Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just looking for some best practices here. I currently use diluted Nolvasan (Chlorhexadine) for my spot and weekly cleaning but it just doesn't seem to take the overall ammonia smell away like some of the commerical reptile cleaners do.

What does everyone else do for cleaning purposes?

Do you use multiple cleaners?
Do you add anything to a cleaner?
Do you have your own mixture.

Trying to find out what everyone else is doing from a cleaning point of view

BTW...I use newspaper if it matter.

Thanks for any opinions.
Sean

I use mulch and have never ever had an ammonia smell maybe with the rats a day or 2 before cleaning but never my snakes.
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Vince Pramuk

I use jurassi-clean, cleans well and smells awsome too.
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1 CB Female BRB
1 CB Jayapura GTP
1 CB panther chameleon
2 WC scottish terriers

Maybe Ammonia smell is the wrong way to describe it...just a strong pheramon(sp?) smell.

I have used the Jurasic and other commerical cleaners and you are right they smell great after cleaning...leave the room smelling fresh...but they are expensive when you have a lot to clean.

Anyone else have some ideas or best practices...I cannot belive I am the only one who notices the smell.

Thanks

I use aspen bedding for all my snakes and there is never a smell. They are all in tank in my livingroom and i ask anyone that comes if there is a smell .Noone has said there is.. Good friends will tell ya.. Maybe try using bedding instead of newspaper..

I use Nolvasan as well, and have never had a problem with odor, but we may be cleaning differently. When ever someone poops, pees, or spills I just do a quick full clean when ever they need it, and I check them every night. It seems alot easier for me to do 2 or 3 cages a day when its needed rather than dedicating a solid 2 hours at the end of the week. HOWEVER, thats not what you asked...

If you dillute bakeing soada and lemon(or lime) juice in water and use it as a spray, it works as an air freshiner. the soada obsorbs odor and the juice adds a better smell. people use it for rugs or just as a general freshiner. Why dont you try spraying some after you clean your cages to prolong the "fresh". and a bonus, its 100% nontoxic....
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- Mike Fourquet

CLOACA HERPS

Thanks Mike...perhaps a better way for me to describe it is a lack of the clean smell rather than an odor. I realize snakes are musky to begin with and this really isn't an odor...I just like the way the commercial cleaners leave the cage and room smelling (makes you feel like you accomplished something).

I like you also spot cleaning every night but do one weekly complete cleaning.

Do you know if you can mix baking soda and lemon with the Novasan without hurting the germ fighting power?

If so this could be my solution...always have to keep the wife happy.

I use newspaper (printed and non printed) for substrate and I also use the Virosan for a cleaner. I dont have a problem with a smelly room. I keep things pretty clean. Not sure exactly what you might be doing/not doing differently.

Do you keep the carpet vaccuumed or the floor cleaned regularly?

Well
Good luck.

Sorry it is my bad for not explaining this correctly...I don't have a stinky room or any issue with a bad smell. What I have is a lack of any "clean" smell. It is like when you clean the bathroom and at the end you have a nice clean smelling room...well that is what I am after but for my snake room. You get this affect with commercial cleaners for snake cages but not with straight Virosan...so I am just looking for additives to make the room smell "fresher"...apparently though no one has a picky wife like mine...who comes in after I am spent a couple hours cleaning cages and says "doesn't smell like you cleaned"

Hope this makes sense.

One thing for you to remember is that that "smell" means comfort to your snakes - if you completely sano their environment they can become agitated. I have some males that if I clean out their cages too often they will rub and rub and rub their noses raw trying to get out of their tubs - but if I just spot clean them they are perfectly content. It's dependant on the snake, but it's something to keep in mind.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizards of unknown origin

Sorry, but I don't think you're gonna get a real "clean smell" in a reptile room. They have sents and trying to remove their natural smell probably isn't in the best intrest of your breeding program.
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Jesse Jeffcoat
Gopher Hill Herps