# Harvesting Organc Matter For Enclosures?



## raggamuffin415 (Mar 21, 2015)

Hi All,

Have seen some beautiful setups on here and would love to find out about stepping my enclosure decoration game up!
I mainly have used store bought cork bark, dry moss, and fake plants for my setups and they look good. However was wondering about
creating a more natural look without getting into live plants yet. Have been rooting around the outdoors scouting out pieces
of reeds, bark, branches, etc that would look nice and dont require care of live plants. Obviously though I am concerned about
the safety of my t's, so have not put any into my enclosures yet. Is there a way to "cure" the dead plant matter to make it
safe and free of any fungus, mold, parasites that may be lurking unbeknownst?

Thanks for tips! I've heard using vinegar works but don't know how to do it. What about sticking in oven too?


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## Dave Marschang (Mar 22, 2015)

parasites are your only problem. you need to sterilize everything you collect, whether it be in the oven or with bleach.....wait! bleach is safe for reptiles once it is COMPLETELY dry. I don't know if its safe for T's. better not try it. bake everything at 200 for a couple of hours. do NOT heat rocks! especially ones collected by water. due to a possible moisture content inside of them they can explode when they get hot.


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## The Snark (Mar 22, 2015)

Acetic acid, vinegar, will inhibit the growth of some organisms and nothing more. The only method to eliminate hostile organisms and the spores completely is an autoclave. Your T's are from a certain habitat and resistant to certain organisms. Why not try to replicate that?

PS Don't use bleach. You will inevitably end up with corrosive salts in the material.

Reactions: Like 1


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## raggamuffin415 (Mar 22, 2015)

Appreciate the info! Talked to someone at the SF Reptile expo today and he suggested baking for 4 hours at 250 degrees. Don't know about bleach or vinegar...
And autoclave's look expensive and overkill. Snark, you dont think oven will work well enough? Also, can you elaborate on replicating habitats?
Not sure where I'd collect habitat organisms from South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Again, trying to avoid live plants if possible, was speaking more about harvesting from Northern California outdoors.

And note to self... dont heat up any rocks!


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## WindedFatnNasty (Mar 22, 2015)

The Snark said:


> Acetic acid, vinegar, will inhibit the growth of some organisms and nothing more. The only method to eliminate hostile organisms and the spores completely is an autoclave. Your T's are from a certain habitat and resistant to certain organisms. Why not try to replicate that?
> 
> PS Don't use bleach. You will inevitably end up with corrosive salts in the material.


I have never heard that about bleach. I am highly active in the dart frog community and have used bleach to sterilize quite a few things along with numerous members on my frog forums. With frogs being alot more sensitive to their environment, im sure the same process could be used for t's. Use 90% water 10% bleach. Only soak it for a few minutes then be sure to rinse, rinse, then rinse again. If you're unsure about the bleach method, you can always boil the wood then bake it to be positive you have gotten rid of all the parasites, hitchhikers, etc.


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## The Snark (Mar 23, 2015)

raggamuffin415 said:


> Appreciate the info! Talked to someone at the SF Reptile expo today and he suggested baking for 4 hours at 250 degrees. Don't know about bleach or vinegar...
> And autoclave's look expensive and overkill. Snark, you dont think oven will work well enough? Also, can you elaborate on replicating habitats?
> Not sure where I'd collect habitat organisms from South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Again, trying to avoid live plants if possible, was speaking more about harvesting from Northern California outdoors.
> 
> And note to self... dont heat up any rocks!


Baking in an oven at that temperature should work fine. Put in a large pan of water to enhance the sterilizing effects. Even 220 degrees and steam for a couple of hours will kill most spores. Note: avoid forest floor detritus from redwood and pine areas. 

As for bleach, it impregnates porous organic materials creating a lot of compounds that can have adverse effects on animals. Read up and reach your own conclusions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite


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## raggamuffin415 (Mar 23, 2015)

Again great info, thanks all. Lastly, why avoid redwood and pine areas? That's mainly what we have in Nor Cal!


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## Dave Marschang (Mar 23, 2015)

they have a residue in them that is toxic to most small critters in fact that is why they use those shavings in dog beds to keep parasites away.


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## David VB (Mar 23, 2015)

I never bake or clean anything i get from the woods and my T's are doing just fine.


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## WindedFatnNasty (Mar 23, 2015)

David VB said:


> I never bake or clean anything i get from the woods and my T's are doing just fine.


You bring it inside and let it sit for a long time though don't you?


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## David VB (Mar 23, 2015)

WindedFatnNasty said:


> You bring it inside and let it sit for a long time though don't you?


Some stuff yes, but mostly not. I'm not harvesting when it has been raining a lot though. I rather wait till dryer and/or warmer periods.


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## raggamuffin415 (Mar 23, 2015)

god61021 said:


> they have a residue in them that is toxic to most small critters in fact that is why they use those shavings in dog beds to keep parasites away.


Hmm interesting. I have read about how redwoods have entire ecosystems of small critters that live in their canopies that spend their entire lives without ever touching the ground. How is that possible then if the trees are toxic?


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## Dave Marschang (Mar 23, 2015)

wondered the same myself, but I think it is the sap that's poisonous. but still, bugs don't bore into redwoods?


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## The Snark (Mar 24, 2015)

Pine and redwood have irritant properties for different reasons. Certain animals, birds and mammals, are adapted to living in their environment but most insects and microorganisms can't handle the hostile environment the trees produce. Very few plants are adapted to live under these trees which aids them in propagation.

Reactions: Like 1


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## raggamuffin415 (Mar 24, 2015)

Good to know, appreciate all the helpful info. Will try to avoid redwoods and pines for my projects.


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## Ashton (Mar 25, 2015)

I just soak stuff in vinegar for like 8 hours then boil it for an hour and that usually does the trick.


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## Ripa (Apr 1, 2015)

The Snark said:


> Baking in an oven at that temperature should work fine. Put in a large pan of water to enhance the sterilizing effects. Even 220 degrees and steam for a couple of hours will kill most spores. Note: avoid forest floor detritus from redwood and pine areas.
> 
> As for bleach, it impregnates porous organic materials creating a lot of compounds that can have adverse effects on animals. Read up and reach your own conclusions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite


Do microwaves work in situations like mine where I don't have access to an oven at the moment?


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## vespers (Apr 2, 2015)

WindedFatnNasty said:


> I have never heard that about bleach. I am highly active in the dart frog community and have used bleach to sterilize quite a few things along with numerous members on my frog forums. With frogs being alot more sensitive to their environment, im sure the same process could be used for t's. Use 90% water 10% bleach. Only soak it for a few minutes then be sure to rinse, rinse, then rinse again. If you're unsure about the bleach method, you can always boil the wood then bake it to be positive you have gotten rid of all the parasites, hitchhikers, etc.


I do the PDF viv thing too. I use a light bleach dip for plant processing only, _never_ on wood hardscape items or anything else.


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## The Snark (Apr 2, 2015)

Ripa said:


> Do microwaves work in situations like mine where I don't have access to an oven at the moment?


No. Microwave ovens have large 'blind' areas. To make a long story short according to bio-med tech inside info, microwaving was tested for sterilization of non metallic materials and failed miserably.


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## Ripa (Apr 3, 2015)

The Snark said:


> No. Microwave ovens have large 'blind' areas. To make a long story short according to bio-med tech inside info, microwaving was tested for sterilization of non metallic materials and failed miserably.


Alright, thanks for the response. Luckily I went to visit home today and found a piece of old driftwood I bought a ways back at a pet store, so I'll bring that back up to my _S. alternans_ to make its enclosure look more authentic.


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