Bamboo poles preserved in borate question

[Wrobio]

Howdy,

I am designing an indoor chameleon enclosure and was planning to build the frame out of bamboo poles. The preserved poles I have found are cured in borate salts. I searched the forum, but the only info on borates I could find was on the safety of using an eye wash that contains borate. I am curious if anyone here has used preserved bamboo poles inside they cham's enclosures? If so, did that work out?

Thanks!

 

[sandrachameleon]

normally I'm pro natural and shy away from preservatives.

But my understanding is that borax / boric acid / is actually fairly safe, dermal absorption is low, and since your chameleon wont be eating the bamboo, it might be just fine. Boric acid / sodium borate salts are registered for use on food crops, and there are sodium borate swimming pool applications.
that said, its toxic to insects, so dont let crickets and cockroaches chew on it. And according to wikipedia, "borate compounds do not become fixed in the wood and can readily be leached out. Therefore they should not be used where they will be exposed to rain, water or ground contact."

 

[Wrobio]

Thanks for the info! Could get fresh poles, but I know they wouldn't last too long. I figured it would not be too bad, especially compared to what is in some stains/sealers that are commonly used.