Rock from yard

[RoscoTheBeardie]

Is it ok to put a rock from my yard in our beardies enclosure? I was thinking I'd soak it in bleach/water and bake it for awhile to sterilize it. If I do that what temp are you supposed to bake it at and for how long? Decorations from the pet store are crazy expensive so that is whey I'm thinking of this. Thanks!

 

[MBrian]

I would soak it in part bleach and water and be sure to rinse it till you don't smell bleach. I wouldn't bake it because there are stories of rocks exploding from water or air inside the rock.

 

[PhillyBeardie83]

Definitely get a hard bristled brush and scrub the rock thoroughly with a VERY diluted bleach and water solution. Rinse it several times with tap water to make sure no bleach is left on the rock, as we all know beardies like to lick their items in their habitat. Baking is a good solution for wood. As previously mentioned the rock could explode (more likely it would just crack) from heat and could possibly damage your oven.

 

[RoscoTheBeardie]

Thanks so much! I didn't know rocks could explode in the oven, that would be terrible!! I will go ahead and scrub the heck out of it and soak it in 10% bleach/90% water solution and rinse thoroughly. 8)