Reptile & Amphibian Forums

for monitor enclosures.
Is it good, or is there something better?

4th time's the charm?
Max

How are you using it to clean the enclosure?

I clean all my bowls with chlorhexidine and use it to wipe down or soak some of the stacks in order to get rid of baked on feces and urates.

The bowls are just given a squirt of solution during the every other day cleaning, but are soaked in the solution ever other week. From what I am told, items should be soaked for 30 minutes in chlorhexidine in order to 'disinfect' it. I don't know if it is true, but I have always followed that rule.

I usually use it in a spray bottle, for cages, & then wipe it down with paper towels. I don't rinse it off, but let it evaporate. That's for a quick clean. Otherwise, I'll scrub the whole cage with dishsoap, rinse, bleach, rinse again.
I used to use it for water bowls, but the found that it'll kill everything, but parasites (not good when you're washing lots of bowls together). I now use bleach to soak the bowls, or a dishwasher.
I also use it for counter tops, & have used it to treat mouthrot.
Thanks,
Max

I have to ask, are you having problems that gives you cause for concern? Or are you simply doing this because you know of nothing else to do?

I ask, because I have shown a history of longterm success with monitors(in context) and I never disinfect anything.

Don't get me wrong, I would if there was some reason, some sickness or some infestation, or something to actually cause me to do such a thing.

Again, don't get me wrong, you can do whatever you like. I just wonder what all the hub hub is about.

To keep it simple, monitors live in dirt, in nature dirt is never disinfected, in fact, nothing is. In captivity, we use this dirt by the ton. Yet this dirt only causes benefits and not drawbacks.

I should not mention this, but I have a few cages with the same dirt in them for 16 years and its never been "disinfected". I find that a wonder. And, monitors are still living, growing, breeding and laying eggs in there. And they appear very healthy. Of course they could die in another 20 years or so, who knows.

This part is about me. I am ammused, intriqued, and curious, as to why folks concentrate on what is unnecessary, and avoid what is necessary. As the posts on ROIDS and blinking TV's and many other posts exhibit.

In the old days and sometimes now. I was told I HAD to hibernate monitors, or use photoperiod, or UV bulds or use a varied diet, and more, in order to have healthy productive montiors. Well, sadly there is something wrong with me as I have healthy productive monitors and I do none of those things. I do other things. Like give them the smallest freedom of choice. You know pick what they want(as best as I can) Which I am totally positive is not all that much freedom, as they are designed for.

Giving them this freedom to choose, gives them the will to live and THAT is important. You know what? those above things I do not do, may very well be ok, if the darn monitors had a will to live(will to succeed). Yea, I think that is IMPORTANT, heck, the rest is fluff. Cheers

Actually, my main focus on this post was just in relation to the posts which were removed that had what I thought were pertinent information - Lifespan of chlorhexidine once diluted with water.
I mainly use it as a cleanser on cages which are "dirty", not those with dirt/soil in them.
You bring up an interesting point though... You've had your animals set up for years without having to clean, or replace the dirt.
In nature there are beneficial bugs, microbes, worms, sun, etc. which "clean" the soil. In captivity, I have noticed that under the right conditions similar events can & do occur. I primarily work with snakes, but I'm thinking your monitor enclosures are probably working similarly to nature. With the snakes, I have noticed beetles & moths that have infested a cage where I'm using cypress mulch as a substrate - they will "clean" up fecal material, shed skins, & the occasional rodent that doesn't get eaten, but ends up buried in the substrate.
The odor goes away & the cage is still livable.
I've also noticed this "natural cleansing" going on in rodent cages that have gone too long without cleaning - at several weeks a mouse or rat cage can get almost unbearable - nasty looking & wreaks of ammonia; give it another week or so, & a change occurs - the ammonia smell goes away & the fecal material & urine start to break down more rapidly - I'm hypothesizing that there are now enough beneficial microbes & bacteria to break them down into, essentially, compost. In a less confined environment than a rodent cage, this could work indefinitely. Personally, rodent cages should be cleaned at least once per week (that's my disclaimer).
The Europeans have long been ahead of us in setting up naturalistic vivariums for their animals, vs. we who put them in sterile boxes.
One of these days, I'd like to drop by & visit with you, & check out your set-up. Last time I was in Tucson, the highway was a mess & had no exits
Cheers,
Max