types of wood that is OK?

[Sang]

OK, so i know there is a list about safe plants and what not. but what about specific types of trees.

i have two great branches from a mesquite tree, i was goint to treat them in soap and water solution for a day, and then redry them out for a couple of days, i was going to build a large enclosure around them.

these two branches are great pieces.

but is mesquite a toxic type tree, they don't have sap, the juvenile branches finger great but have no bark.


so my question is would mesuite branches be Ok. they produce next to no odor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesquite

 

[kenya]

Mesquite is good. Madrone is also good if you can gather it locally. They are closely related- I use madrone in both my reptile enclosures and to make stands for my birds. Just make sure to let it dry out in the sun for a few days after scrubbing it down with a 10% bleach solution. Once it is totally dry and the wood ages a bit, the bark will peel right off but it shouldn't be an issue if you want to go ahead and put it in.

 

[Sang]

sweet, i didn't think bleach would be appropriate. but all good the.

 

[kenya]

Yeah, just make sure to dilute it and then rinse really well. If the pieces fit in the oven, you can bake them for an hour at 325

The other great thing you can do if you can get ahold of a steam cleaner is to steam them very closely, inch by inch. This is the only way to kill coccidia.

 

[Sang]

OH, i think i can get one, work would be pissed if they found out what i was using it for....
HA! take that steamatic ...

they are huge pieces almost 6 feet in length and spread, should make for intresting climbing material.

not sure which way to hang them though, vertical or horizontal, probably ahve to go vertical they are about 6' in length.

 

[kenya]

Make sure that they have lots of varying diameters- it is a smooth wood and the chams can fall off. You should probably trail pothos vines up the wider branches so that they are grippable. You will need to add other climbing branches too- I usually pick a nice branch with lots of smaller bits coming off of it, wire it into my enclosure, and then supplement through gaps and open bits with biovine. It works well to make "highways" for the chams.

 

[Sang]

ill photograph what i have after class. i got to head out now though.

not sure how im going to soak them in bleach.

 

[kenya]

Get a cheap scrubber from the dollar store along with a spray bottle, make the bleach solution in the spray bottle, go outside in the driveway and spray the sucker down. Scrub. Rinse with hose. Rinse again. Let dry in sun for a day or two. Profit!