Reptile & Amphibian Forums

while prepping some branches in the microwave for my vivarium,i must have picked up a branch that had a ant nest in it.anyway,i didnt notice anything at first,no ants.then i placed it in the microwave for a full 4 minutes.it came out steaming,but the amazing thing is that there were ants swarming all over.some dead but almost all of them survived a full four minutes in the microwave.i was shocked that the branch was sizzling in some places and the ants were still alive.i guess microwaving in not the best method for killing insects.

now i placed some live plants and moss in also and i just noticed a couple bugs crawling around in the cage.with dart frog owners they dont seem to mind these,and some actually think they help the ecosystem in the tank.im sure small harmess bugs wont hurt a snake but does anyone reccomend a method of killing any stowaways that wont harm a snake?like any pestacides that are harless to reptiles? im in no rush to introduce my snake and i can treat the cage and wait a while after to clear it out.any thoughts?

I can't imagine there are any insects that would bother a chondro. I was amazed about the ants, although I shouldn't be that surprised....they can survive anything! I've never had ants in my branches, but I usually wash everything in a hot water and bleach solution,scrub with a brush, rinse well and then microwave. I don't think there's all that much left by the time I get it in the microwave. Certainly never had any bugs crawl out of them.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1~Green tree python~Tempest
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

MAKE SURE you do not use more than 1 capful of bleach to one gallon of water. any more is toxic.

What I usually do to kill anything on something from the wild is soaking it in the sanitizer solution then I will put it in the oven at 250 degrees for about 2 hours.

No, I don't use it too strong. I can put my hands in there and it doesn't remove the sking I also use chlorhexidrine for much of my cleaning now. That stuff is completely harmless....except to disease and bugs......
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1~Green tree python~Tempest
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

>>MAKE SURE you do not use more than 1 capful of bleach to one gallon of water. any more is toxic.
>>
>>What I usually do to kill anything on something from the wild is soaking it in the sanitizer solution then I will put it in the oven at 250 degrees for about 2 hours.

Concerning this warning on bleach. Are you speaking in conerns to soaking pourous items or general sanatization of plastic/glass enclosures and water bowels. I usually fill one of my tubs with water in the bath tub, add a good splash of bleach and toss in all hides and water contauners. None of which are pourous and i then rinse throughly. Any comments??? Clint
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0.1 Colombian Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "Honey"
1.0 Hogg Isle Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "Peeker"
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-(Epicrates Cenchria) "Houdini"
1.1 Argentine Boa-(Boa Constrictor Occidentalis) "Lacie" & "Oreo"
0.0.2 Green Tree Python-(Morelia Viridis)Biak type-"Smog" & Sorong type- "un-named"
2.0 Canines Husky-Cody & Husky/Shepard-Trail
0.1 Wife-Michele
2.0 Kids-Chris & Bodhi(still in the oven)

as far a bleach being deadly,well yea,the pure fumes are bad but deluted its not that bad,we use it in our drinking water,our pools,to clean clothes,and many indoor gardeners swear by germinating seeds in a water/bleach solution to help the plants get a nice head start free of germs and disease.(if it was that deadly i sure it would kill fragile seedlings)hell,even heroin addicts know how great the stuff is,they always clean out their syringes with it when they have been sharing needles.LOL.basically i think its a great sanitizer but its important to rinse well and let whatever it comes in contact with airdry so all the fumes disapate.

Bleach also loses it's strength if you put it in the sun and let stuff dry thoroughly. The chlorine bond in bleach is very weak, and it doesn't take much to break it and cause it to no longer be viable. That's why you have to add so much bleach (chlorine)to the pool in the summer, or let water stand a couple of days to let the chlorine dissipate.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1~Green tree python~Tempest
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

ants can live in 150 degree heat in Kuwait and Iraq, so you might toss it in the oven for 5 minutes on 400 degrees...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

i believe it,were you in the persian gulf? if i didnt see the ants survive the microwave with my own eyes,id never have believed it.some died,but the vast majority of them were still alive and kicking after 4 full minutes on high power!even while some of the wood was steaming!

nope... i faught in Operation Iraqi Freedom...

dident have a shower for 4 months... i was smelling nice and ripe...

Shiloh

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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

this is my pride and joy...

Hey Shilo,
I faught in the last gulf war for Bush Sr. We had a walk in the park compared to what you guys are doing. I don't know you, but I'm glad you're ok. Great pictures!
Take care,
joe

hey thanks alot man... and a job well done to you as well...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

A real southern treat!

And yet more PROOF that at the end of the world there will be roaches and ants....and no people!!

You try sitting in a micorwave for 2 minutes and see if you come out alive or in one piece!

Ugh..
lol
Fred Albury

If someone tells you you cant use bleach safley to clean a reptile cage just check their website and see what product they are promoting for cage cleaning (right next to their book, cages, and over priced snakes).

I'm surprised no one mentioned this, but just give it a thorough spraying with Provent-a-Mite! The stuff is specifically made to be safe for reptiles, and not only kills mites, but any other bugs in the branch/substrate/etc. (it even says on the back not to have any millipedes, scorpions, tarantulas, etc. in the same room while you spray it). Once it's dry, put the branch back in the cage and it will continue to kill the bugs as they crawl out for 30 days.

I used it to get rid of mites on my rainbow boa when I first bought her, and it worked amazingly well. One spray was all it took, and I've never seen the little pests again.
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)