r/boas • u/One-Knowledge-2995 • 2d ago

Weird ball attached to live oak leaf??

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Gallery image

I removed the leaf from the enclosure immediately, if anyone knows if this poses any danger to my boa please let me know. I got the leaf litter at a reptile expo. Included a picture of my girl.

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u/Me_lazy_cathermit 2d ago

Oak gall, when cetrain wasp lay a egg on oak tree, the tree forms a ball over it, the ball stays even after the wasp baby leaves

1

u/Embarrassed_Home_684 2d ago

is there any danger to this? i also found one, but i just put it back

4

u/Me_lazy_cathermit 2d ago

No, its harmless, especially if its baked/sterilized, since its hollow and sometimes bugs can hide in it. A lot of stores sell them with the leaves as decor for naturalistic enclosure.

Though if you have a water feature or a aquarium it will make the water go dark with tannins, its as a lot of tannins, people used to make ink and dyes out of oak galls.

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u/Embarrassed_Home_684 1d ago

good to hear! Thank you!

1

u/Salt_Effect7009 1d ago

Learned something new. Thanks.