Cureing Wood for enclosure use

Shorty

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
13
so today i was out and about looking around for some arachnids or reptiles when i came across a piece of wood/bark that seemed perfect for a pokie or one of my arboreals. i thought it was time to finally utilize something i found outside rather than go out and buy something and it is especially tough when i am looking for wood/bark to fit in one my gallon enclosures. so any way how can i cure wood and make sure its safe to use for one of Ts. Thank you.
 

flamesbane

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 10, 2008
Messages
527
Rinse it off and let it sit for a while, no need to sterilize if you found it in the woods.

(Obviously if there is any chance of pesticide contamination you shouldn't use it.)
 

pavel

Arachnobaron
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Oct 18, 2008
Messages
390
Rinse it off and let it sit for a while, no need to sterilize if you found it in the woods.
Don't know about that. Personally, I prefer keeping uninvited organisms to a minimum just to be on the safe side. Toward that ends, I would actually do what both posters have recommended -- first rinse then bake. (Btw, if you decide to bake, do so for about an hour.)
 

flamesbane

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Dec 10, 2008
Messages
527
Don't know about that. Personally, I prefer keeping uninvited organisms to a minimum just to be on the safe side. Toward that ends, I would actually do what both posters have recommended -- first rinse then bake. (Btw, if you decide to bake, do so for about an hour.)
Such as? Establishing micro-fauna in a tank is a good thing.
 

pavel

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Oct 18, 2008
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390
Such as? Establishing micro-fauna in a tank is a good thing.

Not always. You seem to be coming from the standpoint that the flora and fauna thus introduced will be strictly beneficial. That is unlikely. You have just as much chance of introducing detrimentals as you do beneficials.
 

wesker12

Arachnobaron
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404
could be animals (other harmful arachnids - including scorpions) that could potentially kill you T.
 

flamesbane

Arachnobaron
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Not always. You seem to be coming from the standpoint that the flora and fauna thus introduced will be strictly beneficial. That is unlikely. You have just as much chance of introducing detrimentals as you do beneficials.
Such as? If you rinse it off you are getting rid of anything large and obviously hazardous, so what else is there? I am not saying it will all be beneficial, but you are suggesting that some micro-life indigenous to your area would cause harm to your tarantula, which is not. That is unlikely.


could be animals (other harmful arachnids - including scorpions) that could potentially kill you T.
If you pick it up and rinse it off that isn't going to happen.

---------- Post added at 03:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:04 PM ----------

This might be helpful:


What mites? It is not as if mites which have the feeding capabilities to feed on tarantulas are just hanging around. You've stated exactly what I'm talking about, general paranoia about "mites" or "insert organism here". Our animals have thick exoskeletons, and mites are quite specific as to what they'll feed on, furthermore, the suberin in cork or "bark" is hydrophobic. To get any penetration you're going to have to add some serious surfactants or use a very long term water treatment to get all those scary mites.

This is a question of just thinking things through. I have never boiled, microwaved, cooked, autoclaved or steamed substrate or plant material in 15 years, and I have had ectoparasitic mites ZERO times. This is why I say it's completely foolish to waste the effort and make the mess. I welcome anyone to cite anything factual regarding the need for "boiling" wood.

I suppose if you lived in the tropics, and there was a native fungus which did infect tarantulas... then you would probably might want to pasteurize any native soil you use, but in North America? Forget it.

I suspect this is some throw back to a few horrendous texts in our hobby which are still floating around. But that's an assumption, where does the paranoia come from?


Now then, again, boiling will not kill bacteria unless you add a wetting agent. The air bubbles which are throughout the bark will keep them not only cool enough, but dry enough. Assuming there is some risk. There is also some risk of nematodes and possibly fungi if you're using an enclosure's recycled stuff. Again, using a sun treatment for a few days, 160-180 and bone dry will do a far better job than boiling for 30 min. Also, most wood is already antibacterial, it is why wood cutting boards have far fewer bacterial problems than plastic ones. The tannins in the wood coupled with the dessication factor usually kill bacteria pretty quick. You'll note I am switching from bark to wood and back again in this conversation though.
 

moose35

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
May 14, 2005
Messages
1,351
i'm with flamesbane on this:


if i find stuff i like outside i just give it a good rinse in the tub.
then in the enclosure it goes.
never had a problem.

i think you guys sometimes forget your keeping "BUGS" as pets.


moose
 

Shorty

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
13
ok thanx guys this is what i did, i put in hot water to soak for a while, after that i baked it at 350 for 10 minutes then repeted the process just to be safe. seems pretty good.=)
 

Wadew

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 14, 2005
Messages
417

Not always. You seem to be coming from the standpoint that the flora and fauna thus introduced will be strictly beneficial. That is unlikely. You have just as much chance of introducing detrimentals as you do beneficials.
[/

