2nd Leo, 1st time raising baby

[NeoLeo87]

Question on wood baking/plant soaking:

I've read all kinds of answers on the forum, and they're all different. I have 1 piece of cork bark and 1 piece of...manzanita? and I want to know the appropriate baking time and temp for each one.

Also, what's the best thing to soak fake leafy vines in? Those plastic flimsy leaves can be tough to clean!

Thanks again.

 

[JessJohnson87]

wood at 200 degrees in the oven for about 20 minutes. It won't burn I promise!

you could soak them in dawn dish detergent or a vinegar water solution.

 

[NeoLeo87]

wood at 200 degrees in the oven for about 20 minutes. It won't burn I promise!

Well, the manzanita got discolored to a dark "burnt" brown, and it has patches of "sticky wetness." Is that sap?

Also, I'm sure it's safe, but there's a lot of dirt inside the cork bark. Is that okay if my leo crawls through it and licks it? Or should I have washed before I baked?

And thank you for such quick feedback!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Well, the manzanita got discolored to a dark "burnt" brown, and it has patches of "sticky wetness." Is that sap?

Also, I'm sure it's safe, but there's a lot of dirt inside the cork bark. Is that okay if my leo crawls through it and licks it? Or should I have washed before I baked?

And thank you for such quick feedback!

Just flush the interior of the cork bark tunnel with hot tap water. That's all.

 

[NeoLeo87]

Just flush the interior of the cork bark tunnel with hot tap water. That's all.

But cork is absorbent. Wouldn't moisture increase chances of bacteria, as opposed to dry? Don't I have to re-bake it?

And again, what do I do about the sticky residue left on the manzanita?

 

[JessJohnson87]

Well, the manzanita got discolored to a dark "burnt" brown, and it has patches of "sticky wetness." Is that sap?

Also, I'm sure it's safe, but there's a lot of dirt inside the cork bark. Is that okay if my leo crawls through it and licks it? Or should I have washed before I baked?

And thank you for such quick feedback!

Your're welcome!

Never heard of the other kind of wood but as Elizabeth said, just some hot water to rinse them both off. I use drift wood but its really slick so I don't think Gabby would enjoy climbing on it.

 

[amsdadtodd]

I would be hesitant to use any wood with a heavy natural oil content without first making sure it's not toxic to leo's. I use a lot of exotic hardwoods in other pursuits and have often thought they could make great features in a reptile enclosure, only to find through research that the oils are usually harmful. Heck, they usually fry my sinuses when sanding them!

Todd

 

[JessJohnson87]

[MENTION=51448]amsdadtodd[/MENTION]

Manzanita wood is also used as perches for parrots and other large pet birds. The branches of the larger species are extremely long-lasting for this purpose. Some aquarium keepers use sandblasted manzanita as driftwood in planted aquaria because of its attractive forked growth and its chemical neutrality.
If properly cleaned and cured, it holds up well over extended periods of submersion. The wood is also resistant to the leaching of tannins into the water column, a problem often found with other aquarium driftwoods. When used as driftwood, manzanita must often be either weighted down for several weeks or soaked first to counteract the wood's natural buoyancy.

 

[amsdadtodd]

My big concern is the patch of "sticky wetness" described after baking it. That would be a showstopper for me. Leo's are very "licky" creatures, and I would hate to put anything with an unknown substance like that in their environment.

Todd

 

[JessJohnson87]

Yeah if it's fresh and hasn't had time to be cured and dried, then it is probably sap. Continuous baking in the oven will speed up the drying process of wood, just not too much so it doesn't crack. I say cork bark for now and give the other time to dry and cure completely. My moms crazy bird has one of those manzanita perches.

Oh just had a thought, did you buy a perch from the bird section or go out and find a tree branch? The bird perches may be coated in something and you might have to sand it down or strip the bark off of it.

 

[NeoLeo87]

JessJohnson87, amsdadtodd, thanks for jumping in.

Jess asked me to bake at 200 for 20 minutes, but that didn't work, because this morning I found a small brown and white insect crawling on the wood. The best thing I saw that fits the description is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtail

I have no idea if Springtails (or whatever it is) is safe for the vivarium, but my first step was to bake it again.

I re-baked the manzanita, this time 200 for 30 minutes, then 250 another 20 minutes. The "sticky wetness" - we'll assume it's sap - was more present this time, and in a VERY small spot was bubbling a bit. It smelled good though!





I purchased this wood at Petco, in the reptile section.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cork Bark cleaning:

I used a high pressure hose with hot water to spray out the inside of the cork bark. It had a LOT of dirt in it! Next, I baked the bark for 215 for 20 minutes. It still had moist dirt in the center, so I baked an additional 15 minutes. Finally, I tried scraping the inside to get any loose/dry dirt out. There's still dirt, but it's not nearly as bad.

 

[JessJohnson87]

There's not much else you can do with wood besides baking. I have read people putting it in a pot to boil it, but you would need a pretty big pot! lol I say let it cool off for a day or so and see if the sticky stuff can be scraped off. If you got it from petco in the reptile section then it has to be safe or else they wouldn't sell it. Found this, omit the part about the birds...
Step One – Washing The Branch:

Fill your tub with water and add a quart of bleach (to a full tub use proportionately less with less water). I know, you are thinking that bleach is unsafe for parrots (and you are right), but this is a very important step. You could use vinegar to initially wash off bugs and mold and the following two steps would see to their elimination. BUT vinegar will not completely kill the diseases that might present in your wild bird population. (This step is for the branches only. Use the baking method for foliage.)

