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Question about cleaning

I

Intravenous

New member
I've had a look on here for how to clean out the vivarium or tank but I'm not too sure what exactly is supposed to be done.

I've heard people use the term "poo pick", what exactly does this mean? Do you remove just the poo with a paper towel or something? Or do you replace that whole area with new substrate?

"Poo picking" happens regularly: every day or two? But then you do a thorough clean ever so often: once a month? What happens during this clean? Do you remove everything in the tank or vivarium, replace all of the substrate and wash all the items inside the tank? Or is it less thorough than that?

Also an unrelated question: the UTH...does it go inside the tank or vivarium with just substrate on top of it? And if so how much substrate should be above it to ensure that the snake wont burrow right down to it and burn itself? The UTH could maybe go under a tank to stop this problem...but I'm planning on getting a wooden vivarium and I doubt enough heat could travel from underneath.
 
Sorry...I just noticed the thread on heaters! It seems mostly based on plastic or glass vivariums though. I plan on getting my vivarium from vivtronic.co.uk and they said they install the heat mats for you. Do their heat mats look appropriate for being put inside the vivarium?
 
"Poo Picking" :grin01: (that terminology really gets me!) refers to spot cleaning the viv. Most people, or people with smaller numbers of snakes, spot clean everyday. If the poo is fresh I would certainly reccomend using paper towels or something to prevent any unpleasantness.

A more intensive cleaning should be done with some frequency as well. Some people do it once a month. Some others do it more or less frequently. I try to clean all of mine once a month. I stick them in the bathtub and use a dilute (10%) bleach solution. Many people use Nolvasan, a safe cleaning agent. Just make sure everything is thouroughly rinsed and dried out. Then, you can use all new bedding and start "poo picking" for another month or so.

I also try to wash waterbowls at least once every couple of weeks to keep bacteria from building up.


For the most part, UTHs go outside the tank. I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that I've read about people with wooden vivs placing them inside. I'm no expert on this practice so I can't advise on it.
 
Intravenous said:
Would the wood not rot or get gross with being washed in a bath?
Click to expand...


:bang: DUH! The whole time I was typing that I had forgotten that you mentioned wanting to buy a wooden viv!

Well, I imagine that it might right if left to sit wet. It might also be dependent on if it is treated in any way or if it is just natural wood. I'm not sure how the wooden vivs are made.

If nothing else you might be able to use a wet cloth with some sort of cleaning agent to wipe down the inside. That way the wood won't get thoroughly soaked all over. I imagine that the inside of those are surely furnished so that they are somewhat water resistant, because you would almost have to expect some accidental water spillage from time to time. :rolleyes:

Are you sure you don't want a glass viv? :grin01:
 
I don't know...I've never had a vivarium before.

I only thought it would be a good idea to get a wooden one because I found that site where they would set it all up for me. Are glass ones better? One benefit of the wooden one is that it opens from the side.
 
Intravenous said:
I don't know...I've never had a vivarium before.

I only thought it would be a good idea to get a wooden one because I found that site where they would set it all up for me. Are glass ones better? One benefit of the wooden one is that it opens from the side.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to deter you with my comment above. Glass vivs just seem more readily available over here. If my conversions are correct I can get a 20gal long aquarium, a UTH, and a sliding lid for the same price and maybe a few bucks cheaper than one of the wooden vivs. It really isn't difficult to put a UTH under a tank so you're not paying for convenience. Also, there are sliding lids for aquariums and I have heard of people who just turn their vivs on the side so that they have a sliding door in the front, instead of a sliding lid on the top.

So it's really a question about aesthetics and what you think looks the best. I'm not sure how many people around these parts (this forum) use wooden vivs or have experience with them. I did a search and didn't find much. It may not hurt to start a thread and ask if anyone has any experience.
 
Intravenous said:
Would the wood not rot or get gross with being washed in a bath?
Click to expand...

I have no experience with "wooden Viv" but I have experience with wood itself.
Basically wood will only rot if constantly exposed to moisture and providing a chance to dry out. Having some type of sealent (paint, stain or any sort of varnish) on it will help prevent rotten. So if you scrub your wooden Viv, then hose it out with water then dry it off with a towel it will be fine. As long as it's sealed.
With an UTH in the wooden Viv I am still researching it. Heat tape is a thought too.

http://arbreptiles.com/cages/flexwire.shtml

Good Luck :cheers:
 
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