Sterilizing tree branches?

[JacksJill]

Plain old salmonella bacteria is carried by birds who poop in trees. Reptiles can be carriers of salmonella. Salmonella can make people very sick some even die. That is why I sanitize my branches prior to use.
I also wash my hands after handling birds and reptiles.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Is your home sterile? No. I just cut branches off crepe myrtle and brushed off all lichen and done. Your cham is not going to get any parasite of birds or native reptiles. Why does it have to be so difficult?

If you live in artic tundra 100s of miles from any agricultural pesticides spraying, and low air pollution thats fine. Parasite reproduce in poops in thousands on pure chance that something will pick it up and get eaten by something else.
Cleaning & disinfecting of plants don't stop everything getting in enclosure anyways its something personal choice in precaution.

 

[jamest0o0]

How can you be so sure of native species parasites not getting to your Cham. Feeders are known to transfer parasites somehow and most of them aren't from the origin of the chameleon. Parasites usually need multiple vectors to complete there life cycles im not sure an American hookworm differs in anyway from a Madagascan hookworm
They just need a suitable host some might be more specific than others, it is still only a chance of something nasty being on it at the end of the day

Almost all parasites come from people with contaminated collections that came from wild caught. Many of us have chameleons that live and eat outside all summer/year and have never had parasite problems. You're more likely having trouble from CB than WC IMHO

My chameleon lives right on the edge of the woods with old logs and fallen branches to climb on, vines, etc in a 10ft enclosure with large enough holes for adult roaches to fit through(the ones I feed). Much of his diet is wild insects. No parasite issues. @Brodybreaux25 also fed wild insects almost exclusively and I never heard of him having a problem.

 

[jamest0o0]

Plain old salmonella bacteria is carried by birds who poop in trees. Reptiles can be carriers of salmonella. Salmonella can make people very sick some even die. That is why I sanitize my branches prior to use.
I also wash my hands after handling birds and reptiles.

Agreed, but I personally have never met a person with salmonella other than i think you said you got it? I feel you'd have to be very unlucky. How many kids climb through the woods? Do they sanitize everything they touch lol? What is the actual rate of death by salmonella? I agree if you have reptiles, wash hands, be mindful of it, but I'd personally lose my mind worrying about sanitizing everything. Not that I have an issues with someone doing it. Hosing off and baking in the sun is plenty for me. I do like the life that unsanitized things bring to my bio enclosures, nothing in my area worries me though.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Agreed, but I personally have never met a person with salmonella other than i think you said you got it? I feel you'd have to be very unlucky. How many kids climb through the woods? Do they sanitize everything they touch lol? What is the actual rate of death by salmonella? I agree if you have reptiles, wash hands, be mindful of it, but I'd personally lose my mind worrying about sanitizing everything. Not that I have an issues with someone doing it. Hosing off and baking in the sun is plenty for me. I do like the life that unsanitized things bring to my bio enclosures, nothing in my area worries me though.

Ive stopped bleaching sticks now in favour for regular hydrogen peroxide now quicker, and drying it out is more to hatch wood boring bugs and stuff. Bioactive enclosure is different anyway as you welcome the fauna &flora to balance in harmony. Im doing Deep cleaning with no substrate(not counting my plant pots with fluke springtails) ,regularly which is different scenario to bioactive for sure and yes parasite will come more with WC & mostly farmed feeders. When things are enclosed it intensifies the life cycles.
They just seem to pop up in chance, birds since insectivores like chameleons would be mine concern for nasties in my area.

 

[JacksJill]

I think plenty of kids got it back when red eared sliders were a popular pet. It became wide spread enough that their sale was banned in animals under 4 inches.
It wasn't me but a friend who ended up hospitalized for over 2 weeks.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Salmonella—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC estimates Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Food is the source for most of these illnesses.

While the mortality rate is less than 1%, enduring the disease is no picnic.

 

[Pickle-cham]

This old thread has reminded me i need to go finds some fresh sticks

Salmonella—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

While the mortality rate is less than 1%, enduring the disease is no picnic.

Am i rite in thinking reptiles can become a carrier bank of this and keep re infecting you? Without showing illness.
Or is that a different salmonella than is common in cross contamination in food process

 

[JacksJill]

Poultry and eggs are likely the source in food born cases but we were warned during out exotics rotations to use extra caution when handling reptiles and birds. Good hand washing and not kissing them should be enough to prevent picking it up from reptiles. Most people would just think they got food poisoning and never know the source.
Reptiles can carry it and show no symptoms. I don't want to freak people out just have them wash their hands and be prudent about what they introduce into their cages. It isn't difficult to kill on surfaces.
Just to be nit picky sterilizing branches isn't possible they are too porous but they can be sanitized.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Am i rite in thinking reptiles can become a carrier bank of this and keep re infecting you? Without showing illness.
Or is that a different salmonella than is common in cross contamination in food process

Yes.

