Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering since I am building a very large viv would it be ok to go out and cut some root structrue from a local tree? Would this hurt pdfs? If necessary I could boil/heat/bleach whatever to properly steralize the wood, but really would the "greeness of the wood bother anything? I would probally use oak or locast.

Thanks
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Rodney

I used fairly green Osage Orange in my terraria. I cut off the roots, power washed them (water only, no soap), and let them freeze outside in the cold weather--this is what I was told to do by the folks that work at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium.

They were in the terrarium for about 3 months before I added frogs, but my frogs have shown no adverse affects now over 1.5 years later (and the wood shows no sign of rot, either. Locust and white oak are both good choices, with locust probably the better of the two for water resistance. Be prepared to have your chainsaw sharpened when you finish; the Osage Orange really dulled my blades!
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I use alot of Bodark root (Osage orange)in my aquariums with no ill effects. It tends to mold a couple of times when first introduced into vivariums, but that only lasts for a few days and doesn't do any harm. I don't sterilize large pieces since I enjoy the stow-away microfauna that it comes with. I collect all my wood in very secluded areas, though, so I have no worries of insecticides, etc. If yo DO collect in a rural area, I'd suggest soaking it for quite a while just to leech out any chemicals that I may have on it. Hope this helps!
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Randy
www.fruitflyspecialties.com

I agree with Randy, that sterilizing isn't always necessary. I too enjoy the microfauna and flora that crop up. I usually just scrub the major dirt off with plain water. (But that does depend upon where you collect it.) Just avoid resinous and soft woods like pine and cedar. Locust or white oak should be fine. I use a lot of mountain mahogany, so as Homer warns, be sure the saw is shaprened if the wood is anything like this hard. Mountain mahogany is so dense it won't float in water, so just a couple of cuts dulls a chain saw.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

You guys all sound like you know what you're doing and have healthy collections but isn't there a substantial risk of parasites from native amphibians? Mind you this would have little effect on healthy captives it's a still less than perfect situation.
WHat is your opinion?