Is Polyurethane Safe For Millipedes

[ArtisticAardwolf]

It's supposed to be food safe, its a wood sealant. I was wondering if you could use it to make sticks and bark found outside safe for millipedes. Would they try to eat it? Would it be bad for them?

I think it'd be a cheaper option for cage decor, and wouldn't mold with all the humidity. Would the plastic finish make it hard for them to climb on? I want it for decorations, but also things for them to climb on.

 

[Wesley Smith]

Not sure but it would be much cheaper and easier to just bake the wood. 350-400 fahrenheit for around an hour will kill pretty much everything, and what it may not kill can be taken care of by adding springtails to your colony.

 

[ArtisticAardwolf]

Not sure but it would be much cheaper and easier to just bake the wood. 350-400 fahrenheit for around an hour will kill pretty much everything, and what it may not kill can be taken care of by adding springtails to your colony.

My oven is pretty old, and I'm really afraid of a fire. I also don't want them to mold, if mold becomes a problem I'll introduce springtails... I just don't want to have my terrarium crawling with little white bugs if I can avoid it.

 

[Wesley Smith]

As long as you pre-soak the wood over night you shouldn’t have an issue. As for mold, spores are in the air and is virtually unavoidable in the dark damp environments millipedes enjoy. On top of mold being basically inevitable from time to time, it is also a very fast killer. I can understand not wanting springtails but sometimes if they aren’t already established they can have a hard time taking care of the issue.

 

[Orbe]

It's supposed to be food safe, its a wood sealant. I was wondering if you could use it to make sticks and bark found outside safe for millipedes. Would they try to eat it? Would it be bad for them?

I think it'd be a cheaper option for cage decor, and wouldn't mold with all the humidity. Would the plastic finish make it hard for them to climb on? I want it for decorations, but also things for them to climb on.

Generally Food safe is a good sign, at the very least it's "aquarium safe" but you have to make sure it says food safe. See (https://aquanswers.com/aquarium-safe-paint-durable/). Millipedes will sometimes explore with their mouths so make sure it's fully cured and none of the varnish is peeling off. Just proceed with caution, ive never done anything like what your suggesting and fish and pedes are a bit different.

Pedes should be able to climb it as long as it's textured and not too high. This is just my guess though again it's up to you on what you want to do.

My oven is pretty old, and I'm really afraid of a fire. I also don't want them to mold, if mold becomes a problem I'll introduce springtails... I just don't want to have my terrarium crawling with little white bugs if I can avoid it.

If you want to sterilize wood I found a good way is to add a small amount of water to whatever bowl/ pan your baking and then covering it with tin foil. This helps keeps the anxiety of fire down. The only thing is is that you have to let what ever your sterilizing cool down and dry out.

As for the spring tails, they're a preventative measure. It's like getting vaccinated, you take it before it becomes a problem. Their numbers usually won't get out of hand and they're barley noticeable most of the time. If they do become a problem either change the tank or let the top layer dry out a bit as long as it's safe for your species of pedes.

 

[ArtisticAardwolf]

Generally Food safe is a good sign, at the very least it's "aquarium safe" but you have to make sure it says food safe. See (https://aquanswers.com/aquarium-safe-paint-durable/). Millipedes will sometimes explore with their mouths so make sure it's fully cured and none of the varnish is peeling off. Just proceed with caution, ive never done anything like what your suggesting and fish and pedes are a bit different.

Pedes should be able to climb it as long as it's textured and not too high. This is just my guess though again it's up to you on what you want to do.



If you want to sterilize wood I found a good way is to add a small amount of water to whatever bowl/ pan your baking and then covering it with tin foil. This helps keeps the anxiety of fire down. The only thing is is that you have to let what ever your sterilizing cool down and dry out.

As for the spring tails, they're a preventative measure. It's like getting vaccinated, you take it before it becomes a problem. Their numbers usually won't get out of hand and they're barley noticeable most of the time. If they do become a problem either change the tank or let the top layer dry out a bit as long as it's safe for your species of pedes.

Thanks a lot! I think I'll just buy decorations for now, and I've decided to just put up with springtails for the sake of the millipedes