Using branches in enclosures

[Rhaenys]

What is the deal with using collected branches from outside in enclosures - is there a procedure to make them safe?
Or is this a no go

 

[dickyknee]

Wash the dirt off , put them in ...

 

[Rhaenys]

Oh! Awesome.
Thanks

 

[Kimberlyann]

I pour boiling water over mine then give them a scrub

 

[BigWillieStyles]

I use them. Dont see why you would need to wash them unless they were caked in dirt?

 

[Rhaenys]

I don't know where I got the idea that they were bad :| I swear I read it on here somewhere. Maybe I'm mad?
But I went out and found some nice branches, very pleased with myself actually. They're gonna look fab.
:lol:

 

[cma_369]

i clean them with a reptile enclosure cleaner, before i place the sticks in the enclosure.

 

[snakeynewbie]

I only clean them well because the last time I used one it turned out there was a red back in the hollow and it ate my stick insects!

 

[matt1084]

I always use branches in my enclosures as it can aid in shedding and just looks nicer than pvc pipe. I have heard of ppl introducing mites into their collections from branches they put in there but i think these are rare cases if at all true. I just give them a dust off and place them in a plastic bag and spray mite and insect killer and seal the bag. This is only due to the fact i did use a branch that was the home of about 1000 ants that didnt like being moved.
Hope this helps.
Matt.

 

[Rhaenys]

I only clean them well because the last time I used one it turned out there was a red back in the hollow and it ate my stick insects!

That sucks!!

And yeah Matt, I have PVC pipe in there at the moment and it's definitely not pretty.
Thanks everyone else for the advice

 

[cma_369]

its better to be safe then sorry..... please disinfect them everytime you go to place a new stick in an enclosure as you could be introducing all sorts of stuff mites, bacteria etc....
I've never had mites or any health problems with my snakes, whereas a mate who isn't so top notch with his cleaning has dramas with mites and all that nasty stuff -_-

 

[GeckoJosh]

Best thing to do imo is use green branches, they are much cleaner and have less chance of having bugs on them

its better to be safe then sorry..... please disinfect them everytime you go to place a new stick in an enclosure as you could be introducing all sorts of stuff mites, bacteria etc....
I've never had mites or any health problems with my snakes, whereas a mate who isn't so top notch with his cleaning has dramas with mites and all that nasty stuff -_-

I have never had mites or health issues with my herps and I never disinfect branches or rocks, so your reasoning isnt really valid.

Chances are you mate got mites from poor quarantine procedures, not from branches

 

[cma_369]

its not my reason for doing it so ?????? the fact is i'd rather err on the side of caution IMO
It isn't amine is bigger then yours contest so no need to dissmiss the fact i like to disinfect anything that goes into my enclosue, like you would when you clean the tank out anyways.......

Poor quarrantine procedures can relate to introducing foreign objects into an enclosure without doing the proper checks first so :|

 

[hazza88]

i get drift wood from the beach the ocean makes them very smooth and free of bark saves me doing it and i just wash them in hot water and reptile cleaner

 

[melissagalea2]

i always soak them in a bath of hot water and disinfectant, better to b safe then sorry.

 

[mungus]

i de-bark all my branches and put them in the sun to dry......
works well foe me.

 

[Herpaderpa]

Chances are you mate got mites from poor quarantine procedures, not from branches

Well, a part of any good quarantine procedure is to clean/disinfect all new equipment.

Personally I find most branches have a significant amount of dirt/residue that needs removing anyway. I always like to remove any loose bark as this definitely hides bugs and critters. It is completely possible to introduce mites from branches especially if you have a lot of geckos in the region frequenting the branches. I have found ants nests in some branches that I wouldn't have known were there until I washed the branch

Definitely better to be safe rather than sorry. Give them a good hose off and remove any sharp nasty bits and loose bark and everything should be good. My favourite branches are the good old white eucalyptus. They are smooth and look good in the enclosure.
However, drift wood is definitely the best... they are light and smooth and generally bug free

 

[Kimberlyann]

I do it to get rid of bugs i got some the other day and we cut it in half and there was a massive ants nest in there...

 

[Kyro]

Our reptiles already live in a sterile box which is likely to give them a fairly low immune system so I think being exposed to a few germs here & there off branches can only be a good thing. It's only a branch & at worse you might get a creepy crawly or something in there.

 

[D3pro]

I grab those vine branches of the beacher... their clean, hard and look awesome... They don't have any loose bark ether, I hate loose bark it gets every where.