Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering what everyone uses to clean their cages. I bought some simple green and was going to soak everything in it and clean of the tank too. Is simple green good enough to kill all the bacteria or should I go with a little bleach instead? I figure the Simple Green would be safer for the snakes. I use the repti-carpet for substrate so thats what I'm really wanting to let soak to keep my little guy healthy.

Hi,

I use Novasan as it's safe and effective and more importantly, "reptile safe".

Clean with hot soapy water and disinfect (there is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting and you should do both) with either a bleach/water solution or Nolvasan (aka Virosan). It's reptile safe. I don't know if Simple Green is reptile safe or not. With the Nolvasan you don't have to worry and wait for it to dry completely as with bleach. Less hassle.
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I have tried many different techniques over the years. I am currently using a small bucket that hold about 2-3 quarts of hot water. Then I take "Clorox Clean-Up" in the spray bottle and spritz the bucket of hot water about two times. This adds just enough to scent the water. I use that to wipe out my tubs and never double dip into the water. I use paper towels for cleaning and substrate. If I have a real mess I will use the "Clorox Clean-Up" full strength on spots but I am sure to rinse it completely. I also have two red-eared-slider turtles. I use Simple Green for them because they are quite messy and I have seen no ill effects.Someone once told me you could drink Simple Green but I am not recommending doing that. For your BPs I would at least dilute it if you are going to use it like I do with the Clorox Clean-Up, and use it full strength only on tough areas.

Good luck,

CobraBoy

www.anapsid.org/cleaning.html

www.anapsid.org/disinfectants.html

my.execpc.com/~mjstouff/articles/vinegar.html
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For some reason the first two don't take you directly to the pages, but if you do click on the links you can then select the Cleaning & Disinfecting option on the side menu. Very interesting and helpful articles in my opinion.
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"Aragorn"
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0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa
"Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake
"Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
"Indigo"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

Simple Green has been shown to be neurotoxic to herps and I have experience this as well as many others. The following is a list of casualties associated with Simple Green:

Blood pythons
Assorted monitors
Caiman
Aquatic turtles

The solution does not wash off completely and leaves a residue. The MSDS on it relates to impact on mammals, but testing was not done on other species. The symptoms begin up to four weeks after first use and can be fatal with only several applications. Symptoms are erratic muscle twitching in extremeties, lethargy and siezures of varying degrees. Usage varied with use on enclosure surfaces only at 1:50 dilution and in some cases use on cleaning water/food dishes.

Stick with diluted bleach or Nolvasan or even Quatricide.

Use Nolvasan or Roccal. I use Roccal, because it has a broader range of effectiveness than Nolvasan, but both are excellent choices. Nolvasan is easier to get & is very safe if diluted properly.

Chad

I've been using antibacterial soap and water on all my cages for about eight years. All my snakes are in tip-top shape. I clean water bowls every week, cages every month, with spot-cleaning as necessary. My humble opinion: people go a bit overboard sometimes with the cleaning product thing.

-Brandon