Ipe wood for building a new enclosure

[LotharsPeople]

Has anyone here heard of Ipe wood? I was wondering if it might be suitable for the enclosure I am planning for my new little Ig, Lothar. Ipe is imported from south america and is being used as an alternative to cedar.
Question one being, Is it toxic to the little green man?
My new enclosure, more a room actually, is going to be 6' by 12' square by 7.5' high. I've already put together all of my automated tempurature, humidity and lighting controls. All that is really left is whether I can find out if this wood is suitable or not. If I do not get enough information to feel confident with using it I'll just have to use pine and put a good finish on it.
Here's an address with a bit more info on Ipe wood
www.woodsthebest.com/ipe_decking/ipe-wood.htm

[WillemsMom]

I hope someone has some information for you. I've never heard of Ipe wood before. Your enclosure sounds wonderful to me. I know your little green man will love it.

[prism_wolf]

I've never heard of it either, but it sounds relatively harmless. I'm doing a search on it to see if there is more info available...

From what I am reading...this wood does not take finishing well...sealers or paints. This could be somewhat of a problem with cleanliness. You cannot keep a habitat bacteria-free with a wood that does not seal under polyeurothane.

[Merlin]

I've never heard of it either.

Toxicity: Can have a fine yellow dust on the surface that may cause dermatitis in some individuals that have skin sensitivities and/or cause allergic reactions in those who breathe it in... so wearing a dust mask is recommended ..

This part concerns me. If the dust may have a negative effect on humans I personally would not use it in an enclosure where the animal will be confined in close proximity to the wood. I would prefer to be safe. There are too many other woods that are known safe to take the gamble.
It also states that its going to ruin your tools.

[SurvivorSteph]

It also states that its going to ruin your tools.

When I read that I thought, "why would you even want to use that wood?"

[LotharsPeople]

Thanks for the concern Merlin.
I'm not really worried about what the wood will do to my tools, after all they can be resharpened a couple of dozen times before the blades are worn beyond use.
As for the dust being an irritant, it's not a concern because I will have to clean the enclosure at least 3 complete times before it is sealed and after that dust will be non existant due to the air purification system that will be installed.
The air in the enclosure will be cleaner than you find in any operating room in any hospital in Canada or the U.S for that matter.

[LotharsPeople]

Thanks for the comment SurvivorSteph.
In reply, Ipe is a beautiful wood and resists rot and water damage better than Red Cedar.
Also this enclosure is really going to be a focal point in my rec-room due to it's sheer size, Therefore it has to look amazing and nothing is to good for Lothar.
Besides, I got a real steal on all the tempered glass for two two of the walls, I saved a bundle so why not invest it in the enclosure and the house.

[LotharsPeople]

Here's the basic plan of Lothar's new enclosure:

[IguanaKing]

Oh...the comparison to red cedar definitely raised a red flag. Check out this link

www.riparia.org/toxic_woods.htm.

Its probably not a good idea to use this in your ig's habitat since it has the same reactivity as Red Cedar. Red Cedar is known to be bad for igs.

[SurvivorSteph]

LotharsPeople, I think the bottom line is this:

Are you willing to risk the health of your iguanas on an untested wood?

If you are, then you'll have to be the one to deal with any consequences, but the igs will be the ones to suffer any consequences. Personally, I don't think it's worth it.

Great plan by the way!

[LotharsPeople]

In reply to SurvivorSteph.
No, I am not willing to risk the health of my little green man to use this wood, as I stated in my original post. This is the stage where I am looking for all of the input I can get on this matter. I am absolutely not going to even consider the use of Ipe wood unless I can get some concrete proof, that I feel came from a reliable source,it is not going to be harmful in any way to Lothar.
What I am looking for is real information and not just opinions on this matter.
I just read that last line I do not mean to sound so rude and thankless about your comments, it's just what more can I say about my not making this decision lightly.
Lothar is a valued member of our family now and will be afforded the same consideration and treatment as any other family member(even my wife , regardless of species.

Now that I'm done my little tyrade, thank you for your opinion on my plans

[Merlin]

What I am looking for is real information and not just opinions on this matter.

That seems to be the problem. Nobody appears to know exactly what effect it could have on the iguana. My refererence to the dust being considered problematic was not meant to say you would leave any of the dust in the cage. What I was getting at was if the dust could be an allergen then there is the possibility of the wood itself containing substances that could be released into the closed environment of the cage and possibly harm the iguana.

Nobody is slamming you, just expressing opinions. Opinions based on experiences and knowledge. Over the years we have seen a lot of things that were supposed to be ok for igs turn out to be very bad for them. In this case we are dealing with a complete unknown from the very beginning. Its an area that nobody, to my knowledge, has researched. So it does amount to an experiment with the health of the iguana at risk.
Just a though if you really want to use this sort of wood, consider building the cage with regular lumber and just use the Ipe for outside trim. That solves both problems.

[SurvivorSteph]

Great suggestion, Merlin!

LP... thanks for your PM... I did respond, btw. Like I said in there, I too am dealing with building an enclosure for Gil, and in my brand-new house (pic included), I don't want any old ugly enclosure.

But I also don't want something that could be harmful to Gil (or to me for that matter).

[LotharsPeople]

to SurvivorSteph,
thank you, I received your PM. Nice house, btw
to Merlin,
Great idea, I have considered this option as well and may end up doing just that if I can't find the information I need.
The thing is, Ipe wood's natural range is pretty much the same as the Iguana's natural range:

"According to the book Tropical Timbers of the World, produced by the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, in Mexico the tree is called amapa and in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica it is called cortez. In Ecuador the trees are known as madera negra and in Peru, tahuari. Lapacho negro is the name for the tree in Paraguay and Argentina; in Surinam, it is called greenheart; in Venezuela, flor amarillo; in Colombia, guayacan polvillo. Other commercial names for ipe include Brazilian walnut and ironwood. Decorative and Durable Ipe has many uses."

This little paragraph was copied off the following site:
www.jcshop.netfirms.com/ipe.htm

You would think that if they find it in thier natural environment they would have some sort of tolerance to it.
On the other hand, I am quite deathly allergic to white birch trees that also occur in my natural environment.

Aye, there's the rub. as Shakespeare so eloquently stated.

[SurvivorSteph]

Now if you could find a reliable source that confirms that iguanas are known to acutally live in that tree then you'd be good to go (as far as the ig's concerned)

You may, however, develop an allergy to the wood eventually. You should do some testing on yourself, if you determine it's OK for igs.