Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Tonight, I found out a good tip for something I have had trouble with for years.

It never ends. Just about every time I have purchased a plastic water bowl or hide box at a show, in the stores, etc., for a snake of mine, they come with a huge, annoying sticker. Because of that sticker, getting that sticky residue off of the item, once you remove the big and annoying sticker, to the best of my ability, has just been beyond ridiculous, to say the very least. Everything from just washing good with hot, soapy water, to then taking a spoon and rubbing heavily back and forth over the sticky area, seems to work somewhat of the time but not all of the time. There is a substance you can buy called Good Gone or something, but I don't want to put any more additional chemicals on anything that would go in a snake's cage, if I don't really have to.

I buy plastic flower pot bases at either Home Depot or Wal Mart, for hide boxes for my snakes. They are perfect and I have great luck with them. They, of course, have a big price tag sticker. Getting that sticky film/residue off once I bring them home to wash off before placing in the cages has been a chore, for years. Tonight, I was really ticked about it, and thought back to either a post or an article I read where it was taught that if you applied peanut butter to the area, it would take off the sticky residue.

I busted out the jar of peanut butter I have, and applied a minimal amount over each sticky area on each base I bought, and BAM!!! All the residue has come off completly! No elbow grease needed, and it was quick as ever!! Just scrub lightly and you are done.

So, I just wanted to pass this tip along. I never knew of this, and just wanted to let others be aware, in case they have gone thru the exact same thing.

Of course, rinse well afterwards, unless you want your locality or morph pits, screaming for bread and jelly to go along with their hides!! LOL!!

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Genesis 1:1

Sweet tip. Thanks Billy.
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Jeremy Pierce
Shade Tree Exotics
shade-tree-exotics@att.net

Now that's an interesting tid bit that I definatly never heard before. I'll give it a try sometime. Thanks Billy.
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Randy Whittington

I buy LPs, so have done plenty of sticker removal. They don't really come off in soapy water because the adhesive isn't water based, it's oil based. For record sleeves lighter fluid is the weapon of choice, it takes tags off and doesn't leave any residue. That works for dishes and other cage items but seems pretty toxic (even though it will all clean away with a washing). So for these I usually use vegetable oil, whatever kind I have in the kitchen. It can be canola, corn, any kind, it will dissolve the adhesive and can be wiped / washed off. I never thought of peanut butter but can see how it would work, and it would stay in one place pretty well.
As he pointed out, put it on the tag or residue and then give it a couple of minutes to soften it up. Once it has soaked in the tag comes right off. Don't know what to do while you're waiting? A PBJ makes a good snack!
Andy

I've used peanut butter for many years in order to "de-gum" things, it's great how fast it works! It works well on "gummy snakes" also. Years ago I had a baby Northern escape into the basement. It remained at large until it got stuck in a glue trap. (it was feeding on mice it found there, like a modern LaBrea Tar Pit scene). It was completely adhered together, but a little bit of Skippy and she was soon free.

Bart