Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know if crab apple is poisoness to reptiles. I have some branches I was planning on using. Thanks

Crab apple is not a problem. You will want to "disinfect" the branches before using them. My method is to use a big black plastic garbage bag. Put the branches in the bag with a cup of household bleach and set out in the sun for a couple of days. The heat will raise the temps to as high as 180*F and the bleach will vaporized and penetrate killing just about anything that may be on or in the branches. When done let the branches sit in the sun for a couple more days to rid all the chlorine.

Hope this helps
BigT

Maybe a little on the not poisoness part. But I have yet to see a trashbag that can hold a 12' long 150pd tree "limb". But thanks for the tip.

So use several trash bags and duct tape them together. Cut out the bottoms and make one long sleeve, it will work.

Hello,

I've used a different method to treat the wood, bark, leaves, etc. that I've collected outside to add to my cages. I use a can of Provent-a-Mite (www.pro-products.com) and liberally spray all surfaces of branches, bark, etc. You can treat stuff like dried grasses leaf litter by spraying liberally into a plastic bag and letting it sit for a few minutes then air out. The Provent-a-Mite is an acaricide and will kill any type of mite as well as pretty much any other kind of invertebrate. If you're using it in a cage with insectivores then you'll want to leave the branch to sit outside for two weeks while the chemical disperses otherwise you'll end up killing the insects you feed to the lizards, snakes, etc.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois