Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How long to you guys spend cleaning and how often during peak season like now?
It takes me about 45- 60 mins for 65 snakes.Most of my critters are milks so the containers are small.Also I only rinse the water bowl unless it was crapped in. I use old newspaper and
I clean the tanks about once per week this time of year when things are eating well.Sooner if the stink get to me before then
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"He's down in the basement staring at his snakes " My Wife

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Doug L

I'd say usually at least an hour for cleaning time, and that's just with dumping each container out, cleaning crap off the sides of the container and adding new substrate which is usually sani chips or aspen bedding nowadays. By spot cleaning every cage once a week the majority of the containers don't need a full clean-out for a couple weeks.
Takes a good bit longer if I have to actually clean/scrub out the containers with hot water and a lil bleach and then given time to air dry.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

I did find a very good use for the used bedding when I am changing it out. I use a woodstove in my house and I also like to burn a fire pit outside quite often. I pour the (visibly) clean wood shaving onto newspaper and roll it up. Instant fire starting logs!!!

...is there ever an end??? really...

....one rack is about an hour almost if I do it right...there is 2 big racks...40 boxes each...then 5 stacks of balls.....another hour if they eat ...if they half eat you go through them and feed then go back and check and clean....mice an hour each rack x 2...third african soft furred rack and hour (with holding tanks for mice also)...

anyways....at least an hour rodents a day and an hour snakes...and 6 hours Sunday at least....so at least....18 hours a week???.......X 21 years.....every single day (mice)...

.....(**wife reminds me she fed them when I went away...2002, 4 days , Daytona...what a whiner she is)....
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........JY

Good question - it takes me about 90 minutes to spot clean and water my collection of 60 snakes.

I use aspen so if I used newspaper, it would take MUCH longer. I used to use news paper and had to move to aspen when the collection grew past 15 animals...

Dave

DNS Reptiles

right when you have things all nice and clean they go and crap the water bowl.
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"He's down in the basement staring at his snakes " My Wife

--< : < > < > < > < > < >~~~

Doug L

How true !! I use different size dog bowls ( plastic ones with openings at two ends) and keep lots of extras. That way I can just switch out to a clean one. These bowls double as cool side hides.

It takes me about three hours total to do 35 snakes. I need to get a better system.
I use newspaper as a substrate and switch out each tub with a fresh one, then take the dirty tubs outside and hose them off until clean. Spot cleaning doesn't seem to work well for me, because my snakes seem to always go in the corners and it gets under the newspaper and sticks to the plastic.
Plus my snakes always go as soon as I change out their tubs. Scent marking, I guess.

What do you guys think?
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.snakerack.info

Hondurans
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Wife, Caucasius Mexicana Integrade WC

Doug,

It takes me about 2.5-3 hours to clean all of my collection (200-250 animals). This includes neonates in deli cups on paper towel and sub-adult and adult snakes on aspen bedding. The aspen snakes are much quicker, really, because I can spot clean their tubs. When it comes time for a full cleaning, the bedding can be dumped out and the tub wiped down with a Chlorox or Green Works sheet.

-Cole

L. t. gentilis - Lyons, Boulder Co., CO

That's it! I'm going back to aspen and spot cleaning. You get 10 times more animals done in the same amount of time it takes me to do mine.
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.snakerack.info

Hondurans
Pueblans
Corns
Grey-banded King
California Kings
Speckled Kings (Calcasieu Parish locality)
Brooksi
Goini/Brooksi Crosses
San Diego gophers
Texas Rat
Jungle Carpet Python
Ball Python
BCI
Sulcata
Leopard Geckos
Wife, Caucasius Mexicana Integrade WC

Hey Doug,

My collection is at about 70, and the fact that I include Nolvasan in my cleaning regimen adds to the time. So, I clean about 5 cages per night to even things out which in total takes me about 25 minutes per night. Im a stickler for sanitary conditions.
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Jerry Kruse
www.zonatas.com

And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."