dave partington
Crazy Dave
I think_I_would_look around for a specific recipe. But considering how much a gallon of chlorhexadine concentrate costs, it's cheaper then 175 gallons of each vinegar and peroxide.
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Cleaners/Disinfectants
- Thread starter Der_Doe12
- Start date
Justine66
Cuddling with Colubrids<3
err.. I didn't realise that was an article, lol very interesting!
so basically the best and safest method would be to have two seperate bottles, and just spray them ontop of one another..? let sit for 20 minutes and then rinse clean with hot water ..
I think I'm going to try this for my next viv cleaning!
so basically the best and safest method would be to have two seperate bottles, and just spray them ontop of one another..? let sit for 20 minutes and then rinse clean with hot water ..
I think I'm going to try this for my next viv cleaning!
Buzzard
two corny
So far the only thing that has been proven somewhat effective against preventing/sanitizing against crypto is ammonia. Though effective, it can have harmful side effects to humans and animals if not used properly. We have some articles regarding the use of ammonia but we will have to dig them up if you want them - they were given to us by our reptile veterinarian.
When you are done cleaning any enclosure, exposing the cleaned items to sunlight (UV source) has been proven somewhat effective against crypto as well - therefore, at the recommendation of our veterinarian when we do a deep cleaning, we always either place containers out in the sunlight for awhile or put them in the dishwasher which exposes the containers to high temperatures (depends on type/size of enclosure). The best way to prevent any cross contamination is to handle each enclosure individually, sanitize between cleaning enclosures, and do not share water dishes between reptiles.
We personally have not used vinegar and/or hydrogen peroxide to prevent any microfauna growth in regards to reptiles. Jamie has tested hydrogen peroxide (the one typically sold at most drug stores) in the microbiology laboratory against several pathogens and it is very effective because it destroys DNA (not sure about the side effects/harmful nature to reptiles). Vinegar is used due to its acidic nature but most bacteria can withstand the acidity so it is somewhat ineffective when battling most bacteria unless it is used in high concentrations (not sure about the effects/harmful nature to reptiles). Jamie has only tested hydrogen peroxide and vinegar in a laboratory setting against pathogens so we cannot provide you with the possible side effects/harmful nature to reptiles.
notserp
New member
In one spray bottle you use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide which is usually how you find it when purchased at a pharmacy. Do not dilute it with any water. In another bottle vinager( plain white works). Also not diluted, but this recent danger info doesn't make this method sound very good. In one place I read it said to let them dry once you sprayed them on top of each other and then to wash it off with water after it has dried. I thought this was for cleaning purposes but maybe it's to avoid touching or breathing the substance when the acidic reaction is at it's strongest. Even still, if you were cleaning a lot I would think you would breath in an un healthy amount. I would think if you could clean food this way it must be safe after the reaction settles down as long as you don't inhale a bunch while you are spraying. This is me just sharing what I'm thinking, I am not very educated and I'm definetly not a chemist.
Buzzard, if you could post the citations to the articles I could probably find them. Thank you, it would be great if I could read these for myself.
MysticExotics
(formerly NWHeather)
I recently picked up some "Maxima 256" at the recommendation of some friends. I have some new (used) cages that I picked up, & have been sitting outside for the past week or so. I doused the cages with it, and am letting them sit for a couple days. I will rinse them really well and I haven't decided if I will clean a second time with the Maxima, or use F10 on the second go around. I will rinse again, after the second cleaning & then set the cages up.
I do not know if it will kill crypto, but it is hospital grade and is also used in vet clinics.
I do not know if it will kill crypto, but it is hospital grade and is also used in vet clinics.
Buzzard
two corny
Here are a few links that were provided to us by our veterinarian that we found very helpful because they contain background information & disinfection procedures. Remember, there are several different strains of cryptosporidium - all of them are typically spread by fecal-oral route. The key is to get rid of the oocysts which can tolerate harsh environments, therefore the need for harsh treatment such as desiccation (drying out), exposure to UV light, and ammonia as mentioned in the links below. The oocysts can be detected in fecal exams but according to our vet the best test is the PCR test which gives you a definite negative/positive answer. The PCR test can be quite costly (at our vet clinic it is around $250-300 per animal because it has to be sent to a special lab).
http://www.goldengategeckos.com/crypto.htm
http://www.anapsid.org/cryptosporidium.html (this link contains other applicable research articles that can be looked up).
