climbing wood guestion?

kirstysimon · #1 01-05-2012, 05:21 PM

Hi,
I have just brought home our first cave gecko and i have been told they like to climb, I have some cork wood in there for him but I was wondering if you needed special treated wood or could I get him some from the woods near my house and boil it......would it be ok for him?
thanks x

cricket4u · #2 01-06-2012, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirstysimon

Hi,
I have just brought home our first cave gecko and i have been told they like to climb, I have some cork wood in there for him but I was wondering if you needed special treated wood or could I get him some from the woods near my house and boil it......would it be ok for him?
thanks x

Hi,

What I do is first I soak the wood in soap and water for 30 minutes to remove debris. Then I bake it on the oven for 1 hour in 350 degrees, however you must monitor it incase of fire. Another way is by boiling as mentioned in this article. This article also informs you on what woods are safe and which are toxic to reptiles.

Caudata Culture Articles - Wood in Vivaria

Big Red One · #3 01-07-2012, 08:13 AM

I use cork bark pieces in my setups.

As has been said you 'can' clean and bake but tbh I don't think it's worth the hassle. Cork is nice and rough for them to climb on and light too. They also like to hide in cork tubes.

GeckoFiend · #4 01-15-2012, 10:13 AM

I just make sure it's from a pesticide free area and rinse well.

joshsfrogs · #5 01-19-2012, 05:48 PM

For Goniurosaurus, cork tubes and overlapping cork flats are an excellent choice. The group of G. hainanensis we are working with prefer to hide in between the slightly curved pieces of cork flats.

Dan Szewczyk

davine.herps · #6 04-03-2012, 11:11 AM

I dont buy any wood for them to climb on or hide in. It is cheaper and just as easy to find the perfect thing for the outside. You will of course need to rinse and bake it to ensure that you kill everything off and clean it. I have always baked for 1.5 hours at 250 degrees in the oven. The lower temp will help to ensure their is no ignition and the 1.5 hours will ensure that you penetrate the entire item with heat. If it is a larger piece that is denser you will want to bake a little longer.