Are half-log hides toxic?

[iota]

I've been reading the threads on snakes spasming, reacting to toxic woods such as pine, cedar and fir. Does anyone know what all the snake log hides on the market consist of? I recently lost my baby corn to unknown causes, and am trying to rethink the viv.

 

[Kitty]

I'm not sure what they are myself, but I'm interested in knowing if anyone else does.

I stuck one in the viv I'm prepping for our rubber boas, but when I took it out of the plastic bag, it had a very strong pine resin odor. It's hard to tell from the bark because it's been smoothed quite a bit during the processing (my guess).

I have two weeks before the boas come out of brumation, so I'm hoping someone knows. If not, I'll be "nose-testing" the viv periodically for pine smell.

 

[jazzgeek]

I couldn't tell you what species of wood is used, but I can state that my oldest corn, J.D. has used two of the "half-log" hides since getting too big for the "half-coconut" hides (and that took all of 4 months, I think), with no ill-effects at all. :shrugs:

He's now almost 5 feet in length.

regards,
jazz

 

[gwb8568]

i dont thinky they would be on the market in the first place if they were toxic. secondly, i also wouldn't buy a wooden type hyde that you "pull out of a plastic bag" either. it should be sitting on the shelf at the pet store in open air, not wrapped up.

 

[Nanci]

Maizey has had one of those hides for a year and a half, now. Choco has had one since summer. The torts and toad share two. No ill effects that I can tell.

Nanci

Good question, though- when you look at the bark, it seems like some sort of connifer.

 

[Kitty]

i dont thinky they would be on the market in the first place if they were toxic.

Pine shavings are on the market and are considered toxic to snakes. I don't blindly trust the claims of a manufacturer when there's conflicting info within an established community such as this one.

secondly, i also wouldn't buy a wooden type hyde that you "pull out of a plastic bag" either. it should be sitting on the shelf at the pet store in open air, not wrapped up.

The hide was sitting on an open shelf. The plastic bag in question was the shopping bag the hide was brought home in. It stayed wrapped in the bag until I was ready to deal with it.

... but I can state that my oldest corn, J.D. has used two of the "half-log" hides since getting too big for the "half-coconut" hides (and that took all of 4 months, I think), with no ill-effects at all.

I'm hoping any residual fumes will cure out over the next few weeks. I'll keep smell-testing it and pass it on to the mice if I'm still uncertain.

 

[gwb8568]

Pine shavings are on the market and are considered toxic to snakes. I don't blindly trust the claims of a manufacturer when there's conflicting info within an established community such as this one.

you are correct.......i was not thinking of aspen, pine, cedar, etc. as in substrate, i was merely remarking of of known hides.

The hide was sitting on an open shelf. The plastic bag in question was the shopping bag the hide was brought home in. It stayed wrapped in the bag until I was ready to deal with it.

once again.....i misunderstood. i pictured a wooden hide wrapped in plastic as you would see a dog bone. if my scenario was the case, i wouldn't trust it. in your case, it sounds like any other hide in any other pet store.

I'm hoping any residual fumes will cure out over the next few weeks. I'll keep smell-testing it and pass it on to the mice if I'm still uncertain.

i think that would be a smart choice.........leave it in the gargage, or even outside so the sun and wind can "dry it out" some more if you think you have a "toxic" one. i myself have two and have not had any problems yet.

 

[Weebonilass]

Well Kieran has one for at least four and a half years and at 4'5" and 714 grams it certainly hasn't hurt him He doesn't use it much anymore since I got him the big log though. I don't think it's pine though... doesn't appear to be a soft wood.

 

[SaulsMom]

If you can smell pine, then the log is probably some sort of pine.

That being said, I can also see how the 1/2 log of pine would not be dangerous where the shavings would be. (Speaking in hypothetical terms, but it makes sense in my head.)

The issue with the shavings is that the resin and the fumes effect the snake. There's a lot of surface area on those shavings, and they're getting moved around in the viv by burrowing, cleaning, etc. So every time, there's some abrasion and more opportunity to release resin or fumes.

A hide is a fairly inert thing. It may offgas, but on the other hand, that may taper off over time. (I don't happen to have a log hide in the viv right now.)

I sort of thinking about asbestos in this discussion. Just having it in your house isn't the end of the world. It's accessing it and the process of removing it that is hazardous. Sometimes it's better to seal it up and leave it where it is.

How about shellacing the "pine" hide with an inert resin? Or at least the interior if you're worried?

SaulsMom

 

[BeckyG]

I have had them in some of my tanks for at least 2 years now, and see no ill effects.