As to the second question, I'll refer you back to the CDC page and Wikipedia for starters;
I might mess up the explanation.

Salmonella—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Salmonella—Wikipedia

Before I got my beardie, I contacted a local herp vet to ask a few questions.
He told me the 2 main transmittable diseases were salmonella and adenovirus,
just cautioning me to wash hands and use common sense.

To me that includes don't kiss anything you should wash your hands after touching.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Yes.

As to the second question, I'll refer you back to the CDC page and Wikipedia for starters;
I might mess up the explanation.

Salmonella—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Salmonella—Wikipedia

There's just another reason for me to disinfect branches to add to list of so many others. I appreciate that with bio-active you cant use chemicals especially those with long lasting chain reactions that adversely effect ecosystems.
Hydrogen peroxide is so volatile it turns to water quickly, I'm actually going to order cheap fog gun to spray some sticks. Going diy rope ladder/larger weighing tree & free range I'm making soon

 

[ERKleRose]

There's just another reason for me to disinfect branches to add to list of so many others. I appreciate that with bio-active you cant use chemicals especially those with long lasting chain reactions that adversely effect ecosystems.
Hydrogen peroxide is so volatile it turns to water quickly, I'm actually going to order cheap fog gun to spray some sticks. Going diy rope ladder/larger weighing tree & free range I'm making soon

Please post that, it sounds very interesting!

 

[Pickle-cham]

Please post that, it sounds very interesting!

Will be i was thinking of something to post just waiting on Amazon delivery already got a stick for the rope ladder this space

 

[ERKleRose]

Will be i was thinking of something to post just waiting on Amazon delivery already got a stick for the rope ladder this space

I was thinking of the fog gun idea but please post the free range as well, it, too, sounds interesting!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hydrogen peroxide is so volatile it turns to water quickly, I'm actually going to order cheap fog gun to spray some sticks.

Will that work, or will the heat/fogging break down the peroxide before it gets a chance to work?
Maybe a hand mister will do the job?

 

[Thompson]

Will that work, or will the heat/fogging break down the peroxide before it gets a chance to work?
Maybe a hand mister will do the job?

Anytime you use anything other than pure hydrogen peroxide, even water, this contaminates the hydrogen peroxide and causes it to decompose faster into water and oxygen gas, making it less effective. But adding heat is worse because it makes hydrogen peroxide decomposition into water and oxygen flammable, and at higher concentrations and strengths of H2O2, you don't even need a flame cause hydrogen peroxide to spontaneously combust.

lmao if that answered your question at all. Basically, just disinfect using only hydrogen peroxide only. Once you introduce foreign chemicals and other things to it, it begins to lose its stability and then decomposes into water and oxygen gas.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

These aren't really issues at the strength solution readily available to most of us—3%.
I see that it is used for room sterilization as a vapor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide#Disinfectant

 

[Pickle-cham]

Anytime you use anything other than pure hydrogen peroxide, even water, this contaminates the hydrogen peroxide and causes it to decompose faster into water and oxygen gas, making it less effective. But adding heat is worse because it makes hydrogen peroxide decomposition into water and oxygen flammable, and at higher concentrations and strengths of H2O2, you don't even need a flame cause hydrogen peroxide to spontaneously combust.

lmao if that answered your question at all. Basically, just disinfect using only hydrogen peroxide only. Once you introduce foreign chemicals and other things to it, it begins to lose its stability and then decomposes into water and oxygen gas.

Partly why i intend to use as it will leave the branch safe once all the peroxide is reacted, rather than a potential surfactant remaining on branches for unspecified time.
And im pretty sure the cheap fogging guns are essentially a cold ultrasonic mist makers so hopefully no heating involved.

 

[Thompson]

Partly why i intend to use as it will leave the branch safe once all the peroxide is reacted, rather than a potential surfactant remaining on branches for unspecified time.
And im pretty sure the cheap fogging guns are essentially a cold ultrasonic mist makers so hopefully no heating involved.

yea once the bubbles are gone, the hydrogen peroxide has decomposed into water and oxygen and is safe to put into the Chams cage. Porous or not.

 

[Call me Sal]

So wait a minute, you can just pour HP over the branches, scrub, then rinse then dry? I'm very confused about this branches sterilization process.