what do i use to clean a viv

okay, so i know what not to use with fish, no soap... and i'm sitting here thinking... OMGoddess, i don't know how to clean dexter's waterdish.

so... do i use soap or just water or bleach or or or???

and,

how often do you take apart the entire viv and clean it? what do you use?

whew, i feel better now that i got THAT off my chest :confuse:

i use chlorhexadine to clean everything. dishes can be cleaned with dish soap, just rinse well so there is no soap smell or residue. once a month or so take apart the entire enclosure and disinfect everything--use either chlorhexadine/hot water or 10% bleach/90% hot water to soak for 30 minutes or so. here is a link to chlorhexadine in case you need it: http://www.mgreptiles.com/VIROSAN.html.

I also strip and clean about every 6 weeks and disinfect everything then. My normal habit when I give them fresh water every other day is to rinse and wipe their water dishes very well anyways and when I spot clean their feces/urates I take a good area around and all the way down to the bottom of the tub to make sure I'm getting everything so the tubs really never get mucky and nasty.


~~Jo~~