Preparing Branches for Enclosures?

[55fingers]

Hello, I have several branches fairly fresh off a tree. I plan on screwing them together to make a basking platform. My questions are:

What temp in the oven for how long to sterilize?

Do the branches need dried/cured? I will be using screws in them. I heard you can use the oven. What temp for how long? Can I do both sterilizing and drying at once?

[tttaylorrr]

i've never done this, but i've read 300° F for 30 minutes in the oven.

i've also read about soaking the branches in a diluted bleach solution, then letting them bake out in the sun for a couple days.

hope this helped!

[Bogertophis]

Must not be huge branches if they fit in your oven...?

Please DO NOT use any bleach (of any dilution) on wood, as you won't get the toxic fumes out (harmful to snake & awful to breathe!)- don't ruin your branches!

Wood is porous, & when I use natural branches from my yard for my snakes they are usually WAY bigger than my oven. I brush off any loose bark, then spray
them (pretty wet) with dilute chlorhexidine solution (as I use for wiping down cages...doesn't require rinsing, only dried)...you could probably use your F-10 the
same way. Let them dry...if you have a hot sunny day (I'm in the south ) dry them in the sun. Or, if yours are small enough for the oven (as you asked) you
can bake them on a low temp.- about 250* is what I've used, & keep an eye on them...obviously. I've done that for about 30-40 minutes...you can turn off the
oven & let them sit in there for another 30 minutes too. Should be good to go after that- I don't think you can ever call a branch "sterile" but I settle for "safe".

Every once in a while, some wood-boring beetle has been inside of a branch (those too big to bake in oven), but not a big deal. You'll know by the little pile of
sawdust under the branch, lol...

[55fingers]

Yeah, whoops, I didn't mean completely sterile haha. That would be quite impossible.

Thanks for the help! I know that would make it safe for the enclosure, but will 250-300 for 30-40 minutes dry it enough to build a basking platform with it? Or would it need to go in for longer for that?

[Bogertophis]

I think they'll be dry...you can go longer if not but just don't set your kitchen on fire.

[Panther chameleon]

I heat in oven at 250f for about 45 mins. Then I freeze them overnight in freezer. That way for sure will kill off all living organisms.

[Craiga 01453]

I've always done 250 for an hour. Works well and creates a pleasant aroma in my kitchen.

Just be VERY careful using screws. Not just the pointed tip, but the head can cause injury too, being a good shape to snag on scales, etc...