Tips on identifying wood?

[MissterDog]

Not sure where to post this. Thinking of looking for wood branches on one of the hiking trails near me. Sadly there are a lot of pine wood, and while there are some non-pine wood I'm worried about misidentifying. How do I make absolutely sure the wood I find is not pine or cedar or dangerous to ball pythons?

I'm currently looking into several nature guides for reference but if anyone has any experience with this, I wouldn't mind hearing some tips or advise to get more familiar with wood types.

Alternatively anyone know where I could simply buy some wood branches? I've seen several places online but I feel I need to physically see the shape and size (looking for a very particular size). So far petstores near by me don't seem to have a good variety.

[Slytherin's Mommy]

Just remember that there are many types of pine. Cedar bark looks like stachs of brown paper glued together.

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[SDA]

When in doubt just avoid it. If you get a branch from a tree, needles are a no no. Also if you go in late fall or early winter just pick from trees with no leaves. Deciduous trees are often far less toxic than ever greens.

Also try and avoid wood that has dropped on the ground for the reasons of rot, fungus, beetles, and other nasties.

As for good prices try Dr Foster and Smith for grapewood and a few others like drift wood. They have surprisingly affordable prices. Oh and have a look at some place like Michael's or Hobby Lobby

[Starscream]

If you find one with leaves you can identify by leaf shape. I would google leaf shapes of various toxic plants and avoid those if you see them.

[John1982]

I wouldn't worry too much. Most of the trees in my yard are pine or cedar. I find plenty of snakes up in the trees and down in the needle beds on the ground. As long as it's not sappy/sticky, I'd personally feel fine using. For identification purposes, get yourself a sample piece of pine and cedar. Shave some of the bark off so you can get a feel for the look with/without. Easiest way is probably to let your nose guide you - both have very distinct scents.