Branchs from Outside ??

[jesseesperto]

Hello everybody,
I have been working on Olivers new cage with the 10 seconds of free time I have each day. I am going to look around some parks for that perfect branch. I was wondering.. how would you make sure not to introduce any bad little things. Like bacteria molds or mites... just concerned b4 a fatal mistake is made.

 

[lbesok]

You could bake the smaller ones in the oven for a while at 350, to kill whatever may be living on them. The larger ones can be soaked in your tub/bucket with a cap full of bleach, just make sure to rinse them really well before you put them in the cage.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

I quite often get pieces of wood from the wooded area behind my place for my reptiles/aquariums. I usually boil them for 15-20 minutes and then scrub them with a plastic bristled dish scrubber from the dollar store. If they're large I'll boil the ends and then put them in the tub and cover them in boiling water and/or hot water from the tap. I let them soak until the water has cooled and then scrub them.

Just yesterday I got some more grape vines from the same place. I just cut any small branches off, pull some of the stringy bark off and scrub them in a hot shower until I think they're clean enough. My chameleons love the grapevines. And the cool thing about those is you can look around to find whatever thickness you need.

Dyesub Dave.

 

[jesseesperto]

Thanks Guys. That Is What I Thought. :d

 

[royden]

I'd say - even easier - throw them in the freezer.

 

[ian]

do you live in nyc. if so my main concern would be car exhaust soot and all the nasty petrochemicals in the soot.

do bacterias die when frozen? or just go dormant?

 

[Duke]

There are some things that would not be killed by being frozen, depending on temps, duration, etc. The only way to truly get everything is to autoclave which uses high pressure steam. This is what is done with commercial potting soil, etc. Universities and hospitals use them (autoclaves, not the potting soil). Since I'm guessing you don't have access to one of those, the ideas listed sound pretty good to me.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Soaking branches in the tub with one part bleach to 9 parts water for an hour is good. Then you must sun dry them. That is what I do. So I do my collecting in the spring summer season and then keep a bushell of them around. Never know when you'll want to "expand."

 

[jesseesperto]

There are some things that would not be killed by being frozen, depending on temps, duration, etc. The only way to truly get everything is to autoclave which uses high pressure steam. This is what is done with commercial potting soil, etc. Universities and hospitals use them (autoclaves, not the potting soil). Since I'm guessing you don't have access to one of those, the ideas listed sound pretty good to me.

I would think it must be a big autoclave to fit big branchs for a descent size cham cage. Nope, I dont think that is to easy for me to access. Think my kitchen oven will do fine set at 350-400 degrees. I am a bit scared to soak with 5% bleach also. chemicals make me nervous.