Are there any woods toxic to tarantulas?

[Gizalba]

Hi, I got this hide from The Range, in the pet section, so I assume it is meant for guinea pigs or something. I am wanting to use it to provide Misty with a bigger hide now she has grown. I read somewhere that searching for wood in nature for reptiles at least, you have to be careful as some woods give off harmful odours. I wondered if there are any woods you should avoid using with tarantulas?

 

[Arachnoclown]

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[Arachnoclown]

Yes most wood for reptiles/ pets are bad for invertebrates, pine and cedar are most popular in the pet store world. They are sold to detour insects. Cork bark is the best for tarantulas.

Non-Toxic and Toxic Woods | Center for Animal Rehabilitation and Education

 

[Gizalba]

Yes most wood for reptiles/ pets are bad for invertebrates, pine and cedar are most popular in the pet store world. They are sold to detour insects.

Non-Toxic and Toxic Woods | Center for Animal Rehabilitation and Education

Thanks very much for that info! I thought maybe if they were safe for pets in general, they'd be safe, but if it deters insects maybe not :/ Do you happen to know/guess what the wood is above?

 

[Arachnoclown]

Thanks very much for that info! I thought maybe if they were safe for pets in general, they'd be safe, but if it deters insects maybe not :/ Do you happen to know/guess what the wood is above?

Hemlock or cedar.

 

[Jeremy-psychonaut]

Stay away from conifers pine, cedar etc for tarantulas

 

[Gizalba]

Stay away from conifers pine, cedar etc for tarantulas

Thanks!

I have the following hide in another enclosure (bent into a curve shape). As it is from an exotic pet shop I assume this should be safe, but what do you think? It doesn't say what type of wood it is > https://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/komodo-flexi-stix.htm

 

[Gizalba]

Not sure if the link works, here is it:

 

[octanejunkie]

Stick with cork bark, grape wood, manzanita or coconut shells, to be safe

 

[m0lsx]

There is a reason that pine is used in disinfectant. It is a natural insecticide among other things. If you google pine, phenol plus Rabbits or Guinea Pigs etc then you will find this wood is known to be more than capable of killing / harming creatures much bigger than a T. But the pet shop trade still sells it, both in poor quality wood shavings for animal bedding & via decorations made from it. It is down to phenols, the smell of the wood. & it causes Cancer in Rabbits, Guinea pigs etc & it damages their livers.

https://rabbit.org/care/shavings.html

Also
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_oil

It may also be used varyingly as a disinfectant, sanitizer, microbicide (or microbistat), virucide or insecticide. It is also used as an effective herbicide where its action is to modify the waxy cuticle of plants, resulting in desiccation.

 

[Gizalba]

There is a reason that pine is used in disinfectant. It is a natural insecticide among other things. If you google pine, phenol plus Rabbits or Guinea Pigs etc then you will find this wood is known to be more than capable of killing / harming creatures much bigger than a T. But the pet shop trade still sells it, both in poor quality wood shavings for animal bedding & via decorations made from it. It is down to phenols, the smell of the wood. & it causes Cancer in Rabbits, Guinea pigs etc & it damages their livers.

https://rabbit.org/care/shavings.html

Also
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_oil

Thanks very much for that info and the links, I didn't realise that it's even dangerous for the pets it's 'meant for' :/ that's really ****ty of the pet shops.

 

[ilovebrachys]

Thanks!

I have the following hide in another enclosure (bent into a curve shape). As it is from an exotic pet shop I assume this should be safe, but what do you think? It doesn't say what type of wood it is > https://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/komodo-flexi-stix.htm

This stick hide is fine - it's definitely not pine I used these mainly in my snake enclosures never had any issues with them
So if you are using it in a Ts enclosure it will be ok to leave it there

 

[Gizalba]

This stick hide is fine - it's definitely not pine I used these mainly in my snake enclosures never had any issues with them
So if you are using it in a Ts enclosure it will be ok to leave it there

Thanks very much for that info! As I have it in Bellatrix's enclosure because her bum is too big to fit into her coco dome now. So I wanted her to have an alternative but I'm struggling to get hold of any more cork bark.

 

[ilovebrachys]

Thanks very much for that info! As I have it in Bellatrix's enclosure because her bum is too big to fit into her coco dome now. So I wanted her to have an alternative but I'm struggling to get hold of any more cork bark.

No worries
It seems that most companies are having trouble importing Cork bark as most of it comes from Portugal and now we have all brexit import issues it delays things

 

[Gizalba]

No worries
It seems that most companies are having trouble importing Cork bark as most of it comes from Portugal and now we have all brexit import issues it delays things

Ah, that makes sense what a pain. I would try to find some in the wild but then of course it needs to be baked to try to get any pesticides etc off, which I'm not comfortable doing.

 

[m0lsx]

I have just brought some cork bark off ebay. On the photo's it looks like it's just what I want.

 

[Gizalba]

I have just brought some cork bark off ebay. On the photo's it looks like it's just what I want.

Will have a look at ebay thanks!

 

[WolfSpider]

Many pet stores have plastic resin hides. No problems here. I live in Florida. There are Palm trees everywhere. Also OK for inverts.

 

[m0lsx]

Many pet stores have plastic resin hides.

Also lots of nut shells that we can use. Coconut shells being just one of them. I was given some shells a few weeks ago, it took a while to identify them, but they are the outer shells that Brazil nuts come from.

I have a few of those resin hides & they are good. I also like terracotta flower pots, these I cut in half with a rotary multi tool & I then slope it into the substrate & dig some substrate out from under it & find that encourages natural burrowing behaviour.

I have even used plastic pipe connectors. I spotted one being used (decorated,) for a fish tank decoration & liked the look of it. So I have a couple of 90 degree joints I use. Partly buried with one end above the substrate. It makes a natural looking small hide.

 

[LizElla27]

Is mulberry wood toxic or safe?