I usually soak the branches until the bark starts to pull away at which time I remove it and allow it to soak for perhaps an hour more. Following this I rinse the branch and let it soak for about an additional half hour in clean water. I usually place a face cloth over the drain to catch any remnants that have peeled away.
Step Two – Baking:

This step is a necessary one for those of you who only use vinegar to clean and do not remove the bark from their branches. This can also be done with pieces of foliage intended for the cage or play area.

Set the oven to 200 degrees and bake the branches for 1-2 hours. This will assist in killing anything hiding in the crevices of the bark.

If your branch is too large to fit in the oven, it can be cut into pieces and then reassembled using double ended screws (see photo at bottom of post).

Step Three – Natural Sunlight:

The sun has powerful bacteria killing and sanitizing properties. By placing your washed and/or baked branches in the sun you are providing a second cleaning for the branch. Bleach doesn’t kill mold, but the sun does. The UV rays in the sun will also eliminate any bleach residue left on the branch. Let the branch sit outside in direct sunlight for several days.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Just flush the interior of the cork bark tunnel with hot tap water. That's all.

But cork is absorbent. Wouldn't moisture increase chances of bacteria, as opposed to dry? Don't I have to re-bake it?

And again, what do I do about the sticky residue left on the manzanita?

If you are worried about flushing the cork bark tunnel with hot tap water, then flush it with boiling water. Then let it dry. Boiling things for ~15 minutes is also a way to sterilize stuff. That's the way I make "stone soup" (to sterilize pebbles I add to some water dishes).

I don't know about manzanita prep.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I'm just sharing this info.

If what you found is a springtail, scroll to post 93 (# on left side) (Leo Care Sheet) for info and photos shared by Hilde and CrestedRick. It's too much to re-post.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Have you seen this thread: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...es.html?highlight=Cleaning+Reptile+Enclosures?

In this thread GU's pakinjak (a current keeper of many geckos) recommends a steam cleaner he bought at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

 

[NeoLeo87]

Updates: Old leo, New home / Juvenile ate sand (impaction risk)?

Gabby (15+ year old Mack Snow, male)

As some of you know, I gave Gabby a new tank, and some new amenities. Check out the pictures below!





He's been so happy with the new home, that he's taken a liking to not only his sand hide, but his moist hide and his cork bark! He spends more time inside his cork log than anywhere else. Only problem is getting him used to the new arrangement of his food bowl. He's still trying to figure out where and how to get food.

Cornbread (1 year old Tangerine, male)

I have a stressful update for my little guy. Lastnight I took out one of his slate tiles (he had pooped on it instead of his usual spot). Underneath his tile there is sand, specifically calcium sand. I know, I know, this is not good, but it is not exposed unless I remove the slate tile.

When this happens, I place Cornbread in a temporary container. This time, I let him stay in his cave, hoping he would not come out... No more than 30-60 seconds after I stepped away, I came back to find him nose-deep in sand, eating it! I had to wipe some clumps of sand from his mouth and urge him away. I fed him a cricket, hoping it would digest / mix with the sand and lead to less impaction...right?

I have no idea how much he consumed, but I got there fast as I could, and it was only a minute of time. I will watch Cornbread carefully over the next few days and see if he passes it. I never intended this to happen, but I learned my lesson on keeping him in the tank when sand is exposed. I hope my little guy is okay.

 

[JessJohnson87]

Gabby looks like he really does love his new home! It looks great by the way.

As far as Cornbread, just keep an eye on his poops. If his tummy feels hard, give him warm baths and olive oil. He will pass the sand. Get an extra piece of slate to put in place when he poops, as a back up just in case.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

See, Gabby really appreciates all the upgrades you have made! You've given him rough stuff he can easily grip with his little toes.

About Cornbread: Play it safe. Any fibrous food you feed Cornbread (including crickets) will just back him up more. Once I had the occasion to take another kind of gecko with a similar issue to the vet.

She recommended:

• Catlax on the lips 1x per day. (You can use 1 drop of olive oil or vegetable oil instead.)
• Tepid water soaks for about 20 minutes per day. (86*F for leos) Gently massage Cornbread from throat to vent during these soaks.
• Only feed Cornbread Gerber's turkey baby food on the lips until the sand has passed.

This will involve checking each poop for grittiness. Use rubber gloves.

That worked for my gecko. Hopefullly it will work for Cornbread too.

 

[NeoLeo87]

Updates: Blood in Gabby's stool... possible impaction?

Since my youngest leo is alright, I'll devote this post to Gabby (15+ year old Mack snow, male)

On the night of April 4th, I noticed a small red spot with Gabby's pee on his paper towel. I had a doctor look at him. He said Gabby seemed healthy in every way, and couldn't find any source of blood - even after using a q-tip inside Gabby's rectum to check.

The second stool was fine, but the third (which was last night) came out with a little more blood than last time. I brought this sample into the vet and had them run tests. There are no parasites, but they suspect the blood may be from pieces of sand that Gabby swallowed, scraping his insides. They found some in his stool, and I have found more sand in his stool a week ago. They told me to drop him off Monday morning so they can do an X-ray.

I removed all the sand from his tank, and he's resting at the moment. It's now the 6th night since it started.

My questions for users:

1) Should I feed him tonight? Or hold off? I'm not sure what more digestion will do to him.

2) Is this more urgent than waiting Monday morning? Should I be taking an emergency visit to ICU?

3) Is there anything else I can do to help?

 

[JessJohnson87]

Just make sure he stays hydrated and hold off on feeding him until he see's the vet on Monday. He should be OK until then but keep a close eye on him for any signs that he may be acting off from his normal behavior.