Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 questions here. First, to clean some used tanks that I'm getting, would some Clorox bleach spray (used for bathroom/kitchen) do the job? Or something similar to that?

Second question, somebody asked me if it's possible to have a dragon probed to determine the sex. He recently bought a blue tongue skink and apparently the vet was able to probe it, and he was curious if it's possible with a dragon.

Unfortunately I can't help you with your second question, but I may be able to with your first.
I personally wouldn't use that clorox spray whatever. I wouldn't take the chance of toxic residue left behind or god knows what.
you may want to just use a 5% bleach solution.(95% water)You can also check out a product called Quatracide PV.(i believe)It's a non-toxic disinfectant. You can find it @ Big Apple Herp.
Whatever option you decide to use, you may want to follow up with a good spray down of a pre-formed enzyme cleaner. That should take care of any lingering residues or contaminants.
Hope this helps...

Raymond

I use Chlorhexidine and water (it is 2 tablespoons chlorhexidine to 1 gallon of water). It is not toxic (accept to amphibians) and will kill parasites and bacteria. Since I am also dealing with a bout of coccidia with my smaller dragon, I clean with this solution every time I see a mess or a poop, then once a day with a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water solution. It needs to dry completely though before putting your dragon in. The fumes from bleach can be fatal to your beardie

You can also spray with vinegar, and then peroxide. The chemical reaction acts as a disinfectant.

Probing should be done by a vet only. There's no reason to do so, you can tell by looking. See Link
Sexing

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TheClassyLizard

Should have clarified about the sex probing. I know how to tell with an adult or juvie, but the dragon he want's probed is only a month old.

.

I have never heard of a beardie being probed! The best way to determine the sex of a baby is to buy a sexable juvenile! When probing small snakes the usually wait until they are a little larger, and even then they have to be very careful not to hurt them. I would not probe a beardie, I'd be afraid I'd puncture something! (I'm not sure that it is physiologically plausible anyway)

As for cleaning I use a 1:2 ratio of Listerine to water. (I buy the generic brand!) It doesn't hurt your animals and kills any germs that it encounters. It isn't as harsh as bleach and will not burn your animals skin. I use this to clean all of my cages (snakes, beardies, etc.) and use it to clean the enclosures of a few rescued animals who had open wounds. It works beautifully! (And, it won't leave white spots on your clothes!!)

Good Luck!
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Kelly Affonce
DeKeaff Exotics

AIM: DekeaffGrrl