can i use rocks from outside?

[sullenman26]

of course i bleached them in a hot tuib of water but for how long or is it not a good idea at all
?

 

[ErinMeetsMachine]

as long as their cleaned and sanitized I don't see why not. Also, as long as they aren't the kind of rock that crumbles apart.

 

[Seven65]

as long as their cleaned and sanitized I don't see why not. Also, as long as they aren't the kind of rock that crumbles apart.

I have a rock that is kinda sandy on one edge. Is there a problem with that? It doesn't "crumble" but if you scrub it some of it comes apart in a fine sand. Also both of the rocks I have are from the ocean and no matter how much I clean them they still smell salty, is that bad?

 

[ErinMeetsMachine]

smelling of salt isn't bad. How much sand comes off of it?

 

[Seven65]

smelling of salt isn't bad. How much sand comes off of it?

Not enough for him to eat a bunch of it, the worst he could do is maybe lick the ground and maybe get a bit of sandy dust on the tip of his tongue. If I move the rock around against the tile its sitting on theres like a slight film of fine sand under the rock that I wipe up with a damp paper towel. I never really considered it a problem.

 

[herpfreak]

of course i bleached them in a hot tuib of water but for how long or is it not a good idea at all
?

Yes, as long as they are very clean. Soaking in a solution of 5-10% bleach works well. Some people bake rocks to kill bacteria/mites, but it sounds kind of hazardous to me, so I'd stay away from that. Soak them for a few hours at least, but overnight is preferable. But make sure to rinse well! Bleach fumes are toxic to beardies, so rinse well and let it sit to dry before putting it in the enclosure.

I have a rock that is kinda sandy on one edge. Is there a problem with that? It doesn't "crumble" but if you scrub it some of it comes apart in a fine sand. Also both of the rocks I have are from the ocean and no matter how much I clean them they still smell salty, is that bad?

Sounds fine to me, as long as you've bleached it. Beardies do live in the wild, remember, and are not extremely sensitive about these kinds of things.

 

[Kelcifer]

so flat beach rocks are ok as long as they are sanitized? what about beach drift wood? I bake logs at 200-250* for about 30-35 minutes to kill mites and I used to boil the rocks before I realized I could soak them. but i still bake the wood since i dont think soaking them in a bucket would do them very good.

 

[ErinMeetsMachine]

Beach stuff sounds all good. I would bump up the heat for the drift wood a little. I do 350 degrees.

 

[herpfreak]

Yep, sounds good.

 

[danz]

In my fish tanks I have used wood and rocks from the yard and I boiled anything that would go into the tank. Depending on the rock it may get dangerious if the rock heats up too much which is why I choose to boil and you can add your bleach solution in at that time and kill 2 birds with 1 stone...

 

[LJean]

I use things from outside. Usually put in a big tub with a bleach solution over night, then rinse, rinse, rinse. Then I soak in plain water for some time too. Haven't had any problems.
(both rocks and driftwood) They are selling the same kind of driftwood in the local, mom and pop, type petstores here.

 

[Seven65]

Sounds fine to me, as long as you've bleached it. Beardies do live in the wild, remember, and are not extremely sensitive about these kinds of things.

Yeah thanks what i figured, thanks.

 

[erdeem]

Wash and brush it with soap and put it in the oven 350 degrees for 20-30 mins. That should be good to go.

 

[Seven65]

Some rocks can crack, break or even explode under heat. I don't know how much heat it takes, probably more than 350 but I'd rather not take the risk and go with bleach myself.

 

[RaisingCajun]

Wash and brush it with soap and put it in the oven 350 degrees for 20-30 mins. That should be good to go.

I read somewhere that you should wrap the rock in aluminum foil and then bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Not sure exactly what the aluminum foil does for the rock?