easiest way to clean a viv?

[or1olesfan]

its almost time for me to clean Twister's Viv again, and it has always been a really big hassle. The first time i went to clean it, i took out all of the stuff in the Viv, dumped the substrate, rinsed it out, then filled it 10% of the way with bleach, then used hose water to fill up the rest. i scrubed the tank with a towel, and then scrubbed down all the stuff from his viv using the bleach/water from the viv. While i was cleaning, i noticed that there were several things other than water coming from the hose. It was a real pain to get out all of the stuff coming from the hose that wasn't water. Then, when i went to dump the water, the viv tipped over, and got all dirty on the side that was on the ground. I then used water and paper towels to scrub the dirt off the side that fell on the ground. Then i soaked all the stuff from his viv in plain water from the sink, to get the bleach out. After that, i hand dried all of the stuff that was in his viv (hides, vines, fake leaves, water bowl, etc)

The next time (and every time since) i pretty much did the same thing, but instead of getting the water from the hose, i used a big pitcher and got water from the sink. that took forever, and i ended up with puddles of water leading from my sink to the back door, from where water spilled out of the pitcher.

its all been a huge hassle, and i was wondering if you guys had an easier way to clean vivs?

 

[Lestette]

Well... I've only cleaned mine out once so far... But I cleaned it in the bathtub. :S That seemed to work out pretty well for me... I'm guessing though if you have a big tank that you wouldn't be able to do that... But the bath tub works great for me.

 

[or1olesfan]

good idea. i hadn't thought of that. That way i dont have to run around with the pitcher, and it keeps grass and other stuff from getting in it/ on it. thanks

 

[measley]

you could use a big spray bottle filled with 10% bleach and then just take the tank into the bathroom, spray down the sides, let it sit for a bit and then rinse it off either with a pitcher of clean water or the showerhead.

You can always leave the solution in the bottle for later use, just make sure you clearly mark it so it's obvious that it contains bleach...

Hope this helps.

 

[Nanci]

I remove all the furnishings, then put the aspen in a plastic bag by hand, then use a hand vacuum to remove all the dust. Then wipe with Chlorox wipes, then with a damp sponge. Clean the outside glass with Windex.

A cool think I learned from ArpeggioAngel for spot-cleaning big snakes is put a plastic bag over your hand to pick out the big poos, then just turn it inside out.

 

[Lestette]

I'm very glad that I could help. Hopefully it works out for you. It works especially well if you have a shower head that you can remove it makes it very easy to clean tanks and such. Ours has a fairly long hose on it, so cleaning tanks is a snap.

 

[measley]

I remove all the furnishings, then put the aspen in a plastic bag by hand, then use a hand vacuum to remove all the dust. Then wipe with Chlorox wipes, then with a damp sponge. Clean the outside glass with Windex.

A cool think I learned from ArpeggioAngel for spot-cleaning big snakes is put a plastic bag over your hand to pick out the big poos, then just turn it inside out.

Nanci- this sounds so much easier but I'm curious, do you ever worry about the chemicals from the clorox wipes remaining in the tank or not getting it all up with a damp sponge? I always feel like I have to double and triple rinse my tanks- but I know I've always been really paranoid with my snakies...

 

[Nanci]

Well, actually I do worry about that a little. I make sure I rinse very well. I would like to find a "safe" cleaner, though. I'm going to look at the next show. I know there are several.

 

[measley]

Well, actually I do worry about that a little. I make sure I rinse very well. I would like to find a "safe" cleaner, though. I'm going to look at the next show. I know there are several.

Ah, got it, thanks!! Please let me know if you find something better!!

 

[bitsy]

My plant misting gun filled with reptile-safe disinfectant (diluted as per manufacter's instructions) is my secret weapon. My technique for a 3 foot viv is:

- Take out all the reusable bits - hides, water bowl, branches, cork bark, plastic foliage etc. Plonk them in the bath (make sure you've rinsed it first to get rid of e.g. bathroom cleaning chemicals, bubblebath etc) and spray them with disinfectant.
- Scoop out all substrate using a dustpan and brush, then when down to the dusty bits, use a vacuum to finish the job (shouldn't be any big poopy bits left at that point).
- Wipe down the walls/ceiling/floor with a damp cloth to get rid of the worst of any muck (there's always something that's been hidden under the substrate).
- Spray the walls/ceiling/floor with disinfectant.
- Go back to the gear in the bath, scrub it, rinse it and leave it to dry off a bit.
- Go back to the viv and rinse off the walls/ceiling/floor with a damp cloth, then dry with kitchen roll.
- Clean and rinse the glass sliding doors with the reptile disinfectant (easiest if you can remove them and lean them against a wall) and wipe dry to prevent smears.
- Check the heater and thermostat for any damage, signs of wear etc.
- Put clean substrate in, put the glass doors back, put the reusable gear back in.
- Add snake!

This way, you never need to move the viv.

 

[or1olesfan]

thanks guys. i'll use some of your ideas next week when i clean his viv!

 

[Susielea]

You've already had some great suggestions, I personally do very similar to bitsy

But here's a tip for you, if your tank is small enough to fit in the bath and you decide to go that route, then please put an old towel or two in the bottom of the bath first, to rest the tank on, otherwise you may find like me, that you'll see some nice scratches in the baths smooth surface *oops*

 

[or1olesfan]

But here's a tip for you, if your tank is small enough to fit in the bath and you decide to go that route, then please put an old towel or two in the bottom of the bath first, to rest the tank on, otherwise you may find like me, that you'll see some nice scratches in the baths smooth surface *oops*

i never would have thought of that. thanks

 

[Spurticus]

I may be a special case here, but for my older snake (Voodoo), she just refuses to "Go" in her viv, so I take her out every few days, and if the weather is nice outside, I let her crawl around on the ground and with a few minutes she poops. . . if the weather is too cold or it's raining, I put her in the Travel box (rubbermaid container) with some moistened paper towels lining it, and she goes in there. . . . . she has never pooped in her viv in the 6 months I've had her, so I only straighten up her viv every couple of days and I've only completely cleaned her viv three times since I've had her.

I work for a small Textile company her in Columbia, and we make a lot of different types of industrial fabrics. I have several small rolls of wasted fabric that is 100% cotton canvas type material. We make this in different widths, so I have the 20" width and cut this to length of the viv. I can fold it up on all four sides to form a trough about 1" deep, so when I get ready to clean the viv, I remove all the furnishing, and take the entire viv outside and lift the whole substrate base out and dispose of it in the waste can. . . . I take a hand held vac, and remove all the remaining aspen, and then take the hose to the viv. I use a 5% clorox / water solution to wash the viv down, then the hose again to thoroughly rinse it out, before drying with paper towels.

I bring the viv back inside and let it air dry in front of a fan for about 20/30 minutes before putting in a new cloth trough with the substrate.

NOW, the new snake throws a wrench in all of this. . . I think she poops in the viv just to keep me busy !! . . I've had to scoop her cage out almost every other day since I got her. I'll have to do the above routine about twice a month with her.

:laugh: