# How to clean bark and wood for enclosures



## mischiefhaze (May 12, 2011)

I am considering using pieces of logs for climbing and bark to build hides for my T's.  

Anyone know of any good ways to clean these things and eliminate bugs and anything else you wouldn't want in the enclosure?

Thanks


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## kristinnandbenn (May 12, 2011)

Cover it in plastic wrap and leave it in the sun for a few days


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## PhobeToPhile (May 12, 2011)

Baking it in the oven works too.


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## groovyspider (May 12, 2011)

mischiefhaze said:


> I am considering using pieces of logs for climbing and bark to build hides for my T's.
> 
> Anyone know of any good ways to clean these things and eliminate bugs and anything else you wouldn't want in the enclosure?
> 
> Thanks


never heard of the method by kristin....i spray the piece of wood down ( so doesnt risk of catching on fire.... shuts my stepdad up ) and put it into the oven on high for a good little moment depending on size of wood. ive never had a problem


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## mischiefhaze (May 12, 2011)

Thanks for the help guys.


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## webbedone (May 12, 2011)

i am more of a boiler fan myself, toss it in a pot of boiling water for a few add 2 teaspoons of cheapest vinegar, hot temps kill anything living and the vinegar which is a very mild natural acid kills any mold/mold spores


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## groovyspider (May 12, 2011)

webbedone said:


> i am more of a boiler fan myself, toss it in a pot of boiling water for a few add 2 teaspoons of cheapest vinegar, hot temps kill anything living and the vinegar which is a very mild natural acid kills any mold/mold spores


have never tried that how long do you gotta let it set out?

Reactions: Like 1


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## JTC5150 (May 12, 2011)

I spray it down with the hose, shake off the water and let it dry a little for a few then bake it in the oven at 100- 125 until dry. I use a nice sized toaster oven I can plug out side so the house does'nt heat up in the summer.Never had a problem with the wood I get from the forest preserve at work.


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## tacoyaki (May 12, 2011)

i hose mine down then boil it for 3 hours or so then off the oven it goes, usually at 250 for 10-20 minutes just till its dry =)


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## mischiefhaze (May 12, 2011)

Good ideas.  I might try boiling next time.  I washed it off with the hose then put it in the over at 450 for an hour or so.  It's in the enclosure now so hopefully that is enough.  

Thanks again


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## webbedone (May 13, 2011)

groovyspider said:


> have never tried that how long do you gotta let it set out?


i boil it for about an hour everything else is over kill. Vinegar will be completely gone in max of 2 days if you treat the item directly, if you boil in vinegar water mix then less than that. Doesnt really matter since its tottaly harmless to the T. if you are obsessed or work at a biological weapons reaserch facility and have been drilled into steralizing yourself 24/7. you can bake the piece but i dont see how anything more than few minutes in the oven is necessary.

Cool thing with boiling things it makes everything look desert sun bleached. I had a creeper vine killing the tree in my back yard so i cut some and bent em into shapes i want inside the pot while the vine was still fresh and pliable. After some boiling it harded up as it dried and now has the color of a long dead skeleton bone and my rosie loves it!


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## Bumblingbear (May 13, 2011)

I just buy cork from the pet store and use as-is.  I've never had a problem.


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## groovyspider (May 13, 2011)

webbedone said:


> i boil it for about an hour everything else is over kill. Vinegar will be completely gone in max of 2 days if you treat the item directly, if you boil in vinegar water mix then less than that. Doesnt really matter since its tottaly harmless to the T. if you are obsessed or work at a biological weapons reaserch facility and have been drilled into steralizing yourself 24/7. you can bake the piece but i dont see how anything more than few minutes in the oven is necessary.
> 
> Cool thing with boiling things it makes everything look desert sun bleached. I had a creeper vine killing the tree in my back yard so i cut some and bent em into shapes i want inside the pot while the vine was still fresh and pliable. After some boiling it harded up as it dried and now has the color of a long dead skeleton bone and my rosie loves it!


sweet good idea. yeh im a little bit of a hygine freak kinda why i like the oven trick... for example it drive me nuts seeing a lilttle dirt in there water bowls  it doesnt hurt them or nothing really but still and the food bolus drive me nuts but i control myself because me reaching into the kritterkeepers every 5 mins would bother them so i let them go till wensday thats my maintnce day :} i feed,mist,clean water dish, kinda peek for food bolus, maybe hold them through out the week.


