1)Strip the bark
2)Give a little sand
3)Mild bleach bath
4)Rinse in clean water
5)Let them dry 24hrs :2thumb: JOB DONE:2thumb:

 

as above but if theyll fit in oven or mikrowave bake them for 20 mins kills every thing or put it in freezer overnight

 

roughly what temp is best

 

thanks

Thank you all Will do that Andy and Jed :2thumb::2thumb:

 

Drying branches might take longer than a day or two. I let mine dry in the garage for a few weeks. You aren't just waiting for the outside to dry but also for the sap to come out. If they are already dry it'll be a lot quicker.

probably a good idea to keep away from conifers.

The hides you can buy in pet shops look nice, but the best hides IMO are ice-cream cartons. They don't look as pretty, but they are dead easy to clean and replace. Just cut a snake sized hole in the side.

 

Stick it (if it can fit) in the over and bake it for a good half hour.
I put stones and bricks in a bucket with a lid. Throw in boiling water and let it boil and steam over night.

 

My name is Jed too lol!!!!!

 

Keep away from anything like pine, conifers, cedar, redwood etc. stuff like oak, ash, fruit trees are your best bet. Stuff that looses its leaves and doesn't 'smell'.
They way I have done mine (which are now in two vivs) was to cu it from the tree, strip all the bark off (partly because mine is ash and looks nice stripped, also so I could see the quality of the wood). Then I left em to dry outside for a few days (in this heat mine were done in 3 days). I then made up a 10% bleach solution and scrubbed the branches making sure they got soaking wet through. Rinse these off to remove the bleach and leave to dry for a day

If they fit in an oven then bake them for about half an hour on about 100-120 Celsius

You can freeze, but I'd bleach as well if you do this.

 

 

varnishing the branches is a great way to deal with wood!!

 

I didn't even look xD

 

Once they're dry, you could give them a good wash/soak in white vinegar, particularly if you want to keep the bark, then let them air until they no longer smell of vinegar.

The most crucial thing, however, is to make sure that the branches are (1) not from evergreens (all of which, except maybe California redwoods and I wouldn't guarantee them either, are bad for captive snakes in a couple of different ways; and I've heard cherry wood may have issues, but am not entirely certain about it), and (2) are quite dry.

If varnishing, you want to make sure that the varnish is safe (once it's dried, of course) for animals in an enclosed space. Linseed oil actually provides a fairly hard solid finish when it has dried, and is thoroughly non-toxic.

Personally, though, I'd just dry it thoroughly, give it a vinegar wipe, and let it air. I believe the UK does not have native snake mites, so that makes total sterilization less of a worry.

 

Once they're dry

It's been 5 years. I think they're dry.

 

Dry yet? :whistling2:

 

Oops, just replied to a mega old thread!

 

It amuses me that people think that a branch from the wild can harm their reptile. The only time a branch can be considered hazardous is if a gorilla is sat on the end of it.Harry

 

I worry I'll accidentally select a branch from a toxic tree or introduce pathogens/parasites....is this unfounded?