Lizard help...........????

Question

does anyone know the best way to treat wood from the wild so it has no insects/germs etc to use and be safe for my Bearded Dragons? The wood is to big to bake in the oven.

I don't mean wood chip bedding, I mean logs the lizard would climb on.

Thanks.

Answer 1

shower with hot water, scrub with brush, if the log is very dirty then maybe some disinfectant, like bleach - but all these are so difficult to rinse off really 100%, so dont use too much of it and flush with plenty plenty of hot water and finish it with boiling water - be careful not to scratch or damage the tub in any way. leave to dry well (by sunshine?)

(btw dont be over anxious - as you have been in the wild too and so the germs could be on you and not on the log and you cant sterillize yourself by baking in the oven ... see what I mean? You cant have everything sterile, even buying it from petstore doesnt mean it is clean or it has been cleaned (i have seen really plainly dirty bedding material for sale in petstores, so where is the safety??) dont automatically assume that everything that comes from a shop with a price tag is safe and everything that does not is hazardous. )

Answer 2

First you need to know what type of wood is best for him. Maybe cedar or pine chips. The make a few others but some animals cant tolerate certain wood chips. The wood is really cheap at pet stores and even cheaper at garden shops that sell plant bedding material like a large bag of the stuff is really cheap. You just cant throw a log in there and hope for the best, they make special logs for climbing lizards. Find a chain store like PETCO, they are usually cheaper with their climbing logs than the little one owner shops. Also to save money on your light bulbs, that cost too much, when one blows, go buy another one, clean up the old bulb,, and put in the box on the new one and tell the store that it just blew within a week. That way youll get 2 for 1 They will replace it, just make sure that the watt stamp is not gone. just a little tip.

Answer 3

A buddy of mine owns a reptile shop and used to get driftwood from me. After unloading the wood we would put in a barrel of 50/50 mix of bleach and water; leave it for 24 hours, take it out, let it dry, then it was good to go......My dragon (Cledus) has been using his stick/basking log for 9 years now and still seems to be going strong. Can't believe this guy has lived so long; their avg life expectancy is 5-7 yrs....Good luck !!!

Answer 4

A bit of bleach and dilute it with allot of water...I personally think 50/50 is too strong...but if has worked for the previous poster you can try it, just know how sensitive the skin of your lizard is. And I have also gone so far as to cut it in pieces and freeze it for a couple days after wards. After cutting it you can screw it back together if it is THAT big...Good Luck!

Answer 5

buy a wood chip bedding in a pet shop

Answer 6

Soaking in a water and bleach mixture for 24 hours is the best solution.Just make sure it is dry before using.

Answer 7

just go to pet store and buy a bag of wood chip bedding($6.00)

Answer 8

I soaked mine in the bath tub for 24 hours. I keep putting scalding hot water in it. while i was home. It worked my iguana used it for years till he out grew it.

Answer 9

you should get it from a pet shop to keep the pet safe it may be pricy but it is better then having to pay vet bills because it is sick lol :)

Answer 10

boil it for an hour you can get an industrial pot at a cooking surplus store if it doesn't fit do half at a time. let it sun dry as well.