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How to bake/sanitize wood, sticks, rocks etc

Holly0731

Holly0731

New member
Hello, I'm a new snake owner. Ive got a few hides but my tank is looking quiteee bare and boring. I've seen a lot of ideas to get fake plants from the dollar store and what not, and I'll definitely do that as well, but I live partially in the woods and I have more than enough things for decor in my backyard. But I have no idea how to sanitize or bake anything to make it clean and safe for my snake. I would totally appreciate a step by step process on how to do that!
Also, my son accidentally broke a plaster sand castle at the pet store so now I have a janky, ugly colored sand castle I might as well put to use. I was thinking I would make a little project for him and have him paint it? What paint and coating would be safe as well?
Sorry for so many questions and being such a newbie but we all start somewhere right? :p
Thank you!!!
 
I bought two vines on sale from Michael's craft store both my baby corn and the new adopted 4ft corn love hiding in the vines draped on the bottom of the tank. They both peek out from under the leaves.
 
What I did with driftwood I collected was soaked it in a 1:10 bleach solution. Then I rinsed them and let them air dry out until I could smell no more bleach. If the wood will fit in your oven you can also just bake them, 200F for maybe 30 minutes. Just checking on them every now and then, they shouldn't catch fire though.

I also did the same thing with these rocks I collected (well they are actually pieces of clay left behind in Lake Ontario from a old clay factory). Just baked them and then good to go. Try to make sure that these rocks are not wet on the inside though, or you use a low temperature if they are, wouldn't want them to explode in your oven. (depends on the type of rock).
 
I recommend sanding down the broken edges before you paint it!

You can use a tinted grout+grout sealer to paint it, or I believe most spray paints are safe when fully ventilated (I'd say let it sit until you can't smell the paint anymore, and then another few days.) There is one brand that's recommended for pets, I'll have to see if I can find it.
 
If it's wood collected from outdoors, especially if it has any semblence of thickness, I'd recommend baking it for 2-3 hours at 200-250F. 30 minutes isn't usually long enough to penetrate the inner wood enough to kill anything that might be residing deep inside (germs, parasites, etc).
 
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