I think Ian hit on a good point with this topic. I also do not believe that heavy disinfection is necessary in established reptile collections. I typically only use a mild laboratory glassware cleaning solution to clean cage interiors and then maybe every 3rd or 4th cleaning will I disinfect with a weak chlorine solution. Water bowls are never cleaned with anything other than hot water and a weak chlorine solution with a final hot water rinse. I have always had a fair size collection and can count the number of health issues in it over the last 35 years on one hand, so it appears to be working. I would also agree that more aggressive materials and methods should be used with compromised or quarantined animals. If you have healthy animals and keep things clean, you won’t need to use aggressive disinfectants or procedures. There could also be a down side to keeping things overly clean with powerful disinfectants. Lack of exposure to ubiquitous microorganisms and possible chemical exposure can both affect an animals resiliency in captivity.

Kelly

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