Using tree branches in your python enclosures

[zuesowns]

I was just wanting to know if it was ok to use any branches and put them straight into the enclosure?

I was suggested to use Australia native tree branches, are any ok?

 

[Megzz]

You always need to disinfect them first I think. I was told soak them in a diluted bleach/water mix.

 

[JAS101]

i dont soak any branches , i use boiling hot water and poor it all over the branch i am going to use. let it dry and then put it in the enclosure .

 

[zuesowns]

thanks for the tip. yeah I don't know if I'd want to bleach but i've been suggested that also.

so any branches are ok or better, safer to use Australia native.

 

[Waterrat]

Many keepers go to unnecessary lengths with hygiene. Have all the branches in the bush been soaked in bleach? Pythons are animals that crawl through leaf-litter, dirty water, fungus covered branches - that's their natural way of life. Are captive bred snakes any different? If you keep your snakes in sterile conditions from the day they're born, the chances are they'll be susceptible to all diseases under the sun because their immune system has never been exposed to pathogens and therefore they have no immunity. Think about it.

The only thing you have to watch is not to bring a colony of ants, ticks or similar with your branches.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Better to use any non-toxic Australian species - eucalypt, wattle etc. You DON'T need to bleach or sterilise them at all - this is a nonsense notion promoted by people who don't realise that snakes live in the bush completely surrounded by non-sterilised stuff. They won't get mites, germs or viruses from branches, and even the chance of picking up a tick is probably millions to one!

You may want to, as ZOOJAS suggests, pour boiling water over them, especially if the branch is an old, dead one, simply because they may house ants, which can be a nuisance. Having said that, I have a monitor enclosure which has a large colony of large nocturnal ants living in a log, and has for about 2 years, without there being the slightest conflict between the reptile occupants and the insects. The lizards are out & about during the day, and the ants come out after dark - neither worries the other, and the ants keep the enclosure pretty clean.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Ha! Great minds think alike Michael!!!

Jamie

 

[solar 17]

What happens in the wild ?.....solar 17 [Baden]

 

[PhilK]

Don't worry about disinfecting them.. take them from the wild and put them in the enclosure. Nothing on them will harm your snakes, people baby their snakes far too much.

Just make sure you collect branches from where you're allowed to.

 

[AUSHERP]

The only thing I worry about with branches is mite, I use heaps of branches in my enclosures but I like to stick with the smooth skinned gums. If I feel a bit paranoid I do pour a kettle over the branch.

 

[zuesowns]

yeah fair enough. the only thing I was worried about was getting mite, ticks etc.

 

[bellslace]

I think you should soak them in the bath tub for half a day. I found a great piece in the bush which had come from the ground. So I sprayed it with top of descent. I had inspected it and it was very clean, no layers of bark to harbour mite but to my surprise 10 minutes after I sprayed it there were 100's of large ants crawling out of the smallest hole which I hadnt noticed. I sprayed it again every few hours and I thought they were gone and more would keep coming. So in the end i filled my bathtub with hot water and dropped it in........ and guess what?...... more ants I hadnt even gotten half of them. The bath did the trick though finally.....

Just be careful you dont want an ants nest getting in there........
You should soak it!

 

[Waterrat]

yeah fair enough. the only thing I was worried about was getting mite, ticks etc.

You don't get snake mites from branches. Other species of mites are not going to use your snake as a host.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Snakes do NOT get mites from branches taken from the bush. Mites come from other snakes, the people who have handled infested snakes, or equipment used with infested snakes. Branches from outside pose no threat at all in this regard. The odd tick, while a nuisance, is not a danger to your snake either. Most (all) wild snakes have a resident population of ticks, worms and other beasties which under most circumstances do little or no harm. The chance of your snake getting a tick from collected branches is zilch.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Stop that Michael!!!

Jamie.

 

[slim6y]

Pythoninfinite = Waterrat....

I bet Michael, you're the sort of person that has two keyboards and two screens and you wrote both of those comments at the same time... I put you in the brilliant bucket and your talent is wasted here... We could have you as an amusement park freak... much better pay too!

That aside...

I have used branches from from several trees - not sure if any were native and non-toxic but as of now all my snakes are still living.

I've even used bamboo... is that a no-no? I guess if a panda bear escaped and entered my snake enclosure I'd have troubles...

I've used broom handles as well... They're particularly good, but not very 'realistic' in looking...

But do remember - even a sizeable log will eventually begin to break down in the right conditions - so keep an eye on them

 

[PhilK]

Slim you should have soaked that bamboo for an hour or poured some boiling water over it to kill any pesky pandas.

As everyone else has said - parasitic mites don't live on branches. They live on other snakes. If they lived on branches they would die, so have no fear - nothing can harm your snake from a branch you get from the wild.

 

[slim6y]

Slim you should have soaked that bamboo for an hour or poured some boiling water over it to kill any pesky pandas.

Don't be so stupid PhilK - you know this is a forum where anyone can read that utter stupidity...

Everyone KNOWS the only way to kill a pesky panda bear is to burn citronella incense!!!

Keeps your bamboo free of pesky pandas....

 

[The Devil]

Many keepers go to unnecessary lengths with hygiene. Have all the branches in the bush been soaked in bleach? Pythons are animals that crawl through leaf-litter, dirty water, fungus covered branches - that's their natural way of life. Are captive bred snakes any different? If you keep your snakes in sterile conditions from the day they're born, the chances are they'll be susceptible to all diseases under the sun because their immune system has never been exposed to pathogens and therefore they have no immunity. Think about it.

The only thing you have to watch is not to bring a colony of ants, ticks or similar with your branches.

Thank you, thank you, at last someone who uses a bit of LOGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Waterrat]

Not to upset Jamie again (sorry mate), I go off the branches onto bamboo.

I use bamboo extensively but in humid conditions, it grows black mold like soot. Interestingly, the yellow GTPs don't get dirty when crawling over it, nor would they avoid contact with it. However, when it starts looking bad I replace it.
I sprayed the bamboo with F10, which suppose to kill fungal spores but it made no difference, the mold came back again.

.... your turn Jamie