snakes and pine wood

[harveythefly]

so i've heard that building snake enclosures out of pine is hazardous to the snakes because the pine oil is toxic...is there any truth to this?

thanks
Harvey

 

[crpy]

Very too boids (boas/pythons) and other animals.

However, if the wood has been cured and dried, some people say theres no problems. Ive made enclosures out of plywood in my early days for my ratsnakes and other colubrids with no problems. But I just stay away from wood enclosures now.



There have been many threads on this so try a search as well.

 

[Arachnosold1er]

if thats true, why do i always find a crap ton of copperheads and rattlers in piles of pine limbs? LOL!! I can almost guarantee that I will find one every time.
i really didnt know that though. Very cool!

 

[JohnEDove]

When I first started keeping & studying snakes, around 1951, I used pine and cedar bedding and never had a problem. When I retired from the Navy in 1975 I again used pine and cedar bedding when I got back into collecting and breeding.
When I became aquainted with the internet in the mid 1990s I learned that pine and cedar were potentially harmful. Though I never had a problem with either pine or cedar bedding and snakes today I would keep them without bedding rather than risk their well being by using husbandry practices that could harm them. I follow the same policy with the woods I use for cage construction.
I guess it all boils down to how much danger you are willing to put your animals in. For me, I love my animals too much to not reduce the risk as much as possible.

 

[crpy]

if thats true, why do i always find a crap ton of copperheads and rattlers in piles of pine limbs? LOL!! I can almost guarantee that I will find one every time.
i really didnt know that though. Very cool!

Because they are not boids lol, heck there is even a Pinesnake and a Pine woods snake.:razz:

 

[JohnEDove]

if thats true, why do i always find a crap ton of copperheads and rattlers in piles of pine limbs? LOL!! I can almost guarantee that I will find one every time.
i really didnt know that though. Very cool!

You also must take into account that snakes in a wild environment have a great deal more air circulation than snakes confined to an enclosure inside a house or building.
It is kind of like the difference between passing gas outside as opposed to doing so in a plastic bag. The effects are greatly magnified in the bag where as outside they are seldom noticeable.

 

[harveythefly]

thanks for all the replies guys...i asked the question initially because i have a big girl who's on the verge of outgrowing her enclosure (my colombian redtail is climbing the charts and she's within a few inches of 7 feet now) and i was hoping to keep costs down by building her something myself...wouldn't be an issue if i hadn't just dropped 1400 bucks on a cage system for my other kids lol...can anyone suggest a low cost lumber that i can use safely?

thanks again
Harvey

 

[JohnEDove]

Try getting Birch or Maple plywood. Last time I bought some it was around $30 for a 3/4inch 4X8 sheet.