauty of the wood. If you do paint/stain, I would apply a topcoat sealer afterwards, and allow a few days to dry and air out before placing in your viv. With a piece of natural unpainted/unstained wood, you could also apply a topcoat sealer that would waterproof and prevent the decay of the wood (like Thompson's deck sealer). Sealers, paints, and stains are only harmful if ingested (as long as you have allowed to dry and air out, like I stated above). So as long as you are feeding your snake in a separate container, any of those options are alright.
Taceas
USW = UB313
Most of the hardwoods would be quite suitable to use: oak, cherry, poplar, etc. Some of the softer woods include: maple, aspen, apple, and coniferous trees (pines).
However I would try to avoid pine if I could, and cedar at all costs. They contain chemicals (phenols) that can be harmful to the respiratory tract of cornsnakes.
That being said, most of the pine lumber commercially available is kiln dried, and generally doesn't smell like pine any longer. So I'm sure that it would be safe enough to use for a snake hide. I think you just want to steer clear of the pine shavings, which are essentially raw wood. And consequently most of the snake/rodent hides I see for sale are made out of pine.
I see nothing wrong with paint or stains so long as they have been allowed to cure for a couple of weeks prior to using them, if you could manage to wait that long. There are a few people who house their animals in homemade vivs that were custom stained and/or painted with no ill effects. So who's to say.
Lots of corns in the wild live near pine thickets and human trash, doesn't seem to be affecting their numbers noticeably.
Let us know what style and wood you've decided on, I've never ventured into making my own hides, to be honest. It sounds interesting.
However I would try to avoid pine if I could, and cedar at all costs. They contain chemicals (phenols) that can be harmful to the respiratory tract of cornsnakes.
That being said, most of the pine lumber commercially available is kiln dried, and generally doesn't smell like pine any longer. So I'm sure that it would be safe enough to use for a snake hide. I think you just want to steer clear of the pine shavings, which are essentially raw wood. And consequently most of the snake/rodent hides I see for sale are made out of pine.
I see nothing wrong with paint or stains so long as they have been allowed to cure for a couple of weeks prior to using them, if you could manage to wait that long. There are a few people who house their animals in homemade vivs that were custom stained and/or painted with no ill effects. So who's to say.
Lots of corns in the wild live near pine thickets and human trash, doesn't seem to be affecting their numbers noticeably.
Let us know what style and wood you've decided on, I've never ventured into making my own hides, to be honest. It sounds interesting.