Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The most urating (if thats a word) snake on the planet. I am aware that they urate alot (by the way if anyone has the proper terms please let me know. I could just write 'pee' LOL). My dum has 'peed' in large quantities everyday for the past 4 days. he tends to lay in it which means i have to give him a bath frequently. Is chlorhexidine safe to use ON a snake? can i spray him with chlorexhedine and then rinse in a bath? is there a safer way to clean a snake? ive never had this issue because my colubrids are on more absorbent bedding and tend to not go as often so i never have to clean them.

LOL!!!! Glad I'm not the only person who thinks Dums pee alot.

I generally will take a rag with warm water and wipe them down. I use Chlorexadine to clean my cages with. It is supposed to be safe. I never actually spray it on the animals with it.
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Pat Higdon - Higdons Herps, Tuttle, Oklahoma USA
Oklahoma City Herpetological Society Member
4 dumerils boas, 2 rosy boas, 3 burmese pythons, 1 reticulated python, 1 ball pythons, 3 borneo pythons, 10 bearded dragons, 9 leopard geckos, 4 african fat-tail geckos & 1 sulcata tortoise

So many things could be said, lol, but I'll be good. I have used it ON my animals and never had any ill effect. If I do a show, I usually take some with as a way to clean up messes as snakes continue to PEE (proper scientific terminology lol) at the shows as well and that's when I'll use it to wipe them down so people don't hold a pissy (literally at that point) snake.

Typically, if one of my snakes has been laying in its excrement, I simply rinse it off with room temperature water. If that isn't enough, I've used mild soap diluted in a tub of water, then rinsed off with regular water. I've never tried chlorhexidine, but you should always be cautious about using chemicals around your snakes.

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Paul D

www.MoonlightBoas.com

It's often used/prescribed as an oral rinse, so it should be plenty safe to wipe your snake off with. I use it for cage cleaning and imo it is much safer than bleach. An animal could be allergic, but they could also be allergic to soap. Soap also contains chemicals-here's one copy and paste

Types
•Chlorine, alkyl phenoxy ethanols (APEs), dichloromethane (DCM), diethanolamine (DEA), dioxane, phosphates, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, and synthetic fragrances are chemicals often found in dish soaps.
Environmental Effects
•Chemicals used in dish soap contaminate our water supply when they wash down the drain; they also decimate fish populations and contribute to excess algae in water.
Effects on Humans
•Chemicals in dishwashing soap can be poisonous or cancerous, can contribute to genetic problems and asthma, and may cause skin irritation.
Considerations
•These chemicals are diluted when used in detergents and then diluted again when the detergent is used, making them less dangerous when the detergent is properly used. However, the chemicals leave residue which can make its way into the food you eat when your food touches your plate

Read more: Harmful Chemicals in Dish Soap | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5802351_harmful-chemicals-dish-soap.html#ixzz1EfaW1OTy

Those are interesting points. I'll have to research this topic further. Anyway, I almost always use water to rinse my snakes off if needed, and never use bleach or other harsh chemicals to clean cages. Chlorexhedine/oral rinse may be safe, but I don't have any personal experience.

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Paul D

www.MoonlightBoas.com

It's just one of those things where everything has it's own potential risk. I personally can not stand bleach. If my wife uses it in the house for anything she tries to dilute it as much as possible because she knows it makes me sick. I can come home 8 hours after she tried to "sneak it in" as she likes to use it on surfaces and I can tell immediately. It feels like my brain is going to rupture, lol. So for me, I can't imagine what it would be like for a snake in an enclosed cage where someone has used bleach to clean the cage. A friend of mine had a type of chlorhexidine that I couldn't use either. If I sprayed down the cage and stuck my head in to wipe it down it made me cough and somewhat burned my throat. So, I guess trial and error with any product and as you implied, use caution.