Microwaving substrate?

[gsarchie]

These seem similar, just one is funny. You decide which!

You looked at both posts and found one funny and one not funny. I look at both posts and I find one helpful and one obnoxious. You decide which is which on that front.

[KMG]

I see jokes don't sit well with you. Relax! I'm sure the OP can handle alittle joke.

So you don't like jokes or all caps "yelling," what else should we add to the list?




Hint: This is not a joke, its friendly banter.

[gsarchie]

I'm good with jokes, I just get the feeling from the "yelling" posts that you're not my biggest fan. Hard to read sarcasm via typed words, ya know?

As for your question - While I am a tree hugger to the bone, I HATE hippies. Can't stand 'em.

[The Serpent Merchant]

You can put the aspen on a baking sheet and place it in the oven set at 300 F. 300 F is well below the flash point of most materials and as long as you keep an eye on it you can let it bake for an hour or so. I've done this with a few substrates to remove any moisture from it, but I'd bet that it would kill most things as well. After I bake the substrate I stick it in the freezer to cool it off.

[Mike41793]

You can put the aspen on a baking sheet and place it in the oven set at 300 F. 300 F is well below the flash point of most materials and as long as you keep an eye on it you can let it bake for an hour or so. I've done this with a few substrates to remove any moisture from it, but I'd bet that it would kill most things as well. After I bake the substrate I stick it in the freezer to cool it off.

isnt putting something really hot into your freezer a good way to kill your fridge?
I know whenever you cook stuff its usually a good idea to let it cool down to room temp before popping it in the fridge.

[MorphMaster]

So can you put cypress in the oven without it burning, or could you just soak it?

[WingedWolfPsion]

Snake mites ONLY come from snakes, and, rarely, other reptiles. They do not come from rodents, bedding, etc. Snake mites WILL wander long distances away from their hosts, so if you buy a bag of bedding from a pet store that's infested, you know where the mites will be? Not in the bedding--they'll be ON the bag. So when you carry it into your home, they can continue their wandering.

My recommendation is to forget trying to disinfect your aspen, because it's pointless--instead, inspect the livestock in the store you're buying from, and walk out quickly if anything has mites. They could hitch a ride on YOU.

As for mites IN bedding (such as cypress mulch)--these are generally wood mites, that are harmless to your animals. They're a different color, and you will virtually never see one on a snake, if they're in the bedding.

Another potential source of snake mites is an improperly sealed foundation. Garter snakes will get into things, including your home, and they may bring 'friends' along with them. Fortunately, the types of dangerous diseases that mites may spread in captive collections are rarely found in wild animals, so this is more of a nuisance than a huge danger.

Keep Provent-A-Mite on hand, and don't stress over it.

[SRMD94]

Snake mites ONLY come from snakes, and, rarely, other reptiles. They do not come from rodents, bedding, etc. Snake mites WILL wander long distances away from their hosts, so if you buy a bag of bedding from a pet store that's infested, you know where the mites will be? Not in the bedding--they'll be ON the bag. So when you carry it into your home, they can continue their wandering.

My recommendation is to forget trying to disinfect your aspen, because it's pointless--instead, inspect the livestock in the store you're buying from, and walk out quickly if anything has mites. They could hitch a ride on YOU.

As for mites IN bedding (such as cypress mulch)--these are generally wood mites, that are harmless to your animals. They're a different color, and you will virtually never see one on a snake, if they're in the bedding.

Another potential source of snake mites is an improperly sealed foundation. Garter snakes will get into things, including your home, and they may bring 'friends' along with them. Fortunately, the types of dangerous diseases that mites may spread in captive collections are rarely found in wild animals, so this is more of a nuisance than a huge danger.

Keep Provent-A-Mite on hand, and don't stress over it.

Thanks for your reply and also I don't think garter snakes would come in to my home in the UK lol it is freezing haha
and i don't think you can get PAM in the uk

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Thanks for all the replies
very appreciated

[DooLittle]

isnt putting something really hot into your freezer a good way to kill your fridge?
I know whenever you cook stuff its usually a good idea to let it cool down to room temp before popping it in the fridge.

Boy I hope not ^^^ I am wierd about food sitting out. It always goes right into fridge or freezer.

Op, I have heard of people thinking their mites came from aspen. And if I was just getting over mites would be totally paranoid. I just don't know if I would put it in the oven. Maybe at a low heat, but then I don't know if that would be enough to do anything. Suppose you could spread it all on baking sheets and just kinda filter through it and look for them?

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[The Serpent Merchant]

isnt putting something really hot into your freezer a good way to kill your fridge?
I know whenever you cook stuff its usually a good idea to let it cool down to room temp before popping it in the fridge.

I've never had an issue, though this isn't something I'm doing on a regular basis. (I also don't have anything else in the freezer when i do this)

I have heard this in the past but I don't totally see the issue. I can't see how it is any worse that leaving the freezer door open. In both cases the refrigeration system has to kick on... and in the case of the open door it will likely have to run longer. In my eyes it is doing what it is designed to do. The idea that it causes the temperature in the entire fridge to rise by enough to spoil food in the fridge seems crazy to me. It takes a long time for anything to heat up a large volume of air. Certainly longer than it takes for the refrigeration system to kick in, but I guess that would depend on how efficient your fridge is.

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So can you put cypress in the oven without it burning, or could you just soak it?

I've put cypress in the oven. the flash point of most wood is close to 600 degrees. but it will dry out the cypress.