Pine wood - how bad is it?

[Rozwyrazowana]

I did as much research as I could before getting tarantulas, but only today I found information that pine wood may be harmful. For my c. versicolor and p. cambridgei setups I used wood I found in a local forest. There are a lot of pines in the forest so it's a high probability that it's pine wood. The wood was boiled for a few hours and then I put it in the oven for another 2 hours at 390°F. I'll be replacing the twigs and bark as soon as possible in c.versi enclosure, but I don't know what to do with p. cambridgei. He made a burrow on the wood. The burrow has an entrance that is not sealed, but I haven't seen him in 3 weeks. Photo of his burrow in the attachment. Should I remove this wood and destroy his hide? Wait until he comes out and then replace it? Both c.versi and p.cambridgei are small slings, around 1/2 inch.

 

[vounti]

I am no expert at all but I can tellyou that the baking is perfect to get rid of parasites, mites, molds and bacteria but it does not destroy the harmful chemicals. Maybe you can toss a prey in the enclosure and take the wood out when your T goes on the prey?

 

[Rozwyrazowana]

I am no expert at all but I can tellyou that the baking is perfect to get rid of parasites, mites, molds and bacteria but it does not destroy the harmful chemicals. Maybe you can toss a prey in the enclosure and take the wood out when your T goes on the prey?

As you can see there is an uneaten prey near the entrance of his burrow. So that one, unfortunately, is not an option. I think he was out about a week ago, I'm not sure but it seems there was a little new webbing and some new dirt in a water dish. I haven't seen any signs of his activity since.

 

[vounti]

Well sorry, I don't have enough experience to advice you. I hope someone will quickly give you a nice solution. Keep us updated, I would like to know how your T goes through

 

[CJJon]

It probably is fine but tree branches rot and mold easily and that is why I don't use them. Never use cedar. I use only cork bark because it is light weight and mold/rot resistant.

 

[Rozwyrazowana]

It probably is fine but tree branches rot and mold easily and that is why I don't use them. Never use cedar. I use only cork bark because it is light weight and mold/rot resistant.

Thank you very much for your answer. Cedar doesn't grow where I live so there is no danger that I picked it up accidentally. I'll probably just wait for the p. cambridgei to come out and then take out the branch.

 

[Tigger]

I don't know if there is any issue with the wood itself but pine used in the building industry is treated with arsenic. That is what you need to watch out for when using sawdust as bedding for rodents, for example.

 

[cold blood]

I am no expert at all but I can tellyou that the baking is perfect to get rid of parasites, mites, molds and bacteria but it does not destroy the harmful chemicals. Maybe you can toss a prey in the enclosure and take the wood out when your T goes on the prey?

i can also tell you this, none of those reasons are why one bakes wood...all that stuff is a positive.

You bake wood to remove moisture, thats it.

Boiling it first is the most counter-productive thing one can do...moisture is the ultimate enemy of wood in an enclosure....if the wood selected is fresh, no amount of baking will dry it enough and it will eventually mold.

When selecting wood in the wild, its imperative to know what to use and what not to use...not knowing is making a blind guess, and as 90% of wood you find isnt suitable, its unlikely you will guess right.

I stick strictly to drift wood nowadays.

 

[CJJon]

I don't know if there is any issue with the wood itself but pine used in the building industry is treated with arsenic. That is what you need to watch out for when using sawdust as bedding for rodents, for example.

This hasn't been the case for years. The vast majority of pressure treated wood no longer has arsenic. Plain pine (like stud lumber) contains no arsenic whatever.

 

[viper69]

I used wood to heat an entire house. Fresh wood is too wet to burn, thus you have to season it for at least a year for proper burning.

Point is, you can put it in an oven but it won't be truly dry

I use cork it's the most mold resistant wood out there, and it's the lightest too.

Doesn't mean you can't use non-cork. Just saying boiling is a waste of time.