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## PitViper (May 13, 2011)

I wash the logs off, then bake them in the oven at 350-425 for 15 mins and I've never had any problems with anything, you just have to watch them so they don't catch fire though I've never had any catch fire yet.


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## Arachnoholic420 (May 13, 2011)

Soak it for a day or so.... repeat process, until it's completely washed...  then let it dry out... To sterilize you need to bake em, boil em or nuke em!!!! all these methods work!!!

Or use  search! to find out some more answers to your question!!!


Peace!


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## esotericman (May 13, 2011)

Boiling cork will not "clean" it.  All the cracks and crevasses are HYDROPHOBIC.  Sink a piece of wood into water, you will see the air bubbles, those act to insulate everything.  Also, boiling anything with some size on it takes so much work, mess, hassle, wasted energy to heat the water...  

Covering in plastic in the sun will do the trick.  When temperatures go up to 160F+ and dessication sets in, you'll have much better luck then any water treatment.  This method also works to kill weed seeds in soil, if the soil is shallow enough and you do not have access to an autoclave or soil steamer.  

Personally, I don't bother with doing anything more than just letting stuff sit in my car in the summer heat for a few weeks.


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## anirwin (May 13, 2011)

This was very helpful. I was wanting to make my enclosures more natural and make it in a cheap manner. I have no problems buying from the store but it's kinda expensive. 

My boyfriend doesn't think I should use real stuff because he's afraid it will decompose. Does anyone know the rate of decomposition for wood in an enclosure?

It would be sad if I found the perfect piece only for it to break or become compost very quickly.


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## esotericman (May 13, 2011)

Any and all wood exposed to humidity will decompose.  Most woods which resist decomposition are usually filled with tannins and other secondary metabolites which may or may not be an issue for your animals.  Woods sold for aquaria are only very dense, which buys you some time, but even those break down.

I guess I'd suggest getting used to the idea that things are going to break down.  Use isopods to keep things clean, and decorate every few years, there is no reason to break the bank on exotic woods.

Since your profile says "Texas", if you can lay hands on some very weathered Maclura pomifera, that might last a bit longer, but it's important that it is well weathered.  Being a member of the fig family, it has lots of latex and other nasty stuff which needs time to break down in the environment first.


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## anirwin (May 14, 2011)

Thank you so much.  I guess I do need to come to terms with the whole "everything changes" bit.... I guess it wouldn't hurt to redecorate every once in awhile...


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## malhomme (May 14, 2011)

esotericman said:


> Since your profile says "Texas", if you can lay hands on some very weathered Maclura pomifera, that might last a bit longer, but it's important that it is well weathered.  Being a member of the fig family, it has lots of latex and other nasty stuff which needs time to break down in the environment first.


There's "Osage Orange" all over the place down here, especially in Central Texas up through the central plains.

If I may ask, what makes "Osage Orange" especially good for decorating enclosures?

I know some local wood turners like it and it is supposed to be good for making bows, but that's all I know about it.  I'm into native plants so now I'm curious.


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## esotericman (May 14, 2011)

The wood is mostly fibers, which are nearly all secondary cell walls, even dry this wood does not float well do to it's density.  

It's often used for fence posts, and if you see a line of them, the trees were probably once fence posts which rooted.  The wood is also used for pile driver heads and bows, which gave the plant some of it's common names (Bois D'Arc / Boark)

It's great stuff, but it does need to be well aged to ensure the latex has lost some of it's toxicity.  The fruits are often sold to repel insects, while I have little faith in that use, I do know the latex is an irritant and very little will feed on this plant.  

I suggest finding some quite well broken down pieces and giving them a go, the darker the wood, the more weathered it is.


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## baboonfan (May 14, 2011)

webbedone said:


> i am more of a boiler fan myself, toss it in a pot of boiling water for a few add 2 teaspoons of cheapest vinegar, hot temps kill anything living and the vinegar which is a very mild natural acid kills any mold/mold spores


Great post! I have been using the boil method for a long time now but never knew to use vinegar. I will be trying that out.


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## kingstubb (Jul 2, 2016)

But it's cool to find your own pieces with your own shapes. No to mention cheaper.


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