Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all
I have a cage that i built myself, and am quite proud of. The gecko that I have in it though, i fear may have worms. I am going to dose her on panacur and try to remedy that situation, my real question, however, is what is the best way to disenfect the cage? It is partially wooden, partially plexiglass. I can't bleach it, because that would stay in the wood, i can't bake it because that would melt the plexiglass, plus it wouldn't fit in the oven. Does anyone have any ideas?
thanks,
Dustin
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1.0 Bearded Dragons
1.1 Fat tailed geckos

bleach water will work. Just let it dry completely before putting anything back in. The bleach odor should go away as it drys. Also, if the wood's not sealed you might want to consider painting or staining it to waterproof it. This way it can't soak up moisture or odors from other things. Let it air dry until there is no odor left from the paint or stain before you put him back in. Hope this helps.

Quig

i would definitely have to agree with Quig. first off, take into consideration your issues you are having now for the next time you build a cage. i try to make everything i build ( atleast out of wood)so that it can be taken apart to replace something if it has issues. if i use screen, i make sure the screen can be replaced, if i use glass or plexiglass i make sure it can be removed or replaced if neccessary.
the wood really should be treated by using a varnish or lacquer ( varnish will soak in better, but usually takes about 8 hours to dry) or painted with a high gloss oil based paint with multiple coats.
if you do these things the cage maintenance and longevity will be much better and easier for you. if these things can still be done, i would do them and put your animal in a quarentine tank so you can monitor the effects of your treatments easier as well.

finally, i would just like to note that if this is a recent animal that you have acquired, i would not suggest treating it until it is well acclimated and eating/drinking and in otherwise healthy looking appearance. if you try to treat an animal because the worms/parasites are having a negative affect on your animals health, you will likely do more harm than good by trying to treat it before it is eating and drinking well.