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Woods that should NOT be used for Snake Caging?

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Austin-1

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Hello,
I’m in the research stage of making a new cage, and since I know this can be important, I thought I should ask:

The cage walls (made of wood) will not be covered in some areas (actually, probably just the ceiling of the cage will be not be covered, since it won’t need moisture protection, etc.), so the snake will just be under the bare wood. Is there any species of wood I should avoid? I know herpers are advised against using cedar as bedding, so I’ll probably avoid this species, but
is there any other wood to avoid?

I certainly don’t want any wood that will have gasses that irritate a reptile’s sinuses, or something like that. I know that experts say not to use pine shaving either, but do you think will pine boards will be a problem?

Thanks very much I appreciate any feedback, as well as direction on where/how to find this out.
Regards,
Austin
 
Pine will be just fine. I have a pine cage also and it is great. Just stay away from cedar, the oils are toxic to reptiles.

The reason you cannot edit your posts is because you need to be a contributing (paid) member of Fauna.
 
Thanks for the feedback

Thanks for the comments.

Yes, I'm trying to avoid formaldehyde- hence the pine boards instead of plywood. Unfortunately tho I'm using melamine as the bottom of the cage (to make it water proof). I suppose life is full of compromises.

Tim Cole & Junkyard- ya'll both say pine is no problem. I've heard conflicting reports on this. Can you elaborate? How are others wrong when they say that pine should be avoided?

Any new comments are also welcome

Thanks again,
Austin
 
Aromatic woods

All aromatic woods should be avoided such as pine, cedar, eucalyptus etc. You can also use plastic sheets in half inch thicknesses for the bottom such as ABS or PVC. You can get them in 4 x 8 foot or 5 x 10 foot sheets. In actuality melamine is a plastic. However it is also used for pressboard covered in it. You can find pure melamine sometimes in smaller pieces sold as cutting boards for the kitchen. Any non aromatic hardwood should also be okay.
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Digby Rigby [email protected]

My feeders are cooler than your pets!
 
the only wood I feel safe using is aspen or hemp.


Cedar is by far the worst!

I don't trust pine, some do.. pine does still have the oils that are not good for animals, but they are not very high.

biggest thing..

stay away from cedar.. no matter what kind of critter!
 
Opinions are going to vary on this no matter where you ask, I think. It's pretty well accepted that cedar is a BIG no, but pine? While I personally would avoid it, I think that if it is well-sealed, it can be acceptable, I know plenty of folks that have used it without problems.....but as long as there are other options, I would lean toward them if you are able.
 
Symptoms of wood poisoning?

I had posted this exact question just before I found this post, so I'm really glad to see this discussion.

Friends of mine have just had an unexplained death in a new tank that had internal pine supports. Their small boa that had just eaten 2 geckos and was in the process of eating a third showed odd tail trembling and was later found dead, possibly having had seizures (Water bowl was thrown around).

Is this possibly due to the pine? they have another snake in that tanks, so we'd like to know ASAP.

On a similar vein, are there any particular branches to avoid putting inside a tank as furniture (Pretty obviously not cedar...)
 
As an enclosure material pine is fine. The surface area of an enclosure when compared to a chip bedding is miniscule, adding in that a proper enclosure would have a treated surface to protect the material for long term. Pine has been used as a bedding by many people with no ill effects, with that it has shown to raise kidney enzymes as a bedding with rabbits, but I do not know of any research study to show its effect as an enclosure material, and highly doubt one would be found. As John said lining the interior with shower board is an option, or as mentioned above the use of plastic sheeting (you can find very inexpensive sheets in the .10" range to use as a liner for under 40 dollars for a 4'x8'.)
 
Probably another stupied question, sorry.....

Thanks a lot for the clarification on pine, it helps a great deal. Just one more stupid question and then I'll go away and let you concentrate...:)

If pine is treated against insects and rot, is there a time period after which is is safe to use in enclosure construction, or should it never be used? In the tropics all pine we buy is treated in this way, and friends of mine who used a small amount as supports in an outdoor tank have just had an unexplained death....:(

Thanks again
 
Without knowing what type of chemicals that the wood was treated with, you can't really know for sure how much if any hand it had in the death of the animal. Sorry that the answer is a "don't know".
 
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