Ok I finally did it. Please read the bottom too and help me disinfect this thing.

Today I was out running errands, and somehow I decided to walk home from the post office instead of take the train. Thought I'd get some sun. Then, on the road, I saw a TREE! Sawed off, just lying there. Something that I'd been looking for a long time, and is rare in the metropolitan city of Hong Kong. I had wanted to go out sawing trees but was too chicken of getting busted but now the sawing had been done for me!

So I carried it home. It must be about 8 - 9 feet tall (see photo) and very thick. And this is in the afternoon at about 5 when there are lots of people around and everyone was staring at me carrying some shopping stuff in one hand and a tree on my other hand LOL!!!!!

This is PERFECT for my iguana enclosure. I know there is the issue of it needing to get used to change, but I think if the everlasting universe intended that I use this tree. I ran into it by chance, somehow deciding to walk instead of take the train. It is the perfect size and shape for the cage. It is even curved somewhat so I may not even need to remove any shelving that is already in there, but not sure yet. This is FATE!

Now, I need a little help disinfecting this darn thing. It is obviously too big for an oven (DUH), so oven heating is out of the question.

It is too long to submerge into the bathtub full of bleach solution completely. I can try to soak half of it sticking out, then the other half afterwards by turning it around, but I doubt that it will work even that way as it is so huge the middle part may not get soaked even if I soak both ends in turn.

So what can I do? I do have lots of bleach, but no place to submerge something of this size. Can I sort of spray it down with bleach solution, then drench some towels with bleach solution and wrap it around for a day? If I use stronger bleach to water ratio? If I CAN spray it with bleach, how would I make sure it all rinses off and doesn't poison the ig?


Also, I do have a heat gun that goes up to 600 degrees. I don't know if this can be helpful, but it may be dangerous to heat wood that much so I don't know.

PLEASE HELP! I CAN'T WAIT TO PUT THIS BABY IN THE CAGE! (Besides, its blocking my door now).

Wow, that thing is huge. How did you manage carrying that and your other bags too? Question, is the wood dried out or moist? If it is moist, I would say the wood is still live. I would spray the entire log with a bleach solution and then place the larger end in a bucket of bleach solution. The wood should absorb some of the bleach solution both from being sprayed but the majority from the bucket. I would leave it for at least 24hrs. Frequent misting of the bleach solution is a good idea too. Then be sure to wash the surface area very well before introducing it into your ig's enclosure. Closely examine it also to make sure there are no visible signs of fungal or bacterial growth.
Good luck!! Great find!!
Angel

__________________
Hard to notice, gleaming from the sky
When you're staring at the cracks
Hard to notice what is passing by
With eyes lowered

"The Leaving Song"- AFI

0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx (Spike)
1.2.0 Bearded Dragons (Hercules, Megora & Eeyore)
1.0.0 Bi-color Flame Point Himalayan (Koda)
1.2.0 Children (Dimitri, Mercedes, and Mariah)

The wood is very dry. I had tried to pick up other logs before only to find that they were wet and infested. This one was clean, dry, solid and strong, no worms visible! But still want to go through the disinfecting to make sure.

Ok, so I spray with bleach and soak each end.
What ratio bleach to water should I use for:
1) Spraying and
2) Soaking the ends?

Should I wrap the thing after spraying?

Also, I don't know how I would be able to rinse the bleach off afterwards to the point of it being safe? I don't think just washing the surface would do it or would it? I do have a balcony in my apartment but I have no hose of water supply any where near it.

I heard that if I did what you said, and then left it out in the sun for 2 days that all the bleach would outgas and it would be ok again. Is that true?

I would say 1 part bleach to 10 parts water or 10% bleach solution for both misting and soaking. Wrapping it wouldn't hurt it any, but probably isn't necessary. The sun may outgas the bleach, but I would make sure to rinse it off the surface anyway. It may be wiser to rinse it off after you have had it in the sun. That way, any crystals that are formed, or residual powder, would be rinsed off as well. In order to rinse, you may have to stand it up in the tub and pour water over it from the top several times. I tend to lean towards the side of caution so forgive me if my advice is a little overboard. Others may tell you all of this isn't needed, and they are more than likely right. It is unlikely that your ig will try to eat the tree at all, but I prefer to play it safe. Have fun!
Angel

__________________
Hard to notice, gleaming from the sky
When you're staring at the cracks
Hard to notice what is passing by
With eyes lowered

"The Leaving Song"- AFI

0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx (Spike)
1.2.0 Bearded Dragons (Hercules, Megora & Eeyore)
1.0.0 Bi-color Flame Point Himalayan (Koda)
1.2.0 Children (Dimitri, Mercedes, and Mariah)

OH he won't try to eat the tree, but I just don't want an insect/fungus infested cage.

I'll do as you say but wait a few more replies first to see if there is a lazy way or another way too.

Thanks!

I completely understand Best of luck!!!
Angel

__________________
Hard to notice, gleaming from the sky
When you're staring at the cracks
Hard to notice what is passing by
With eyes lowered

"The Leaving Song"- AFI

0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx (Spike)
1.2.0 Bearded Dragons (Hercules, Megora & Eeyore)
1.0.0 Bi-color Flame Point Himalayan (Koda)
1.2.0 Children (Dimitri, Mercedes, and Mariah)

Sometimes when I get an enclosure addition that doesn't fall into an easy piece I spray it down with Reptile Relief just as if I were taking care of a piece that had already been in an enclosure and had become infected with unwanted critters.

__________________
Fran
January 9, 1940 - June 1, 2006 (R.I.P)

One way of soaking this would be to quickly make a tub using a water proof tarp just like you would to make a temperary pool or pond. Fing an area large enough to lay the branch flat on the floor preferably outside (ie a courtyard, only a few people will look at you like you are a nutcase). Block the sides of the tarp up around the branch -- I have done this in a few ways tie it up to something like a series of saw horses, make a wooden frame around the branch, or use heavy boxes. Fill with water.

I have done this in the courtyard of my apartment before, both to do something like this and as a concrete mold. I have also made pools for my iguana by digging a hole in sand and lineing it with a tarp.

On a side note:
Once that branch is cleaned you may want to wrap it with some rope to aid the ig in gripping it. The bark looks very smooth and as it dries out further it will get really hard and the claws won't grab it as well they will living bark. By wrap I mean create a spiral up and down the branch where each wrap is spaced a few centimeters from the last, 10 cm is plenty close.

__________________
~ Mark

I would go with Fran's idea and use soething like Reptile Relief (called Keep it Clean) over here lol and treat the wood as you would if it was an infected piece of current cage furniture.

A 10% bleach solution would also do the trick and that isn't a lot of work - leave it stood in the bucket of solution and spray top a couple of times over the next day or so. Then, make sure you leave it to dry out - this could take some time (don't know what your weather is like over there - you could put it outside or on the window ledge in the sun??).

I sooo wish someone by me would have cut their trees when I had Godz - it would have saved me a small fortune - instead, it cost me nearly £180 for wooden climbing frames for him!!

I would just take the tree, put it in the bathtub and using a scrub brush scrub it down with a good antibacterial soap and hot water. then rinse it well. Following this while the wood is good and wet, which will keep the bleach from soaking into the wood too much, take a 1/5 solution of bleach water and wipe or spray it down. Wait 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. If you can still smell bleach you need to rinse it somemore. Place it somewhere to dry out for a couple of days and it should be fine to use.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!