http://www.uvm.edu/~ascibios/?Page=General/Guide_to_Disinfectants.html&SM=submenugeneral.html
Most of the research articles that were given to us are mentioned or cited in the links above - if you need more, we will see what we can dig up. The disinfectant link is one that Jamie uses for her microbiology class to show them that chlorine bleach breaks down with exposure to sunlight (it has to be mixed each time you disinfect) - each disinfectant targets different sources - it depends on what you have and what you are trying to get rid of.
http://www.goldengategeckos.com/crypto.htm
http://www.anapsid.org/cryptosporidium.html (this link contains other applicable research articles that can be looked up).
http://www.uvm.edu/~ascibios/?Page=General/Guide_to_Disinfectants.html&SM=submenugeneral.html
Most of the research articles that were given to us are mentioned or cited in the links above - if you need more, we will see what we can dig up. The disinfectant link is one that Jamie uses for her microbiology class to show them that chlorine bleach breaks down with exposure to sunlight (it has to be mixed each time you disinfect) - each disinfectant targets different sources - it depends on what you have and what you are trying to get rid of.
HoneyHawthorne
New member
Since my tank is bigger than me, doing anything to avoid having to move it (such as rinsing) is ideal. I was thinking that I could do a deep, thorough clean (like some of the ones described here) every 2-3 months, a mild cleaning twice a month, and a pick up clean daily.
For the twice a month mild cleaning.. I would be emptying out the tank, sanitizing/disinfecting the glass, decor, and replacing the bedding.
I had two ideas for the disinfecting/sanitizing:
~I was wondering if using the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes is a bad idea. They are very convenient, don't contain bleach, and the instructions don't require rinsing (for it's intended uses) just a set amount of air time.
~ I could mix bleach with water, spray down the tank, let it sit, wipe away the fluid, then let it air dry for a bit so the bleach evaporates.
If my steamer still worked, I would just steam the tank (though I wonder how well the glass would hold up to it..) but that's just not an option at the moment.
The wipe's active ingredients are as follows:
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: n-Alkyl (C14, 60%; C16, 30%; C12, 5%; C18, 5%) Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride.0.184%** n-Alkyl (C12, 68%; C14, 32%) Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride.0.184%** OTHER INGREDIENTS: 99.632% CONTAINS NO PHOSPHORUS
For the twice a month mild cleaning.. I would be emptying out the tank, sanitizing/disinfecting the glass, decor, and replacing the bedding.
I had two ideas for the disinfecting/sanitizing:
~I was wondering if using the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes is a bad idea. They are very convenient, don't contain bleach, and the instructions don't require rinsing (for it's intended uses) just a set amount of air time.
~ I could mix bleach with water, spray down the tank, let it sit, wipe away the fluid, then let it air dry for a bit so the bleach evaporates.
If my steamer still worked, I would just steam the tank (though I wonder how well the glass would hold up to it..) but that's just not an option at the moment.
The wipe's active ingredients are as follows:
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: n-Alkyl (C14, 60%; C16, 30%; C12, 5%; C18, 5%) Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride.0.184%** n-Alkyl (C12, 68%; C14, 32%) Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride.0.184%** OTHER INGREDIENTS: 99.632% CONTAINS NO PHOSPHORUS
xoxocammyxoxo
New member
So do you clean with just straight white vinegar then? And that's an awesome suggestion about the steamer... would that work?
HoneyHawthorne
New member
I haven't really cleaned yet, my snake arrives Tuesday. I'm trying to figure out what cleaning routine would be good.
The tank I am using I did clean with nearly straight bleach (rinse rinse rinse) then with half vinegar half water (rinse rinse rinse) since it had been an aquarium 3 days earlier, but that was so incredible difficult that I want to avoid it in the future. I mainly cleaned it so much because one of my tetra had TB and I wanted to be very careful (none of the other fish ever caught it, and there has to be a direct contact to blood for it to transfer, so there really isn't a worry, I was just being over precautions).
I've read many sources that swear by the steam cleaning--and rightfully so, it kills just about everything and involves no chemicals, and as long as the pressure isn't too strong and you are quick, I don't imagine the heat being a problem.
The tank I am using I did clean with nearly straight bleach (rinse rinse rinse) then with half vinegar half water (rinse rinse rinse) since it had been an aquarium 3 days earlier, but that was so incredible difficult that I want to avoid it in the future. I mainly cleaned it so much because one of my tetra had TB and I wanted to be very careful (none of the other fish ever caught it, and there has to be a direct contact to blood for it to transfer, so there really isn't a worry, I was just being over precautions).
I've read many sources that swear by the steam cleaning--and rightfully so, it kills just about everything and involves no chemicals, and as long as the pressure isn't too strong and you are quick, I don't imagine the heat being a problem.