Waterproof sealer for tree branches??

Psychobunny

Psychobunny

Avid Member
Has anyone tried a waterproof sealer to coat their cage branches?

I thought it would be great to coat these dogwood tree branches before I put them into the cages so the water doesn't rot them over time.

I cut and clean them, and use a wire cleaning wheel (fits on a drill) to remove old bark and crap.

Want something safe of course (when dry that is).

Here is what I have on hand already:

Krylon Workable Fixatif
Bulls Eye Shellac Sealer and Finish
Performix Plasti Dip

All these are spays.

Would any of these work, or does someone have experience with something else?

PS, I found this stuff on Amazon. No mention of using it for animals, but it looks safe!?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088LWBSC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
 
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Wouldn't any of those sealer a make the branches slippery? I don't seal branches, just replace as needed every year or two.

Most wood I have used is going on 2 years and still doing fine. I just clean it when I clean the cages.
 
I was wondering about the slippery thing too :confused:

Yeah, some of mine are a good 2 years old also, I just rub them with a dish scouring pad, to remove most of the black gunk.

I am going to try this organic brush on stuff and see what happens.
 
I polyurethaned my larger pieces (for my basilisk when I had them). It did make them slippery. So I used fake vines and wrapped around it to crate grip.

I tend to use driftwood (local river) and honestly I have pieces without any coating for over 6 years with no signs of rotting.
 
pigglett79 said:
Wouldn't any of those sealer a make the branches slippery? I don't seal branches, just replace as needed every year or two.

Most wood I have used is going on 2 years and still doing fine. I just clean it when I clean the cages.
Click to expand...

Mine too, I never sealed them and they still look brand new. There isn't any water damage or rotting anywhere. Just the ends, where I cut them, have splayed out a little bit with time but besides that they look good.

And since they were free I'm not super worried about having to replace them! lol If they do break or rot I can always cut more.

The only wood I don't use any more because it will decay quickly is grapewood. If you really want to use grapewood you would have to seal it somehow, because it will start turning dark and acquire mold over a short period of time in moist conditions. Since it has no bark it's much more vulnerable to decay.
 
Olimpia makes a great point. i had the same issues with grapewood. especially at the bottom of it. it quickly molded. looked like a penicillin experiment gone awry.
 
I have been cutting branches off my backyard dogwood three for my cages.
Poor tree, cut all the lower ones off, now I will need a ladder :rolleyes:
 
Psychobunny said:
Has anyone tried a waterproof sealer to coat their cage branches?

I thought it would be great to coat these dogwood tree branches before I put them into the cages so the water doesn't rot them over time.

I cut and clean them, and use a wire cleaning wheel (fits on a drill) to remove old bark and crap.

Want something safe of course (when dry that is).

Here is what I have on hand already:

Krylon Workable Fixatif
Bulls Eye Shellac Sealer and Finish
Performix Plasti Dip

All these are spays.

Would any of these work, or does someone have experience with something else?

PS, I found this stuff on Amazon. No mention of using it for animals, but it looks safe!?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088LWBSC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Click to expand...

If your cage environment is properly managed, those branches are not going to rot. It is vital for the chameleon to have an environment that is dry for most of the day. They most assuredly do not spend their lives wet most of the time.

Meanwhile, by waterproofing what they may perch on, you are now creating an unnatural situation for them. In certain circumstances, especially when moisture and humidity are elevated, a larger chameleon can develop fungal lesions in its palm grips precisely because it is resting overnight on surfaces that do not wick-away moisture. It nods off for the night with moisture between its grip and what it is gripping, and the moisture does not dissipate. Very much like athlete's foot in humans. Also creating a lesion in a place that is the last that many keepers look.

Stay natural as much as you possibly can. Should any reader here see such lesions, get rid of the artificial stuff, increase air flow, and get Tinactin ..... ;)
 
I'm thinking mostly about my Jackson's, it takes him a few minutes before he will start drinking. I have the dripper dripping in a branch, he sticks his head under it.
After a few weeks, the spot on the branch turns black, but can be wiped off with a towel. I guess it's mold!?
It's really hard to keep a balance of wet and dry for him :confused:

I used to have a rain dome, but it saturated the cage so much, it would take so long to dry. So I don't use that any more.

He has enough room to go to a dry place, but during the day, he gets wet a lot!

His horns are even turning dark from the water dripping on his head!

Should I reduce the water?

I do keep a fan running all the time, not directly on the cages, it's several feet away. It help keep the air moving.

Maybe I have his cage set up all wrong!!??
 
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