Baking wood from outside?

[Grrrit]

I've heard you can make wood to make it "viv-safe". I was wondering if anyone had or haas any experience with doing this with good success? I understand some wood can tolerate bring soggy or moist better than others, but I do not enjoy the price for a stick -_-

[Leefrogs]

Absolutely!! I've found perfect pieces from outside. Just bake for 1 hour (or until it starts on fire) at 200 degrees, this is mainly to dry it more, kill any pesty eggs, and eliminate chytrid fungus. All hardwoods are safe, oak, birch, ironwood, etc.. Stay away from pine or aromatic woods like sicamore and cypress. These leech and have irritating saps. I had a similar thread and someone gave me a link that was for woods suspended in an aqarium. Does not apply
Here's the basics--
Anything barkless and sun bleached

Any driftwood

Even dry rotted and crumbling

It will still hold up for 5-10 years. Take a rock and scrub off most of the rot. If the core can hold up to you scrubbing, it's good. My stick for kermit is perfect, looks like an antler, and was only dry rotted where there's like platforms on the tines of antler.

Mature trees have the best stuff, but don't use cut wood. It still has to leach out all it's sap and moisture.

Check your local law. Usually you cannot pick wood from the water, for these are Lil fishy homes. And no trespassing!!
Happy hunting

[Grrrit]

ginger,
I knew you would have an answer lol. No joke, as soon as I posted this thread I thought to myself that I should've jusy pm'd you. Thank you for the very detailed instructions. My gf kayleigh is going to myrtl beach tuesday and wanted to bring back some driftwood. You rock!

]

Absolutely!! I've found perfect pieces from outside. Just bake for 1 hour (or until it starts on fire) at 200 degrees, this is mainly to dry it more, kill any pesty eggs, and eliminate chytrid fungus. All hardwoods are safe, oak, birch, ironwood, etc.. Stay away from pine or aromatic woods like sicamore and cypress. These leech and have irritating saps. I had a similar thread and someone gave me a link that was for woods suspended in an aqarium. Does not apply
Here's the basics--
Anything barkless and sun bleached

Any driftwood

Even dry rotted and crumbling

It will still hold up for 5-10 years. Take a rock and scrub off most of the rot. If the core can hold up to you scrubbing, it's good. My stick for kermit is perfect, looks like an antler, and was only dry rotted where there's like platforms on the tines of antler.

Mature trees have the best stuff, but don't use cut wood. It still has to leach out all it's sap and moisture.

Check your local law. Usually you cannot pick wood from the water, for these are Lil fishy homes. And no trespassing!!
Happy hunting

[Grrrit]

Last deer season of '09 I got a big 8 point buck and have been rapid aging it down to bone. This summer I will be boiling it over open fire outside now that it has tired out as much as it will. Then a bleach process. How would you feel about that in a viv? Maybe not for frogs but if possilbe.. Hmmmmm

[Leefrogs]

Tell her to bring back enough for all your future vivs too. Including one root and stump 4 feet long--/ make that 6' just in case--- you can always cut it down. LOL


You should see all the wood my dad gave me. Stuff he picked 30 years ago.

[Grrrit]

wow 30 years

[bshmerlie]

wow 30 years

I think its safe to say its dry by now.

[Eric Walker]

I live right on the mississippi flood plain and every year I go out after the water recedes
and find all sorts of nice wood. I even cut up root systems off of trees that are uprooted. I bake mine closer to 300 and keep a good eye on it so it doesn't catch fire.

as for the deer, are you talking about the skull. I had a snake viv quite some time back that I used a deer skull in. it was in with a corn snake. I went to the extreem with boiling it and bleaching it. then boiling it again and again. looked great and she even like to "try" and fit inside it. snake did fine and is even still alive and looks great at a friends house. I really wish I had some pictures from that one because it looked incredable