Mopai Wood

[darksaw17]

Hello, this is my first time posting on here so I hope I am doing it in the right spot. I just today picked up a fluval mopani wood from a local pet store. it was in plastic wrap. when i brought it home and put it in reptar's (my beardie) enclosure he went on it and began to eat it. i immediately took it out and haven't put it back in. i currently have it soaking. i was wondering if there was anything i could do to it so i could put it back in. if i am doing it right by soaking it how long do i soak it for and should i bake it when i am done soak? i have done some searching on this forum and i see people using it in their enclosures.

any help would be much appreciated. thank you in advance.

 

[syoung27]

Interesting. You may have some luck with a water based wood sealer. Or anything similar to make it hard/sealed so there isn't a chance of loose pieces Reptar will eat. The sealer should be fine health wise, allow it to air out at least a full day after it is dried. See what others say maybe, I've heard of the soaking and baking like you're doing but I don't see how that would entirely solve flaking wood especially when it continues to dry under the heat lamps.
Great name btw..is that Pokémon? It reminds me of a tv show Beast Wars I watched when I was younger.

 

[darksaw17]

Thank you for the reply. I have been letting it soak for 24 hours now and I am going to bake it after. I see that you recommended a wood sealer what wood sealer would you recommend? (sorry not much of a handyman or anything even close to that). The wood wasn't really flaking that much he just kinda went to a spot that stuck out and went all at it. I guess I will see later today if he is better with it or not. I got his name from Rugrats which was a dinosaur in that show.

thanks for your help again

 

[syoung27]

Yes rugrats! Haha that's it.
I can't think of any particular brand, I would just go to home Depot or any large selection hardware store and ask for a water based sealer that you can brush on. Some sealers/stains are supposed to be applied with a cloth but that may not saturate as well. You may even be able to get a spray can. Get a medium grit sanding block to take off any loose/rough parts before sealing.
Just specify that you want something preferably water based/non toxic.
Oil based would probably last longer and seal better but I'm not sure if that could be harmful to the skin since their bellies are relatively sensitive
This is entirely opinionated so maybe wait a while and see if anybody else replies as well. Just carpentry experience, not for animals lol.