Cage Cleaning 101:

[JamminJonah]

Cleaning 101

We all want our herp enclosures clean, and we all want them to be safe for our herps. In this post I will go over the difference between clean and sanitary and different ways to clean, and various products to use. All of these methods, all clarifications, all products, all links, and pretty much all information has been provided by this site http://www.ball-pythons.net and its members. Those members being: TigerGenisis, Marla, Smynx, Smulkin, FreakOverdose, The Godfather, JLC, amongst others. Other Information is from these links:

Quick Links:

Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Sterilizing (Reptiles) by, Melissa Kaplan:
http://www.anapsid.org/cleaning.html

Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants by, Judy Stouffer (and linked by Smynx from Smulkin):
http://my.execpc.com/~mjstouff/articles/vinegar.html

Difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing: See above Kaplan link.

Intro to Cage Cleaning - How Often? What do I need? What Should I clean?

How Often Should I Clean?
Generally it is accepted that a herp enclosure be cleaned and disinfected every two to three weeks (monthly). However, enclosures should be spot cleaned as needed. Though a water dish should be rinsed and re-filled daily with fresh water and disinfected perhaps as often as weekly as warm water can breed bacteria.

What is "Spot Cleaning?"
Funny you should ask! Spot cleaning is the act of cleaning away any feces or urates or whatever else may happen to be discharged from your snake (see above article for difference between cleaning and disinfecting). Spot cleaning can be done by taking toilet paper, and removing the feces and/or urates and simply flushing them down the toilet, it is also helpful to remove any surrounding substrate (if using a loose substrate) because it is often difficult to detect on brown substrate what exactly has been soiled. Spot cleaning should always be done between regular monthly cleanings/disinfectings whenever there is any noticeable fecal or urate discharge.

What do I need?
Well this depends on exactly what you want to do, here is a comprehensive shopping list, but be sure to read this entire post before purchasing as you may decide you do not need all of these items:

Sponges/rags/washcloths

Paper Towels

Good size bucket

Latex gloves (can be found in Walmart pharmacy)

Bleach

Virosan

Vinegar

Hydrogen Peroxide

Rubbing Alcohol

Something big enough to soak your cage furniture in

Trash Bag

Spray bottle or two

Zoo-Med Wipe Out

Access to fresh water

Why Latex Gloves?
Because snakes can carry salmonella, as can their feces. Plus they are cheap for a big box full, come in handy in many areas (i.e. using caulk) and prevent your hands from smelling like bleach for a week. Plus it's nice not to have to directly touch anything gross you might find lurking on the bottom of that tank or rubbermaid.

What do I do with this stuff?

here is an article on making a safe disinfectant from Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar: (one spray bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and one of Vinegar)
http://my.execpc.com/~mjstouff/articles/vinegar.html

Above is one thing you can make using the hydrogen peroxide, 2 spray bottles and vinegar.

Other options are:
Bleach and water mix! This is a popular choice though it should be noted to RINSE RINSE RINSE!! No bleach residue or fumes should be left and pourous cage furniture should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol rather than bleach solution(Thanks Marla). Using a bleach solution to disinfect is also outlined here:
http://www.anapsid.org/cleaning.html

but so you don't have to read so much:
Bleach solution should be mixed in a 5% solution- meaning 5% bleach in water or 1 cup of bleach for every 10 cups of water. Remember to RINSE RINSE RINSE. (Thanks to Judy and Marla for ratios)

Is there a safer alternative?
Wow! Great question! As a matter of fact yes. You can use a product known as Virosan- this can be ordered through many herpetological supply stores such as Pro Exotics: http://www.proexotics.com/main.html or if you would like to buy bulk

Smulkin has provided this link: http://www.instawares.com/detail.asp?product_id=336THEO

EDIT: Here is another Smulkin provided link for buying Virosan:
http://lambriarvetsupply.com/sb/site...=4&item=005027

It is worth mentioning that this product (Virosan) needs to be dilluted so a bottle as big as the 35$ one above will last quite some time.

What's good for a quick glass clean?
Vinegar is always great in a spray bottle mixed with water to clean glass. Try using newspaper other than paper towels for a streak free shine! (Thanks for the tip Marla). Another great product is a product by Zoo Med called "Wipe Out" Smynx is a big fan of these throw away cleaning/disinfecting wipes. DO NOT USE WINDEX OR ANY AMMONIA BASED PRODUCT EVEN ON YOUR GLASS! These fumes and chemicals could easily kill your little buddies!

What Should I Clean?
EVERYTHING! Just as you like living in a clean home, or using a clean bathroom... okay maybe not all of us are that concerned with the above examples but just go with me- your herp appriciates living in a clean AND disinfected enclosure, plus it saves you on potentially costly vet bills. Clean pourous items in rubbing alcohol and solid items in bleach solution or use virosan or the peroxide/vinegar duet of power on everything. Your call, but remember this, your herp depends on you for quality of life, when you purchased your pet you made a commitment to give this animal the best quality care you can possibly give. Don't forget that.