Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One more time about disinfection.I use those flexible vines along with the rest of the foliage,those should be disinfected,but how often?
I suppose there is not much to disinfect in real foliage,or is it?
Also the bottom,that's easy....
Perhaps someone could suggest a disinfection schedule about certain tasks inside the enclosure?????

I currently am in the process of "rearranging" or "reconverting" all my set ups. The problem I am finding with these bendable or flexible vines is that there is a paper composite or some sort of material directly under the hardened outer surface that retains water.

My issue with this is if an animal is infected with a parasite (one of my female NoseBe's) and rubs their vent against it, the parasites will now be passed on to the vine. While being treated with meds, the animal can re-infect themselves by walking over that infected area again, or something as simple as the vine will begin to deteriorate over time with constant misting. In which the cham can possibly ingest part of it or the moist paper could harbor other bacteria matter.

I am currently trying to find more of a consistent material throughout the whole vine. No paper. So I can easily wipe down vines. If you have any suggestions it would be greatly be appreciated.

Sorry for avoiding the question, I use Nolvasan or other known as Chlorhexidine (A virucidal, bactericidal, fungicidal sanitizing solution useful in the disinfection of equipment and premises) to clean cage bottoms, vines and even remove foliage to mist, wipe, and mist again then rinse. I try to do this at least once a week. The cage bottom though, I do every time I remove and replace the towels, which is every couple of days.

Some say I'm a little over precautious and tend to clean and sterilize too much but I would much rather have healthy and happy reptiles then seeing them be infected and pass. I believe that if the owner truly cares for these animals, one day out of a week or weekend to tend to cage cleaning is not much. If that was the case how do they keep their feeders? Because they are the annoying part of cleaning through out the week! See what others say for cleaning schedules and their routines. I hope this helped in some way

I have been using just water and soap to clean every week or two. I don't like using chemicals, all the disinfectants have poison warnings and are harmful. If they get absorbed into a vine or leaves I don't want them to make cham sick. Is there anything you guys use that is not harmful to use around animals? I know that just soap and water doesn't disinfect, but at least it removes any debris and rinses it clean, but I would like to clean and use disinfectant to get rid of bacteria without harming cham. I know you can rinse off the chemicals really good, but it will still absorb into places and you may not know its there. Are there disinfectants available that are safe? What do you use?
-ashley

The following is just "food for thought". I'm not saying to follow what is said nor am I saying not to follow it...

Here are some articles that you might be interested in reading...
Information on Disinfectants from the Reptile Veterinary Literature...
http://www.anapsid.org/disinfectants.html

This one is a little "scary"...
Human Health Concerns for Reptile Owners And Teachers...
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1514&S=4

Reptile-Associated Salmonellosis Prevention
http://www.madison.com/communities/whs/pages/Zoonoses.php?php_page_set=5

I've been using Virusan, sold through Pro Exotics. It is safe for herps (read the info on their website) and will kill the molds, bacteria etc. on cage furniture. I have even used a dilute form as a soak for a frog with a foot sore.

There are four products I use to help kill any nasties that might be hiding in my racks and terrariums. Each has it's own risks and complications but if used properly you should have few problems and get the results you are looking for.

1. Vinegar: Vinegar is excellent for a number of things. It can kill mold and fungus and will even kill some forms of bacteria. If you are having a mold or fungus problem diluted vinegar can be used to soak the offending piece of cage furniture in. I usually use a 50/50 solution (mix it with water). Soak for an hour or two (or even overnight for bad cases), wipe clean, rinse well with warm water and allow another day or two to pass for it to dry (and for the odor to dissipate.

2. Ammonia: This is the BEST glass cleaner I've found. It is cheap and glass cleaning instructions are usually found somewhere on the bottle. I would like to add that if you are using this for the inside of the tank/terrarium it is best to remove any living creatures FIRST and wait until the ammonia has completely evaporated and any and all fumes have disipated before reintroducing them to the tank. (A fan blowing on low aimed at the tank(s) will help speed up this process).

3. Bleach: A simple search on this site or any other herp related forum should give you at least a dozen different techniques and uses for bleach. Just remember to dilute it properly and allow a day or two to pass (after the item has dried) for all of the chlorine to off gas.

4. Grapefruit Extract: BY FAR my favorite mold and mildew killer! Works everytime. I purchase the liquid form in the health and natural foods section at a local grocery store. A little goes a long way...dilute in a spray bottle and you are set to terminate...it can also be used as a soak. Warning: THIS WILL KILL LIVE PLANTS! If you have amphibians it is best to dilute this down to 1/4 of the strength listed on the bottle. I've successfully killed many types of mold over the years in a number of different natural vivaria using this...however I learned the hard way about 8 years ago with my first use that amphibians can tolerate this alright BUT this dilution must be much weaker than that used in reptile tanks. (I lost one of my first and oldest White's Tree Frogs...he was 12 years old at the time).

Like I said before...each of these products works great if used properly. Just be sure to rinse very well after using them and allow all of the items to dry for a day or so before placing them back into the tank...you should do fine. Also, if you plan on using any of this stuff on things like hides or water dishes I would suggest buying a second set of these things. That way you can replace the water dish or hide with a "back up" while the original is being cleaned and dried.

I don't know what your living situation is but if you have a spouse or significant other (or even room mates) it might be best to do this when they are not home.

Purchase a cheap cookies sheet or one of those huge metal mixing bowls and put anything you want disinfected into it. Set your oven for 250F. This should be high enough to kill most anything living where you can get to them, however it is far lower than the melting point of most plastics and will not burn wood products either.

20-30 minutes should be enough. You can also sterilize substrate this way...however, NEVER put rocks into the oven! They may contain moisture that could cause them to explode when heated (or at least crack).

I am not saying this is safe for all of the cage furniture or even all substrates but it is a very effective method of killing microorganisms. Use at your own risk.