Question

[Vega]

Hey all, I want to make a new play stand for my fids. After almost 3 years I'm sure Gypsy is bored of the one she has and I just don't have the money to purchase a new one. I noticed that my neighbor has a pile of cut branches in their yard. I was thinking about asking them if I could take a few to make a play stand. They have a 'tiel (I believe that's what they have-haven't seen it yet) so I'm sure they won't have a problem with it.

However, it's been raining almost nightly here and as I said the branches are in a pile in the yard. I'm kinda worried about mold/bugs. I know I should pop them in the oven to sterilize them prior to use. Would that be enough to kill something like mold? (if there is any) Or would I be better off cutting some new branches from the tree instead?

Oh, the tree is in my yard, the branches they have is from another tree they cut down over the summer.

[Quito's Qage]

The only thing I could suggest would be to clean the branches with bleach and rinse them well before drying them in the oven. Bleach kills almost anything organic. You're sure they are a "bird safe" type of wood, right?

[Vega]

Thank you! I will make sure it's bird safe before bringing it into the house. First I wanted to find out if there could be potential problems with it sitting in a pile.