is it safe to bring things from the wild for the cage?

i went to look for some wood for the cage, its like a market.
they cost like 30 bucks... and my whole cage costed me like 20 bucks!!!!!

well, is it ok just to find a nice branch of a tree or just get my own from the woods?

Not really.

-adam

there are many things that can come into your cage with naturally collected wood; ants, ticks, mites, termites, mold, lichens, fungus.....the list goes on and on. That being said, I have been told that if you boil something before you put it into the cage, it should clean all that stuff out of it.......that also being said, real wood holds moisture and promotes all sort of little nasty growing colonies of stuff that can't be good for our snakes...buy the synthetic wood made from plastic if you want it for your pet.

hmmm alrightie. i dont wanna risk it.
then i guess it has to wait for a while until i can find one with a proper size.
thanx.

Actually, it depends on the wood as far as fostering pathogens. I know manzanita is relatively nonporous and resistant to fungus and molds. Instead of boiling the wood, you can bake it at around 200-250 for a half hour or more. That will kill everything in it and reduce the moisture content. Be careful of some wood such as cedar as the oils are toxic to snakes. Also, the more "furniture" you have in your cage, the more vigilant you have to be about keeping it clean.

I wasn't referring to the wood retaining water from boiling it...although baking is probably a better idea. I just know that I had a piece of natural drift wood in my viv for a while, and it picked up water, poop, urates, and it stunk in no time at all, even with cleanings all the time, it was a problem. Natural can work, but will require us to work a little more as well.

Baking branches works great, like xdeus said. I have several branches i got from outside, they are sturdier, and there is a better selection than those for sale in stores....if you are lookin for that branch with a "perfect fit" for your snakes cage. What i usually do is bake the branches first, then give them a provent-a-mite treatment.....I have never had a problem and my snakes love their branches. You also might consider getting some "cage furniture" at a local reptile show, as they also have mots more selection and better prices than the store.....yes it is ridiculous what they charge in stores for wood.

If your going to use natural branches I would suggest the you strip the bark off first, then bake it, then give it a nice heavy coat of clear acrylic. That way it won't be able to absorb fluids or odors, and if you were to get mites later on, either wash it with bleach solution or spray it with Provent-a-mite.

While boiling or baking wood or rocks might kill the bacteria, etc on them, it doesn't always remove any pollutants that the piece may have picked up while lying in the ditch, etc.


If you really feel the need to get stuff from the wild, get it from somewhere not infested with humanity. It's a good idea to soak it for a while, and constantly check the water parameters, then after that, dry it out and bake it.

It's hardly worth the effort when it comes down to it.

thanx for the advice. all of them are useful. well.. i dont think i'll try to find something now.
maybe in another time. but thanx for the information