How do i make wood outside safe

[dragondude!]

Just in case your wondering i did not steel the original dragondude's name i swiched computers.

To the topic at hand. I found a pece of drift wood at a beach i went to and thought it would be perfact for my Berded Dragons so i took it (I hope that was not illegal). but i knew that washing it with the hose probibly did not make it safe for them. so how do i make the wood safe fore them?

[faze]

you can either soak it in bleach and then let to dry out for a few days rinse it off and use it
OR you can stick it in the oven if it will fit and heat it on the lowest possible temp(keep a eye on it) for a half hour to a hour

hope this helps ya

[NicoleRussell]

This is my favorite page for wild caught wood:

http://is1.websearch.com/websrch.iep...asitemap2.html

Looong Link

[dragondude!]

Bleech like fore your landry?

[Diablo]

yeah, chlorine bleech. Don't use straight bleach though. Just use a liitle bit with water. If it will fit, I recomend baking it though.

[NicoleRussell]

use the ratio mentioned in the article. I baked this large piece if wood in my oven once and it caught fire..no joke--what a mess. Between the smoke and throwing the smoldering wood in the yard and hosing it...how large is the wood?

[faze]

Good call diablo i must have missed that when i posted the first time use a 10% bleach solution to soak

[Dbutton]

What I always used was matt finish spray polyurathane ( I use the hard as nails brand). I take the wood and clean it thuroughly to remove any loose dirt particles and then let it dry completly. After that I spray light coats, 3 or 4 and let dry for 2 hours or so between coats. With the clear mat finish it will still look great and have traction for climbing herps, but there will never be any bugs or other creepy crawlies coming out of it. And the best part is the ease of cleaning after that. You will get no bacteria build up in the wood from being pee'd and pooped on all the time. And one other thing, the wood lasts longer so you can use that same piece for many years.


David

[Diablo]

Great Idea Dbutton. Just give it plenty of time to dry. Sometimes Polyurathane takes awhile depending on temp and humidity.

[Dbutton]

The Hard as nails polyurathane that I use is quick drying, but I still let it sit out in the sun for 3-4 days before I use it in the cage. That way all the solvents can evaporate and it is dried nice and hard. Like I said, I have done this for years and it works great. I have mostly used to for climbing limbs in my cages and can pick out what ever strikes my fancy for shape or wood variety and never have to worry about bugs.

[dragondude!]

Thanks guys I bleeched it and let it dry fore a few weeks and my dragons love it.