Adding a forked maple branch to active, elderly snakes cage

Question
Hi Joel!

My corn snake will be 18 years old this fall.  We got him from a local private breeder when he was just a baby smaller than a pencil.  As he has grown so has his cages, and for many years now he's been housed in a 55-gallon aquarium with a screen top.  Just to give you an idea of his environment, he's on pine chips and has 2 hides in the cage.  There's a regular 60w light bulb above the warm end of the tank, along with a heat rock with a rheostat, temp kept very low.  And yeah, I know now about the opinion of heat rocks, but back in 1992, not so much.  It is checked daily.  

At the other end of the tank, the cool side, there's a big double-walled plastic water bowl originally made for dogs.  Spot sometimes gets under it.  There's a low-wattage red "party" light right above the water dish that helps keep the tank's humidity at the correct level for shedding.  The other hide is a half-log in the middle of the tank.

He is very used to being handled and enjoys it.  When the kids were younger he was well known here in town from visits to their classrooms and to Brownie & Cub scout meetings for show and tell.

About every two years I've found a need to ask a question because of a behavior or health issue.  I have a good vet in Westminster MD that's helped a few times, and last year when Spot had his first retained eye cap after a shed, the fellow enthusiasts on Kingsnake.com's Corn Snake forum helped me out and suggested ways to increase humidity.  That party bulb has done the trick, without adding measurable heat, and NO more shedding issues.

What I have is a forked maple branch that I got from one of my mother's old trees.  THAT branch is kind of important to me in sentimental ways that I won't go into.  I've had it about 2 years, drying out, and now it's splitting a little, some on the trunk and up and over through the one forked branch.  None of the split goes completely through the wood.  Before cutting the ends to fit it into Spot's cage, I want to stop the splitting right where it is, and make it safe.  So...

My husband suggested placing a few wood screws, which I would counter-sink.  Then I want to put glue in the crack, but what kind would be OK for my snake??  Elmer's school glue, wood glue, etc.  How long should I let it dry - and fumes to evaporate?

Then I want to take twine or something similar, and wind it around and around the wood over the split part, first to provide a deterrent to the wood doing anything else, and second as a area of roughness.  The maple bark is very smooth!

My other thought is to use thinned out glue to paint over the bark before winding the twine on it, to keep it in place.

Over the years I've collected different pieces of wood mounted on slate stands, I think they're mostly for big fish tanks.  Spot seems to enjoy the new pieces I put in his tank, and sort of perks up and investigates.  This branch will be added to that collection, but since it was "natural" and not "manufactured and mounted" I had to wait until I was sure it didn't have any parasites and that it was stable.  The last thing I want to do is hurt my snake or shorten his life!

I appreciate your reading, I know this is long.  I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions you have.  The right kind of glue, if something other than twine would be better??  Thank you, and take care!

Sincerely,
Ralphine

Answer
Hi Ralphine:

First I would not be concerned with the type of glue too much as snakes do not normally chew on sticks.  The smell may be an issue for some time but I would use some Elmers school glue and squeeze it in a wood vice for 24 hours. Kite string or fishing line tightly coiled an inch above the split and tied with a small single knot.  Open a quart can of varnish and dip the split area in covering the string.  Let the stick hang for a week in the fresh air to dry and remove all scent. This should fix the problem.
I never use wood chips and hot rocks at all, A humidifier keeps the Hot Room at the perfect humidity around the clock, misting during shedding takes care of the rest. If you have had a Panthrophis for 18 years, I applaud your husbandry skills, and the above items are what works best for me in my situation, and with over one hundred venomous snakes, I am constantly tinkering with settings and such.  
Keep the varnished stick out until all smell has left and good luck, this is my first attempt at wood working, I wish you success.               Joel