Safe Wood

[katach]

Is there a list of wood that is safe for garters to be on? Bill likes to build toys for them and was wondering. Thanks!

[aquamentus_11]

all i know is no pine or cedar. i think any type of resinous wood could damage their lungs

[guidofatherof5]

Willow should also be avoided.

[katach]

Is Monkey Wood safe? What about Birch, Alder, Oak, Hemlock, Spruce? If it is Willow and it's been cut and dried for 10yrs is it still unsafe?

[RedSidedSPR]

I'm not sure, but I like waffles.

[EasternGirl]

Does anyone have a tranquilizer gun for Jesse? ;). I don't know Kat...I've been looking all over the internet...the only thing I could find was something about bearded dragons and terrariums...it said: Safe woods include "Alder, Ash, Aspen, Birch, Cottonwood, Dogwood, Elm, Maple, Oak, Poplar, Sycamore, and Willow" (Dragon Tank).


Of course everything I read said don't use pine or cedar...or conifers. The only dispute is that this source says willow is okay, and Steve says it's a no go. I have no idea how reliable this source is..it was just some caresheet on bearded dragons...if Steve says Willow is bad...I'd believe him.

[aquamentus_11]

is it the salicylic acid in the willow, steve?

i would avoid spruce, hemlock, etc. too. oddly, my bark substrate is composed of Douglas fir bark (which is not a true fir). if the wood has a strong smell to it and leaves your hands sticky (think climbing pine trees), i would probably leave it out of my tank.

and red-sided does like those.

[RedSidedSPR]

They're ok

[guidofatherof5]

is it the salicylic acid in the willow, steve?

Not sure but I read something about taking precautions when cutting or working with Willow.
I figured the same dangers would translate to the health concerns for a garter snake.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Selkielass]

I'd say avoid fresh sappy wood in any case.
I salvage old lanscaping company dumps for the knotted twisted trunks and root systems that have been torn out for re-landscaping.


There is usually no way to identify what species these were, but they probably include evergreens, box, yew and whatever else you see in the landscaping around commercial properties parks and municipal buildings.

I bring promising pieces home, hose and scrub them down, and put them in my garden until they resemble driftwood. (Little or no bark left, no greenness or sappiness, no herbacious or piney odor. Once they,ve aged enough, I scrub them down again and then boil them in water or bake them in the oven for at least 30 minutes. (More if trunks are thick, you want to heat the wood all the way thru to kill insects.) Boiling, scrubbing then baking gets you a nice clean dry piece for your viv.

If while boiling or baking I notice resins seeping or a strong sappy odor in the water, I'll assume I've jumped the gun and put them out to weather and dry some more. Before placement, check for sharp edges, points and cracks that might pinch. Prune off dangerous bits then file or sand any rough edges.

I can't swear salvaged wood like this is perfectly safe, but it is the same shrubbery I find garters living in in my area, and weathering and cleaning it until it's unidentifiable as anything but old wood should also remove and dilute to irrelevance any irritating substances.

Willow contains salycylic acid- the active ingredient in asprin. Willow bark tea is good for aches and pains. I have not heard about cautions when working with this wood and I have often seen Curly willow branches used in reptile and animal displays in zoos. Salix matsudana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_matsudana)

[EasternGirl]

Well I did see several references that said not to use conifers because of the oils/resins...as we all know they can be dangerous to the respiratory tract.

[katach]

Thanks that was helpful! The guy we get some of our wood pieces from is a bowl maker. He has a lot of monkey wood, willow, maple and a couple other kinds. They are all dried and aged for a really long time so his work doesn't crack and break. The other stuff we get is untreated lumber from the hardware store. We only get hard wood and it's all dry and no chemicals have been used on it.

[EasternGirl]

That's really cool...I live in the city...or suburbs...well, a college town really. I have no wood..and no access to wood, and no ability when it comes to building things. I mean, sure...I could go buy some wood..but I wouldn't really know what to do with it...lol.

[katach]

Bill found a gorgeous piece of madrona on friday. It's got a great base and very cool branches for climbing. It needs to dry and be cured, but I would love to have a tank big enough for it to be the center piece someday. It's about 3ft wide and 4ft tall.
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[guidofatherof5]

Very nice.