disinfecting items while setting up vivarium

so as the title says, i'm wondering what lengths you should go to with disinfecting your terrarium and the items you're putting in it.

for example, i was going to go out on my property and find some small, dry logs or branches to put in the terrarium but i have no idea how i would clean that before placing it in the cage.

anyone have any tips or good products? the people at the pet stores are kinda clueless around here.

There are several methods for killing the nasties on item from out doors.
1. If its small enough to fit in the oven than back it for 30min at 250*
2. 1 cap full of bleach per gal of water let sit over night, rinse it and allow it to completely dry before placing into a enclosure.

great thanks.

what about store bought items like the enclosure itself or the water dish and hide box? should i worry about cleaning those, and is there a product i can or should use so as not to leave residue which may hurt my snake?

thanks again, this forum is a huge help!

For disinfectant, my favorite thing to use is chlorhexadine solution. It's completely safe for reptiles (unlike bleach) and is used in veterinary practice as a mouthwash for surgery.

You can buy it from Matt (justcage).

What I did was order replica wood products. My driftwood piece is artificial but it looks very real and my snake so far seems to enjoy sitting on it. The x-large piece that I got was only 11 bux so its affordable and you don't have to worry about the potential of picking up anything harmful from outdoors. I also still disinfected EVERYTHING (hides, driftwood, enclosure, thermometers, water bowl, cage carpet substrate, radiant heat panel) with virosan before putting her in the enclosure. That may have been a bit overkill, but I just wanted to make sure my snake got off to a good nice clean environmental start. It has paid off so far as she is acclimating nicely.

mm k, what about that wipe out stuff from zoo med?

this is what my local store carries. my snake is coming tomorrow so i wanted to get this setup completed tonite.

I guess the zoo med stuff is ok.. albeit overpriced. Do yourself a favor and order some chlorhexadine.. I use it all the time.

Yes. I ordered some online for 13 bux per gallon. Matt (justcage) also sells it.