Not-Intended-for-Herps Products You Use??

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I can't say. I have no idea of the effects on herps at low concentrations. I have used it at my work a number of times, respirators and gloves, eye shields and body covering. Pure it is not great. The sheets are not pure and all anyone can do is guess. That is where I become leery why guess when there are proven alternatives?

Actually I just pulled a MSDS sheet on it. No, I would not recommend it, it is a methyl-phenol. Phenols are super effective disinfectants and quite toxic to reptiles. I am sure the amount is very small and it is quite possibly fine but again why take a risk for the sake of saving a few dollars. If you were to use them they need to be rinsed after use they do wash off easily and fully.

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i googled it all i came up with was it can be used as snake repelent

Light Defuser
Glad Press-n-Seal wrap
vermiculite
Blue Point laser temp gun (for automotive use)
U-Haul packing paper (just started using it as substrate)
different size plastic dollar store bowls for hides
2" ceramic ramekins for baby bowls

It's kind of funny to think about how pretty much everything surrounding our snakes isn't intended for use with reptiles.

You all listed a bunch of stuff I use (and some I don't, GOOD IDEAS!) but I'll add some other things:

• Surgical hemostats for holding f/t prey
• All sorts of cheap plastic bowls and containers as hides
• Cereal, soda and other boxes as hides
• Soldering iron for melting holes in tubs and smoothing sharp edges on plastic hides
• Pillow cases for transport
• Light bulbs the reptile ones die so fast so I just go to Home Depot and load up

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure there are more but to me their only use is reptilian! :D

- Assorted shelving units and melamine turned into racks
- Binder clips to hold sterilite tub lids down tighter.
- Ramekins for water dishes
- cement mixing tubs and litter boxes for rat rack tubs
- Wire mesh for rat racks
- Newspaper
- Halves of clothes pins to secure the baby rack tubs (made of tiny kitten litter boxes) within the rack.
- Minifridges, wine coolers, computer fans to construct incubators
- Flashlight on my phone for candleing eggs, or searching the backs of dark tubs for crafty rats that haven't been eaten yet.
- Lube
- Beef or chicken boullion cubes to scent f/t rats for particularly picky snakes (fortunately, it's been a long time since I've had to try this :) )
- Light diffuser
- Distilled white vinegar to break down urates and poos that get stuck to sides of tubs and are difficult to wipe out.
- Pillowcases for transporting

I use several of them listed, but here is one I have not seen:

Old spoon - great for scraping urates out that are stuck in a tub.

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Originally Posted by Don

I use several of them listed, but here is one I have not seen:

Old spoon - great for scraping urates out that are stuck in a tub.

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Oh! Yes! We've used exactly that, old knives, paint scrapers, and.. my perfect rat-tub-cleaning-tool: the little "stand" that is supposed to hold up a rat wheel. The newer ones at petco have 3 covered "sides" with mesh witht he open side for the rat to climb in, and the 'stand' can be removed and the wheel secured directly to the side of the cage.

The leftover 'stand' makes an excellent rat tub scraper. You can see how it is shaped here:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511SRN2ziVL.jpg

allows you to have an easy to hold handle, and because it is just a frame, the bedding and poos pass right over, and do not get clumped up as something like a paint scraper, dust pan, or other sort of scoop might. The ends are angled just right to get even the corners of the pan.

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Originally Posted by Anatopism

- Beef or chicken boullion cubes to scent f/t rats for particularly picky snakes (fortunately, it's been a long time since I've had to try this :) )

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Does this work well?? How exactly do you use them? Rub them all over?

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Originally Posted by KatStoverReptiles

Does this work well?? How exactly do you use them? Rub them all over?

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I've always thawed out rodents in hot water, then dab them dry with a towel, rather than use the blowdryer method. So long as the animal is not dripping wet (mildly damp is no problem), I haven't ever had an issue with a snake refusing from it not being perfectly dry.

While thawing the prey item in water, I just break off a piece of boullion cube into the water (doing this at the very end is usually best, in case you need to replace warm water, and end up washing away all your flavor). Then I remove, dab dry, and offer with tongs.

When scenting with gerbil/ASF/mouse/whatever bedding, I do the same thing.. soak the prey item in a hot 'tea' of filthy rodent bedding, and have had great success with getting picky eaters to eat, or to transition.