climbing branch has mold!!

[martin07]

So i am putting together a terrarium and before i added the 3 climbing branches i bought from a pet smart i put them in the oven at 250 degrees for about an hr and they were so hot i couldnt touch them. Once they cooled i added them in the terrarium. (my ball is in a different cage for now) But anyway one of the branches started to mold(it is driftwood) but the other 2 were fine. What did i do wrong? I would have added some pics but once i noticed the mold i quickly took it out. Is driftwood bad for a ball terrarium? I do have live plants and have not had this problem in the past.

Here is a link for a pic of the wood that has the mold.
http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psc7a4f48d.jpg

Thanks!!

[martin07]

the picture that showed doesnt have much mold bc dad just got done grilling with charcoal when i noticed the mold so i put the wood in the grill for awhile hoping that it would kill the mold. I removed the wood once the grill cooled and just placed it in a clean 5 gallon bucket for now.

[carlson]

Leave it out, get new one if you want climbing stick. Mold grows where it's humid what's your humidity level at in your tank? My guess would be too high if you have wood molding..

[martin07]

i have a 36x18x18 exo-terra and humidity has not gone over 60% and right now i do not have any heat lights just a 60watt plant light that i run 12hrs a day and temp is at 80degrees and dropping to mid 70's when plant light is off. Im confused as to why it would mold if humidity is only at 60%.

[mackynz]

I would just take them out, they aren't arboreal anyway.

[I-KandyReptiles]

I use these for climbing branches:
http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmar...#un_searchblur
They're not actual wood so there's no chance of mold, and they're easy to clean. I toss mine in the dishwasher.

Ball pythons are not arboreal, but some do have a tendency to climb.

[martin07]

my ball loves to climb and yes petsmart had one of those but i went with the wood bc it was bigger. I was just trying to fill my big cage with enough things bc my ball is just a baby. I think i may try to scrub the branch off with bleach and water and a scratch pad, let it dry out and then put a couple of coats of Environmental Zip Guard water based urethane to protect it. It says right on the front that its not harmful to the ozone, non-toxic after dry, and clean air compliant.