cleaning the viv

[Yvonne112]

I just wanted to find out what you guys use to clean your vivs? I'm sure there will be alot of different answers posted. I'd really like to know what's the best thing to use. :shrugs:

 

[Plissken]

I don't use chemicals. I just feel personally that putting bleach and animals together is just asking for trouble, and I'm always worried about missing a tiny spot during the rinse out at the end. So I go the no-chemical route.

I use boiling water to wash things down, and sometimes a water/vinegar solution. I've washed rocks and branches from the garden and a tank which had been sitting under the stairs for a good few years with these methods, and I've never experienced any problems.

I also use a hoover to get all the itty aspen particles out of my tanks.

 

[Yvonne112]

sounds like a good plan. I've used soap and water, but I'm not really comfortable with that in case it doesn't all rinse away. It looks like it's all gone, but who knows? I think I'll try the water and vinigar next....they don't mind the smell afterwards?

 

[Hypancistrus]

Vinegar is almost as effective as bleach at killing most "germs." Rinse it well afterwards and there shouldn't be much of a spot.

I used bleach last night on my plastic frog cage. I rinse for like 15 minutes after and usually throw a bit of dechlorinator into the mix as well- it binds to the chlorine and renders the bleach ineffective... seems safer to me and helps with my peace of mind.

They do sell cleaners at the pet store but ther are quite expensive. I have heard people around here use chlorhexidine, but I don't know where to get that from. :shrugs:

 

[Yvonne112]

well, it seems like vinigar is the number one choice so far. I've never heard of chlorhexidine, but like you, I really don't want to use any chemicals. How often do you clean your vivs??

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

I have heard people around here use chlorhexidine, but I don't know where to get that from. :shrugs:

Here you go: Chlorhexidine. Seems expensive, but it's not. It's concentrated. So one gallon of that stuff makes 128 gallons of a working cleaner. So you buy it once and it'll last forever.

I use chlorhexidine to clean my cages. I make up a working concentration and pour it into a spray bottle. After scooping out all the bedding, I spray down the cage; let is sit for a few minutes and then give it a good wipe up. Been doing this for sometime now and have never had a problem.

well, it seems like vinigar is the number one choice so far. I've never heard of chlorhexidine, but like you, I really don't want to use any chemicals. How often do you clean your vivs??

I'm not sure why you're opposed to using chemicals. Chemicals kill bacteria and disinfect. Yes they can be dangerous; but not if you're smart about things. To have a good clean cage for your snake you're going to have to kill all the little things that can cause big problems and you're going to have to use some chemicals. Just make sure you're smart about it.

As for cleaning, I do a poop 'n scoop as needed and then a complete cleanout every 4-6 weeks.

 

[k_queen]

I am a homebrewer and I work at a restaurant, so to clean and sterilize Twist's aquarium, I use quaternary sanitizing tablets (also known as 'no rinse' sanitizer).

First, I wash the aquarium with hot soapy water, then rinse it. I drop in a few tabs and fill it with hot water and allow it to sit for about five minutes (restaurants only require you to soak dishes for 1 minute in the solution before they are considered sanitized) and then rinse it and dry the aquarium with paper towels. I do the last rinse because it's an ammonia based product and I don't want to possibly damage my snake's respiratory functions.

The aquarium is then clean enough to eat off of, or brew in.

 

[Jrgh17]

I actually use a *very* weak solution of the Clorox Clean-Up stuff. It's meant to be used as-is, but I put a couple capfuls in a spray bottle and spray the viv down with that. I wipe it with paper towels, then rinse it with fresh water. I also fill up the container with clean water and let it sit for a half an hour or so. Then I dump that out and rinse again.

This is pretty much the same procedure I've used for roughly 8 years when I have to completely "break down" a fishtank (meaning I'm starting a completely new tank). I haven't had any problems with the fish, so I assume it's okay for the snakes.

I actually think Hypancistrus' idea of using some declorinator in the rinse might be a good idea. After reading that, I think I'll add it to my routine as an extra safety measure.

 

[Snakegirl]

We use a mixture of vinegar & water, then rinse well with hot water. I work in Home Health as a nurse and most equipment that is used is soaked in vinegar/water solution to clean it. Since it seems OK for my patients, I figured it would be OK for animals.

 

[shadowphreak]

Do you think it would matter if you rinsed the vinegar if it was just on the glass? I was thinking of using that vinegar glass cleaner to wipe down my tank, it has a lot of water spots on it b/c it used to have a turtle in it.

 

[Snakegirl]

Not sure about the cleaner.

We use the vinegar/water mixture to clean water spots on our shower doors and it works.