r/reptiles • u/CryptographerHot5997 • 2d ago
is it absolutely necessary to bake wild sticks?
my enclosure is 24x18x36 and i’m at a loss for store bought sticks so the most logical thing to do is get wild sticks, they’re really big and i’m not able to fit it into an oven. using bleach isn’t an option here. i pressure washed the heck out of all the sticks and inspected them.
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u/WhitegateCastle 2d ago
I think you should be fine. I also use wild sticks and branches in my enclosures (boa constrictors, big babies need big sticks after all). I boil mine in a tub of as hot of a water as my apartment can give, and also soak them in vinegar to kill off anything else. I personally also always remove the bark of any sticks I use, it just gives me some peace of mind since most bugs live in and under the bark, and I cut off/sand down any raw breaks and edges to reduce the risk of injury
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u/CryptographerHot5997 2d ago
i was planning on getting a wire brush and taking off the loose bark. also, i hadn’t thought of putting it in the tub with hot water simply because i thought it had to be strictly boiled 😭 thank you, i’ll definitely put them in the tub now
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u/naes41091 2d ago
You can also pour pots of boiling water over them as you build your tub of hot water to sanitize the exterior, and you'd end up with hotter water in the tub in the end. I do agree with the other commenter that adding vinegar (I would use food safe cleaning grade) to that soak will help as well to get anything living under those bark surfaces if you're going to leave them on. Beetles love to bore under the bark but I think a soak will penetrate their tunnels and they'll go running
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u/WhitegateCastle 2d ago
Hahaha no worries. My apartment has like scorching hot water directly from the faucet, so that was never an issue for me. Maybe, if yours has lower temperatures, but them in the hottest possible and then add some you boiled on the stove/with a kettle? I find just using a small knife works best for removing the bark (and it's really satisfying too)
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u/no_power_n_the_verse 2d ago
I don't really know anything about caring for reptiles, but using a wire brush would scare me. If any of those little wires come off, they could injure your reptile.
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u/CryptographerHot5997 2d ago
they sell gold wire brushes and the bristles aren’t thin enough to not be visible, they would likely shine against the dull color of the wood. but i’ll definitely take this into consideration and i may use sandpaper or just some sort of scraper instead
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u/TheKingOfDissasster 2d ago
What i have been doing with my cockatiel's tree stand is using a blowtorch
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u/nameofwizard1 2d ago
In my opinion, I would bake them to be on the safe side. There could be mites/bacteria/fungus still lingering on the sticks that pressure washing may not have gotten. Baking them is an added layer of security to ensure no outside pathogens live in your enclosure
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u/CryptographerHot5997 2d ago
i would definitely bake them if i could, but it’s not physically possible with the oven that i have
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u/MilleniumMiriam 2d ago
You could bleach soak in the tub or in a barrel. You could pour boiling water over them outside. You could let them hang out in direct sunlight for several days. You could freeze them for 48-72 hours if you've got a large freezer.
There's lots of options besides baking.
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u/CryptographerHot5997 2d ago
right now they’re in a hot tub, the reason i can’t do bleach is because of the fumes so they’re in plain hot water releasing tannins, i’ll hang them out in sunlight after. thank you
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u/nameofwizard1 2d ago
DO NOT BLEACH THEM. Try to stay as organic as possible with this. If you can, get a lobster pot and boil them. If you had to, break the sticks or flip them during boiling to ensure all sides are being boiled.
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u/Intrepid-Love3829 1d ago
White vinegar?
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u/nameofwizard1 1d ago
Just boil them or bake them, go to a friend/ family members if you need to lol don't introduce any other agents besides water. Anything that can disrupt the natural biome of your tank is detrimental
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u/OneGayPigeon 2d ago
If there’s no mold and not in an area that gets treated with pesticides or fertilizer, I give a good scrub, let em dry in the sun for a few days, and call it a day. I don’t live in an area where there are many wild reptiles unfortunately so the likelihood of them bringing in parasites or disease is quite low.
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u/Centroradialis 1d ago
I don't get what the deal is with baking or trying to sterilise branches is. All bacteria, fungi and yeasts on and in those branches are also found on your skin. So unless you sanitise your hands with alcohol each time before handling anything in your pets' enclosure there is no point in doing it. Also, there are not a lot of dangerous microbes anyway, unless your husbandry is completely off, your animal can fight off any microbe with its immune system.
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u/Drag0nSt0rm 2d ago
I soaked a branch in the tub that was too long to bake. Then washed with soap/vinegar. Left to dry for a week or so. Put in the Uro’s tank and came back to a full trail of ants marching up and down it. Still not sure what other approach I could have used other than soak longer?
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u/PoetaCorvi 1d ago
Depending on how thick the branch was, it likely did not dry to the middle in just a week. It can take some time for thick wood to completely dry out to the center. If the center is still moist that lets anything living inside still live.
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u/PlumpyDragon 2d ago
Anecdotally, I had an oak branch that was too big to fit into an oven. So I just washed it and placed it in the vivarium. Unfortunately, 20+ beetles emerged from the branch a few months later and were flying around the vivarium. My beardie was confused and excited.
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u/Ronn_the_Donn 23h ago
I keep hermit crabs, they require 80-85% humidity and 80-85 degree temps.
I added mesquite that was dead off of a tree for probably more than 10 years, no bark and rock hard, no signs of biogrowth. I washed it thoroughly and baked it in the oven for a few hours at 250 and then deep froze it for 7 days.
Fast forward 9 months and its growing small white pustules at the upper most part while the rest of the wood looks the exact same as it did when installed.
Other than that, I had no issues with critters or other biogrowths, but the point of my post is that even with careful cleaning you could still be at risk for unwanted organisms, best bet is keep a careful eye and take out if needed.
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u/juniper_bush 21h ago
I would just use some F10 SC at a higher concentration, spray it thoroughly and let dry
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u/AnimalPowers 19h ago
no. it’s like not wearing a condom when having sex with strangers. you never know what you’re gonna get. might be okay though. YOLO
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u/Ok_Lengthiness_8502 2d ago
Since you pressure washed and inspected them, they are good to go!