Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Another question. I want to know what type of tree is ok to have in my tank. My parrot has oak tree's in the house. Are oak's ok for my red tail boa? I know Ceder is Toxic. Ty in advance Dale

Hardwoods, such as Oak. Should be okay. However I'd wait to hear from a few others.

Usually if it is okay for birds you are good for reptiles. Birds will chew their perches, causeing a much greater chance of toxicity. Also birds and reptiles are close evolutionary relatives.

Grapevine, and Manzanita, both available at pet stores, work well for boas. Sand blasted or natural. Though natural grapevine has a tendency to mold and is difficult to clean.

Since you mentioned oak, I'm assuming you are collecting this from outside. Any branches you buy or collect for your reptile should be treated for parasites. You can spray with a product such as Mite Off or submerge the branch in water for a few days to kill any critters. This is a good for your bird as well as you could spread lice to your captive bird. Zoo Med just released a new Mopani wood for reptiles. It is a heavy root wood from Africa and is great for reptiles.

Phil Goss

TY very much. I just did A search on Mopani wood and am going to go that route. I am very thankful for this board for I havnt much time for research and the answers are all here. Oddly enough I actually did soak my amazons trees. TY Dale