Hello all, it's good to be back! :biggrin:
I have a quick question regarding the use of pine wood dowels, the kind that are often found at craft and hardware stores, in my spider enclosures. I am aware that both cedar and pine shavings can be/are toxic, but I'm curious as to whether or not the use of more refined pine dowels could be harmful? The idea is to use the dowels (roughly the diameter of a #2 pencil, perhaps slightly less) as structures for the building of webs, as opposed to going out and collecting/disinfecting tree branches. Specifically, I would be using these in my Latrodectus enclosures mostly, but possibly also with a few orb weavers as well. I would use another type of wood, but so far it seems that pine is all I can find. Obviously if it is an extreme health hazard I will make something else work, but I like the idea and look of the dowels, nice and neat, which is quite soothing for my ocd. I imagine in their webs the spiders will have limited contact with the dowels themselves, but maybe somebody with more experience in the area could point me in the right direction? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I have a quick question regarding the use of pine wood dowels, the kind that are often found at craft and hardware stores, in my spider enclosures. I am aware that both cedar and pine shavings can be/are toxic, but I'm curious as to whether or not the use of more refined pine dowels could be harmful? The idea is to use the dowels (roughly the diameter of a #2 pencil, perhaps slightly less) as structures for the building of webs, as opposed to going out and collecting/disinfecting tree branches. Specifically, I would be using these in my Latrodectus enclosures mostly, but possibly also with a few orb weavers as well. I would use another type of wood, but so far it seems that pine is all I can find. Obviously if it is an extreme health hazard I will make something else work, but I like the idea and look of the dowels, nice and neat, which is quite soothing for my ocd. I imagine in their webs the spiders will have limited contact with the dowels themselves, but maybe somebody with more experience in the area could point me in the right direction? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
