Is Liquidambar (aka sweetgum) safe for a beardie enclsoure?

MrSpectrum":15oo2snk said:

In a cursory search, I only find one site (for animal rehabs in general) that claims it's safe for reptiles, but that same site lists pine as safe, and most other sources I've seen list pine as a no-go for beardies. And apparently, this is the first time this question has come up on this forum.

On the plus side, it's deciduous, and most toxic woods I'm aware of are coniferous.
On the minus side, American Sweetwood does contain aromatic compounds--which may or may not be bad. :dontknow:

Personally, I'd err on the side of caution. Here's an article from a bearded dragon site about known woods for vivariums:
Wood for Vivariums – What Wood Is safe and What Is Not

As far as prepping wood from outside, the main concerns are parasites, eggs, & fungus. The consensus is to strip away bark (exception: cork rounds) and debris, and bake the logs/wood in an oven at 350°F for an hour or more (but double-check the flashpoint of the wood you're baking. :wink: ) This also means you need to limit the size of the branches/logs, or have a very large oven! :lol:

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MrSpectrum":19p4jdxp said:

I've had trouble finding suitable logs myself, and I have 4 wooded acres to choose from!
I do have a cork round I got at a reptile show last year before all this started, and have been meaning to install that. Some vendors at shows sell by the pound ($8-$10/lb.) instead of by the log, which is a much better deal. What I got for $30 was priced at $100 or more from some vendors.

But this isn't a time for shows--I would think most have been cancelled by now--or should be.

If you've stripped off the bark and baked it (as above) I would take the added step of sealing it with a few coats of water-based sealer and allow to thoroughly cure. I'd probably do that with a known "safe" log just to make cleaning easier.

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