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  1. #1
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    I saw a really cool idea of making hides for reptiles out of sticks from the out doors and decided I'd try my luck. Most of the trees around me are eucalyptus, which I know can have some harmful oils, but there are plenty of reptiles that live under them so its at least safe for the native wildlife. If I used only dry, dead fallen branches from the trees would this be harmful for a bp? I would of course clean them and bake them to get any bugs off. I have used these branches in a couple enclosures for native wildlife but I haven't tried with my bp yet. Also would I need to make them water proof to prevent mold? If so what's the easiest way to do that?

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    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Short answer, no. Do NOT use eucalyptus at all. And no cedar...

    They might "conceivably" be safe IF you completely coated (sealed) them with a "No VOC" waterproofing product, but the surfaces are so uneven, you'd likely miss
    some spots, & personally, I just don't think it's worth the risk. The great outdoors has PLENTY of fresh air to mitigate the effects of such wood for NATIVE reptiles, but
    that's just not the same thing for a non-native BP (or really ANY snake) that would be CONFINED with such wood & very little fresh air. Not worth the risk...Please do
    NOT do this.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    Reptile$ 4 Life (05-12-2020)

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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    What type of wood should I use/would work best?

  5. #4
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    Ok so after doing some more research and several different structures google searches I found some articles that say it is best to use hard woods such as maple, oak, and ash trees. What's the best way to water proof sticks and logs?

    Good thing I asked about the eucalyptus. I don't want anything to happening to my baby.

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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    Quote Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life View Post
    What's the best way to water proof sticks and logs?
    I think it’s unnecessary to waterproof sticks, but if you were looking to do so, mineral oil, lacquer or varnish will do.

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    Reptile$ 4 Life (05-12-2020)

  9. #6
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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    Quote Originally Posted by Faith.luu View Post
    I think it’s unnecessary to waterproof sticks, but if you were looking to do so, mineral oil, lacquer or varnish will do.
    NO! DO NOT use mineral oil...it's not as safe as it sounds...it's a petroleum product that is safely used for HUMANS in various ways, but as an oil, it does NOT dry, so it will continue to rub off on the snake using branches coated with it, thereby messing up their skin & future sheds. Please don't go there...

    Do not use any old lacquer or varnish either: many products off-gas toxic fumes (much MORE toxic to snakes than to much larger humans, but not good for either one to breathe long-term). You want to seek out a pet & child safe waterproofing product that says "NO VOC"; "VOC" stands for "volatile organic compounds" (the toxic stuff that causes cancer & other illness in many cases)

    While some ppl use cabinets converted to house snakes that have been coated with various types of varnish, it needs to be dry for a long time to be relatively safe. Many things like wood stain will continue to off-gas small amounts of VOC for a long time, & be much more likely to affect (sicken or kill) our (much smaller than us) pets, especially when they are CONTAINED with limited air exchange as most BPs are housed. There have been well-intentioned people who refinished a beautiful new cabinet to house their snakes only to find them poisoned from the fumes that they didn't realize were significant. Remember how much more sensitive snakes are than are we. DON'T RISK your pets!

    Better yet, just don't water-proof branches, ok? It CAN be done to make them impervious to germs & fecal contamination, but that's ONLY good IF you use a safe NO-VOC product to water-proof them with. If you don't coat them, just realize that at some point in time (after using for a while) it's better to throw them out & get new ones, ok?
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 05-12-2020 at 12:44 PM.
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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    Sounds good . I just read a couple threads where people said they water proofed their branches with No VOC water proofing material. Thanks for the warnings!

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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    Quote Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life View Post
    Sounds good . I just read a couple threads where people said they water proofed their branches with No VOC water proofing material. Thanks for the warnings!
    I've converted older finished cabinets to snake homes in the past, & I've used a waterproofing product (No VOC) to seal wood, but it's been years...sorry, I just don't recall the brand, & there's likely others now anyway. It's not the specific brand...you mostly need to read the labels thoroughly, so you don't harm your snakes.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  13. #9
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Re: Is Dry Eucalyptus Wood Safe?

    I was mainly thinking to seal the wood to reduce the chance of mold. I read articles that said mold grows at around 70-90% humidity but others said it could grow at 40%. I think the 70-90% is probably more accurate because other wise there would be mold even in some of my drier cages. If that is the case then it should be safe not to seal it like you said, at least for a fair amount of time.

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    As I don't keep BPs or snakes with similar needs, I don't ever see moldy branches, but that's certainly possible for yours. Up to you, but I'd try without coating, then if it
    becomes an issue, get more branches & coat them. What you cannot (ie must not) do is kill the mold with diluted bleach if it appears, since the bleach fumes will stay IN
    the wood, making it forever toxic for your snake to breathe...so if you get moldy branches, just pitch them & get new ones.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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