Best way to prepare gathered wood?

[krittermom]

Hi! Brand new Green Tree frog keeper here I was wondering what the best way to treat/prepare sticks from my yard to add to the frog's tank?

Thanks

[DartEd]

First make sure that the wood itself isn't toxic to the frogs. Soak the wood in water over night to ensure it's waterlogged thoroughly. Then you can bake the wood at 225 for a few hours. This will kill anything on the wood. Keep an eye on t to ensure it doesn't dry out and burn or you'll have post apocalyptic wood for the frogs. Lol.

[UncleChester]

Good resource on wood Caudata Culture Articles - Wood in Vivaria

[krittermom]

Thank you. Go figure, all I have is oak trees in my yard. Guess I won't be doing that!

[deranged chipmunk]

i know the article Brian posted says that oak is a no no, but i have used field collected oak in numerous vivariums and have never had any problems. in fact, one piece has been used in several. just make sure you prepare it properly. i boil my pieces of wood for about an hour. if it's too big for a pot, i bake it, like Ed mentioned. and if it is too big for the oven, i bbq it. obviously, as Ed said, you must keep a careful eye on the wood when baking or bbq'ing.

[krittermom]

Awesome!! Thanks

[UncleChester]

i know the article Brian posted says that oak is a no no, but i have used field collected oak in numerous vivariums and have never had any problems.

I think the list errs on the side of caution as there are just so many factors that have to be considered. The article does have plenty of references and one of them probably has more details on the specific objection to oak. Interestingly, live oak leaves are common choice for leaf litter, so it may be the case that oak falls low on the problem list, but I don't know for sure.