disinfecting a big branch?

Hello. I have been wanting a snake for AGES and now I am finally getting one. But I have a problem. I found this branch by the side of a stram which was twisting and turning... So i thought, that would be good for the snake. My problem is, we dont have any saucepans big enough to boil it, and it doesn't fit in our freezer. Could someone tell me a good way to disinfect it please?
thank you.

Bake it in the oven at about 250*F for about an hour.

The "flashpoint" for most soft woods is around 450*F, with some harder woods around 900*F. As long as the wood doesn't approach that temperature, it *shouldn't* catch fire, but all the bugs and creepy crawlies, and bacteria will be burned off and killed from the heat.

First check the location where you found it. If it was near cultivated farmland, then there's a risk that it's been in contact with pesticide or chemical fertiliser, so I wouldn't use it.

However, if youre confident that it can't have come into contact with harmful chemicals, then I'd do the following if it won't fit in the oven....

First strip the bark off, as this is where the creepy crawly population will mainly be living.

Then get some reptile-safe disinfectant, dilute it according to the instructions and put it in a plant misting bottle.

Rinse your bath so there are no traces of shampoo, soap, bubblebath etc.

Put the branch in the bath and spray liberally with the reptile disinfectant until it is thoroughly soaked.

Leave for an hour, turn the branch over and do the same.

Leave for an hour, then boil the kettle and pour boiling water all over the branch (while still in the bath!). May take several kettles-ful of water to do the whole thing.

Rinse the branch well with a shower if you have one, just to make sure that all traces of disinfectant are cleared.

Leave the branch to dry for a few days.

sounds like the way to do it!

ok thank you, do you know a good store which sells reptile safe disinfectant?

most pet stores that sell reptiles sell them. Just make sure they are safe for colubrids.

I know Petsmart has an online store and most grocery/hardware store sell spray bottles if needed.

ok is there any perticular brand that anyone reccomends?

I use Ark-Klens by Vetark.

It's £7.75 for 250ml in my local reptile shop, but if you dilute it according to the instructions and use it in a misting gun, a bottle will last for years. You could probably shop around and find it cheaper online.