Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I have a question for those who use Chlorhexidine for enclosure disinfecting. I searched the forums, and didn't find an answer, so I thought I'd try here, since I am cleaning Boa cages and fixtures.

I bought a gallon of trade name Virosan (2.0% hexane digluconate, 1% isopropyl alcohol, 97 % inert ingrediants). What I am trying to figure out is what dilution do I need? According to the label, the goal is .5% solution (for use as a teat dip, but I'm having trouble locating those on my Boa's...). That's like mixing 32 oz. of solution to 96 oz. of clean water. That seems like a much stronger mixture from what I have read elsewhere. For spray application as a disinfectant, I have read accounts of mixing it anywhere from 1 oz./gal to 3 oz./gal., but most posters don't mention what concentration or dilution they are using.

I obviously want the mixture to be strong enough to be effective, yet I don't want to use any stronger solution than is necessary (from animal safety and cost/waste concerns).

Can anyone with positive experiences using this disinfectant with Boas help me out?

Thanks,

Mark
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uncommonboa.com

You can't find the teats!?!?! Dude, they're between the legs, under the body. C'mon man. What kind of a herper are you?

Chlorhexidine is marketed under lots of trade and generic names and under just as many concentrations. Each one has a different formulation and different inert ingredients.

I have a product named "Nolvasan Solution" which is chlorhexidine diacetate. It has 2% Chlorhexidine diacetate and 98% other ingredients. The recommended dilution on the label is 1oz to one gallon of clean water for disinfection. Yours could be different because you're not using chlorhexidine diacetate.

It doesn't sound like yours has a recommendation for diluting it for disinfection purposes. So if it helps, I thought I'd let you know that the label on mine in similar to yours for "teat dipping" in that it recommends putting 32 oz of Nolvasan in a clean one gallon container, adding 6 oz of glycerin and then adding clean potable water until a total volume of 1 gallon is reached. Obviously a gallon is 128 oz so 128 minus 32 is 96. So the obvious difference with yours and mine is that mine calls for 6 oz of glycerin and 90 oz of water.

So based on that, my best VERY uneducated, recommendation would be 1 oz to one gallon of water for a disinfecting spray solution.

Hope that helps!!

jb
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Jonathan Brady

Deviant Constrictors picturetrail

Thanks Jonathan! I was thinking that sounded right, but it never hurts to ask those who have prior knowledge/experience. I appreciate the infromation!

Mark
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uncommonboa.com

I have not used that liquid, BUT I am a math guy.

If the directions for "teat" dip is .5%, that is one half of only one percent. So, you would only use 1/2 oz of Virosan to 100 oz. of water. Doesn't seem like much I know, but disinfectants come very concentrated.

I have always loved math.
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Hey Jeff,
I know where you're getting the .5% math from because that's where my mind went at first too. But then I looked at my gallon and remembered that it's already diluted down to 2% chlorhexidine per gallon, 98% other stuff (mostly water). If the gallon of Virosan he (and I) had was 100% chlorhexidine, that math would definitely work!

He's right with the 32oz of his current solution for a teat dip. Only, he's making a disinfecting spray which is diluted even further (substantially more, in fact).

The reason it's 32 oz is that he currently has 1 gallon of 2% solution. He needs a .5% solution which means his solution percentage needs to be divided by four. He could either mix 32 oz of Virosan to 96 oz of water to get one gallon of .5% solution, which is a 1 part Novalson to 3 parts water solution (for a total of four parts). Or he could empty that gallon jug into a HUGE bucket and add 3 gallons of water. Either way, he's getting a .5% solution. The second example would probably provide enough teat dip for dozens of cows... errr.. boas!

Hope the addition of the 2% solution info cleared that up..?

jb
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Jonathan Brady

Deviant Constrictors picturetrail

You are correct Jon. Not a math mistake, thankfully, but a reading mistake as I am illiterate. Apparently the 2% concentrated solution only needs to be diluted down to become a .5% solution. So the 1/4 ratio is exactly correct. .05% of the active Chlorhexidine chemical not the diluted volume.

Click here for instructions from drugs.com:

Thanks Jon!
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

one ounce to 1 gallon of water.

Only one oz. per gallon dilutes the active ingredient down to 1/32 of the amount recommended to disinfect teats. Teats that either calves will latch onto or that a milking machining will hook up to. It doesn't really make sense that diluting it that much would leave it very effective at disinfecting anything.

In doing a search on line, that same information does seem to be out there though. Do you have a link to a specific professional source for that proportion?
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

I believe this NOLVASAN has the same imnstructions. This is what I
purchased last time at Farm & *** store in Sycamore IL.

Chlorhexidine 11-Hexamethylenebis 5-p-chlorophenyl biguanide diacetate

" Chlorhexidine diacetate "

. . . Lar M
NOLVASAN SOLUTION DISINFECTANT 1 GALLON

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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

My bottle of Chlorhexidine says, "dilute 1 ounce per gallon of clean water."

Mine is Chlorhexidine Solution. Active ingredients: Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2%.

So, depending on what Chlorhexidine Solution you're using, 1 once per gallon of water is the proper way to do it.

I use about 2 table spoons of Chlorhexidine per gallon.
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Greg Bennett

Chlorhexidine Gluconate (2% solution) -- Directions: "1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of Chlorhexidine Solution per gallon of clean water."

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but a 1 oz. 0.02 solution of Chlorhex added to a 128.0 oz. 0.00 Chlorhex solution equals 129 oz. of a 0.015% solution of Chlorhex.

Seller/bottler on label: KHR, LTD. PO Box 7449 OMAHA, NE 68107-0449. Mine came from the Bean Farm many many years ago.

There is a difference between the two varieties of Chlorhexidine solutions, ie. Diacetate -vs- Gluconate.

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I appreciate the valuable information you've all provided! It appears that an oz/gal is the general concensus. The brand I am using (Virosan) has the glucose and alcohol already in it, so I'm going to go with the oz/gal, maybe just a smidge more.

Thanks again, I really appreciate the responses!

Mark
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uncommonboa.com