Who sterilizes the tree that the spider lives in in the woods ?:confused: It amazes me that this topic always entertains such a response. If there was that many detrimental organisms out there I do not think we would have gotten this far as to even have spiders to consider studying. Please do not take my doubt personally, I usually avoid this topic. It seems the "coconut choir"
(or peat moss) people far outweigh the natural substrate and fauna fans!
I keep many spiders on dirt from the woods for more than a few years and could not blame a single death because of it.
Wade:)
 

pavel

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
390
Such as? If you rinse it off you are getting rid of anything large and obviously hazardous, so what else is there? I am not saying it will all be beneficial, but you are suggesting that some micro-life indigenous to your area would cause harm to your tarantula, which is not. That is unlikely.
A rinse will not necessarily remove eggs or spores or bacteria or viruses that could harm the T. Will the T necessarily suffer if the substrate is not sterilized? Of course not. But to blithely assume that it can't or won't be is illogical and short sighted. There are pathogens which do cause diseases and not just in vertebrates. And though it may be "unlikely" it is still an actual possiblility. And if one is concerned enough to rinse the item off because you want to remove the "obviously hazardous" items/lifeforms (even as you rinse off any "obvious" beneficials), then you may as well take the one extra, easy step and eliminate not so obvious hazardous things.


If you pick it up and rinse it off that isn't going to happen.

This might be helpful:

Quote:
Originally Posted by esotericman
What mites? It is not as if mites which have the feeding capabilities to feed on tarantulas are just hanging around. You've stated exactly what I'm talking about, general paranoia about "mites" or "insert organism here". Our animals have thick exoskeletons, and mites are quite specific as to what they'll feed on, furthermore, the suberin in cork or "bark" is hydrophobic. To get any penetration you're going to have to add some serious surfactants or use a very long term water treatment to get all those scary mites.

This is a question of just thinking things through. I have never boiled, microwaved, cooked, autoclaved or steamed substrate or plant material in 15 years, and I have had ectoparasitic mites ZERO times. This is why I say it's completely foolish to waste the effort and make the mess. I welcome anyone to cite anything factual regarding the need for "boiling" wood.

I suppose if you lived in the tropics, and there was a native fungus which did infect tarantulas... then you would probably might want to pasteurize any native soil you use, but in North America? Forget it.

I suspect this is some throw back to a few horrendous texts in our hobby which are still floating around. But that's an assumption, where does the paranoia come from?

Now then, again, boiling will not kill bacteria unless you add a wetting agent. The air bubbles which are throughout the bark will keep them not only cool enough, but dry enough. Assuming there is some risk. There is also some risk of nematodes and possibly fungi if you're using an enclosure's recycled stuff. Again, using a sun treatment for a few days, 160-180 and bone dry will do a far better job than boiling for 30 min. Also, most wood is already antibacterial, it is why wood cutting boards have far fewer bacterial problems than plastic ones. The tannins in the wood coupled with the dessication factor usually kill bacteria pretty quick. You'll note I am switching from bark to wood and back again in this conversation though.


And esotericman is entirely entitled to his opinion. The fact that he has had no issues -- kudos to him. Nor am I dismissing his point. I never said that T illness due to foreign organism is a common occurance. But to assume that nonnative pathogens cannot affect a T is foolish. Organisms becoming ill or dying from exposure to foreign organisms is hardly make believe.

The OP's question was with regards to making the items safer for the T. I addressed that. And since esotericman mentioned "boiling wood", no that would not be adequate and as such would be a waste of time. Steam and/or high heat is another matter.



Not always. You seem to be coming from the standpoint that the flora and fauna thus introduced will be strictly beneficial. That is unlikely. You have just as much chance of introducing detrimentals as you do beneficials.
[/

Who sterilizes the tree that the spider lives in in the woods ?:confused: Wade:)
Really? Your T comes from the woods by you? So it has had, as a result of natural selection, developed some immunity to the fungi, bacteria, viruses, and so forth found in your woods? Amazing. ;)

It amazes me that this topic always entertains such a response. If there was that many detrimental organisms out there I do not think we would have gotten this far as to even have spiders to consider studying. Please do not take my doubt personally, I usually avoid this topic. It seems the "coconut choir" (or peat moss) people far outweigh the natural substrate and fauna fans! Wade:)
I do understand your point, Wade. However, for those who do choose a more sterile media -- and this is just my supposition since I obviously can't speak for the masses -- the point, I believe, is to do all that can be done to minimize the animal's exposure to pathogens or other potentially harmful organisms.

Heck just look at the uproar that ensues when someone mentions feeding wild caught prey to their arthropods. Many folks do it without ever having an issue. Those who oppose such tactics cite the potential issues of parasites, pathogens, and/toxin exposure. These are valid concerns. Now whether one considers such dangers to be significant enough to merit seriously worrying about, that's another question -- and the response can vary signifcantly from person to person.

In the end, it all comes down to each their own.
 

*Self_DeFenCe*

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 21, 2008
Messages
66
I do agree with flamesbane on this. People don't realize everything you have comes from nature and these 'unwanted' bugs are there as well.
The only thing is, if you have a planted tank with tropical plants, those small bugs could feed on your plants and ruin your hard earned money.
As Pavel said, it all comes down to each their own. Just like the sand substrat debat {D
 

Heckboy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
28
I collect driftwood off a beach at my work for possible enclosure/other cosmetic use. I just give it a good soaking and scrubbing in hot water, followed by a couple of minutes in the microwave. Then another quick hot water rinse/scrub and let it sit and dry for a couple of days. Figure that should pretty much kill mostly anything bad that might be on there.
 
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