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.

[deranged chipmunk]

i thought that as well Brian. i actually think it's an excellent article. but i always pondered why they say oak is unsafe when it grows in most frog's habitats in nature? always better though, to err on the side of caution.

[UncleChester]

Unfortunately I see now that many of the reference links are kaput. Searching for 'Oak' and 'toxic', it's definitely bad for many animals to ingest but not all. Eating it is of course different from sitting on it but if your frog starts to eat your branch, you've hit the jackpot travelling circus wise.

As to something being in the native habitat- confined spaces can make all the difference. You might be able to stand next to me in an open field, but try being in an elevator with me for a few days.

How fresh were the pieces of oak you've used? Age can make a difference too, as you'll notice they list freshwater driftwood as being safe.

[deranged chipmunk]

well, my largest mantella, i call her mantella 6, has started gnawing on the wood like a beaver. but that's probably because i have been dusting her fruit flies with steroids i got from barrybonds.com. anabolics, tbeir just not for people anymore. but what's most impressive is her sword swallowing act.

i do see the point inconfinement. chemicals could leech which would most likely become run off and diluted in a forest.

now, how am i supposed to know how old the tree was? i didn't have time to count the rings while the park rangers were chasing me down. apparently, it's not good to hack down trees in protected forests. who knew?

seriously though, i only collect wood that is positively dead and has been for quite a long time. since i live next to large river, i avoid collecting driftwood from the shoreline since there is no way of knowing if it just fell during recent storms or has been pushed down river after sitting upriver cor years.

[J Teezy]

don't use red cedar either. Bugs wont touch it as it has something that keeps them away, so I'd imagine it wouldn't be good to use in vivarium either

[DartEd]

Barry bonds. HAHAHAHAH. You two are too much

[deranged chipmunk]

josh brings up good point. evergreens (cedar, pine spruce), are definitely a no no. the natural oils in the wood will leech out and are toxic to a large number of animals. even though eastern red cedar isn't an evergreen (it's actually a juniper), it's still a no no.

[deranged chipmunk]

Barry bonds. HAHAHAHAH. You two are too much

yeah, i would say that brian and i are probably the two most twisted folks on here....lol it's why we get along so well....lol

[Gage]

...So pieces of driftwood from the beach are a definite no-no?

I was searching for how I ought best to heat them, but now I'm unsure it should even be attempted.

[deranged chipmunk]

not necessarily. i only avoid driftwood in my area because the river washes a lot of stuff downstream. so i never know what is aged and what isn't. i also prefer collecting from dead fall in the woods because there is so much more variety. i have collected from the banks for my fish tanks though and never had a problem. as long as you wash it thoroughly and then heat it properly, you should have no problems.

[deranged chipmunk]

phil, i don't know much about the geography of cali, but you guys have some of the most awesome wood in the world there. bow far are you from a manzanita forest? that's where i would be collecting wood from.

[Gage]

So I just realized that the cautionary sentence I was referring to was from that article Brian threw down.

Excerpt: "If you decide to use your own found driftwood, avoid ocean driftwood. You will be unable to get rid of all the salt! Driftwood from lakes, rivers and streams in agricultural areas should also be avoided; they are often saturated with pesticides and herbicides."

So my ocean-sourced driftwood is what I am questioning bc of the salt.

Here is a pic; I have not researched what type of wood it is, so let me know if you recognize it! By the way... the beer can is there for size reference (I couldn't find anything else I wanted to throw in for that purpose).


Thinking that if I do try to use these pieces, I will need to sterilize them on the grill!

As for manzanita forests... looks like Monterey has a bunch, and I'm not too far from there!

Phil E

[deranged chipmunk]

i can't really tell what kind of wood that is. it kind of looks a bit like oak, but it doesn't appear to be as dense as oak. i know, you can't tell density from a pic, but i'm going by how tight the grain pattern looks.

brian is 100% correct, driftwood from the ocean is nearly impossible to remove the salt content from.

go get some manzy boy! you will not regret it. oh, and take some pics from monterey!!

[Gage]

mission accepted. see when I can work it in...