Mold?

[Wowbango]

So today when I got home and was cleaning up poop, I noticed this for the first time on one of the manzanita branches in Nigel's cage. Is this mold? If so, do I just scrape it off? Does this also mean I'm misting too much/often, I currently mist 4 times a day for 2 mins. Thanks.

 

[MSMorgan]

Mold, or a fungus ie: mushroom. Remove the branch and replace with something else.

 

[Wowbango]

Ugh. Bummer. It was a really cool looking log that went diagonal from bottom of the cage up to almost the top corner. He never used it really...but it looked so good in his enclosure! But obviously his health is more important and I wouldn't want him to get any sort of respiratory infection or anything.

 

[TheEricJ]

You could also treat it. I sanitize my branches with bleach water. Scrub and then rinse really well with cold water. I then put them in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 hrs. It should kill the organisms including bacteria and fungus.

I mist for 3 mins 4x/day and have not had any problem. I think you're good there. Maybe just try treating it and see what happens.

 

[junglefries]

The very reason I quit using. Look on the bright side, saves you money.

 

[Wowbango]

The very reason I quit using. Look on the bright side, saves you money.

Well, my parents run a pretty big Florist/Wedding Business, so I get them for free A similar log at a reptile shop would be in the $75 range. I may just try and clean it and see what happens. All the other ones near his basking light are perfectly fine, as I'm guessing they dry quickly. This one in particular didn't get much heat from the basking light so probably sat and the reason it got moldy.

 

[junglefries]

It is the spores that are dangerous. Gets in the lungs. Once present, you must bleach everything. It like herpes, forever.............

 

[Wowbango]

It is the spores that are dangerous. Gets in the lungs. Once present, you must bleach everything. It like herpes, forever.............

Boo...I'll probably just deal without it then and Make sure to clean everything else. Thanks for the tips.

 

[junglefries]

Some people have issues and others don't. Depends on the saturation, I believe. Chams just require so much H2O, that to allow wood to dry out would dehydrate the cham. Defeating the purpose. I only use bamboo, plastic vines and plastic chainlock. Then, H2O away, all day!!!!

 

[Carlton]

I would try cleaning and drying it thoroughly. Bake it if you can. The heat and drying will at least set back any molds that survive. Once the hard bark is compromised the wood underneath is going to start decomposing. Just the natural way of things. Scrubbing and treating the cage perches is just part of maintenance. But, you can replace the branch if you can't keep it from recurring. If you see mold in the same place again maybe you can get some more air movement into that part of the cage by rearranging plants. That will help the area dry out more.

 

[Wowbango]

I would try cleaning and drying it thoroughly. Bake it if you can. The heat and drying will at least set back any molds that survive. Once the hard bark is compromised the wood underneath is going to start decomposing. Just the natural way of things. Scrubbing and treating the cage perches is just part of maintenance. But, you can replace the branch if you can't keep it from recurring. If you see mold in the same place again maybe you can get some more air movement into that part of the cage by rearranging plants. That will help the area dry out more.

Thanks for the advice! It just makes me sad becauseI had started to collect pieces for his "big boy" cage and will be bummed if it's going to be an ongoing issue. Hopefully I can control it by moving stuff around. The top of the log was right under the mister head, so I'm thinking a lot came down onto the log and rolled down the length of it and then sat. maybe just move it so it's not right under it (after cleaning/baking) of course.