tub cleaning question

this is my 1st time using tubs for snakes the last time i cleaned i washed my tubs with soap and water. i hot glued all my thermometers and probes to the tubs and wouldnt want to take out and re-glue over and over each time i clean.

would i be able to use disinfectant wipes of some type to clean my tubs?

What you want is a disenfectant like Chlorhexidine or F10. This are safe to use with animals and can be used with a spray bottle and then wiped up.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

What you want is a disenfectant like Chlorhexidine or F10. This are safe to use with animals and can be used with a spray bottle and then wiped up.

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Is this something i can find at a store

I would recommend F10 or chlorhexidine for cleaning tubs because you can spray and wipe. I use wipes on my feeding tongs and then rinse. I don't use wipes in my tubs because of the possible chemicals. It's your prerogative to use them or not, but if you choose to, I would at least wait until the tubs are dry and the vapors have dissipated, before returning the snakes to the tubs...

Sent from my Motorola ATRIX using Tapatalk 2.

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Originally Posted by JaGv

Is this something i can find at a store

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I haven't ever seen it in a store, F10 is a veterinary disinfectant, so it is possible that a local vet will have some, but ordering it online is your best bet.

Reptile basics sells Chlorhexidine, but I get mine on Amazon for about $12 per gallon Plus shipping (that gallon of concentrate makes 128 gallons of usable solution)

I Reptile Basics also sells F10

http://www.reptilebasics.com/cleaning-products

i use to use soap, water, and bleach before but i would rather use something safer and recomended by other snake keepers. im open to all suggestions you guys might have if i have to buy online or is it available at stores..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I haven't ever seen it in a store, F10 is a veterinary disinfectant, so it is possible that a local vet will have some, but ordering it online is your best bet.

Reptile basics sells Chlorhexidine, but I get mine on Amazon for about $12 per gallon Plus shipping (that gallon of concentrate makes 128 gallons of usable solution)

I Reptile Basics also sells F10

http://www.reptilebasics.com/cleaning-products

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i checked amazon would the csr Chlorhexidine be the same

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Originally Posted by JaGv

i checked amazon would the csr Chlorhexidine be the same

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that is the exact stuff that I use. 2% chlorhexidine solution

One thing that you need to understand when using Chlorhexidine is that once it has been diluted with water, it has a short shelf life (a week or so). You can increase the shelf life by using distilled water (I use water from my Brita Filter, not as good as distilled but better than tap water) and keep it in a tightly sealed container (spray bottle) Exposure to air and the minerals and such in water will over time make chlorhexidines disinfectant properties inert. So you should only mix up as much as you can use in a week at a time.

then i should just mix it in a little bottle everytime i have to use it..

That is one way, but mixing that little is difficult. the ratio is 1 flow to a gallon of water

I mix enough to get me through a week and haven't had any issues with it so far.

If it helps it CH is diluted 1:20 or 1:30 (that is the 2% not the 4%) you can ask a pharmacist for small syringes to measure with most give them freely. I am in Canada so I use mL and 10:200 works nicely.

Personally I keep both F10 on hand and CHG. I prefer the F10 the line is great. When cleaning enclosures I can't get fully wet. here is my method.

Remove animal lol
Vacuum any substrate out fully.
I use a steamer at this point to steam and wet the interior. But hot water and sponge will work too.
I spray F10SC-XD that is the detergent cleaner product they make but a regular soap will work.
Wash and scrub the interior and steam rinse again.
Soak the interior with F10SC and wait for 10-15 min for contact time.
Dry and return clean substrate ect. and animal.

F10 also has wipes I use them for spot cleaning...

A good resource for disinfectants F10 is newer and not on the list...
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtrem...nfectants.html

until i get the Chlorhexidine. i bought a pack of botanical disinfecting wipes at the store some of the active ingredients are thymol. it also said safe for pets i havent used it yet but im considering on using them if you guys think it would be safe.

I have no clue about those...

Just FYI this thread has been stolen and copied to another site somehow, see this thread i just made:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...of-petsmoz.com

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I have no clue about those...

Just FYI this thread has been copied to another site somehow, see this thread i just made:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...of-petsmoz.com

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Ill take a pic of it and post.. yeah i just seen it got no idea how and it has other people as the ones that posted it. is this happening with other threads

http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/...agv1990/ds.png

http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/...gv1990/ds1.png

I only know thymol as a photographic chemical. I know it is a derivative of thyme but I do not know or even could guess at how it would effect herps. I might suggest not using it simply as it is an unknown. If you wish to use something as a in between I'd suggest just straight alcohol. It works well and dissipates quickly and is fairly effective. Vinegar and water also works and after rinsing is relatively non toxic.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I only know thymol as a photographic chemical. I know it is a derivative of thyme but I do not know or even could guess at how it would effect herps. I might suggest not using it simply as it is an unknown. If you wish to use something as a in between I'd suggest just straight alcohol. It works well and dissipates quickly and is fairly effective. Vinegar and water also works and after rinsing is relatively non toxic.

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thanx i was asking about wipes because i hot glued my thermometer + its probe and dont want to mess up my thermometers also having to remove over and over. but i will try alcohol it that work while i get the Chlorhexidine

I have a few things glued down just clean around them and wipe over the top it will be fine.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I have a few things glued down just clean around them and wipe over the top it will be fine.

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i will do that with alcohol for now. also i looked the wipes up apart from thyme oil (which in another forum i saw was safe for bearded dragons) it has SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE

We use listerin and water mix. Spray the tubs/cages, wipe em down, they're clean and smell good :)

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Originally Posted by heathers*bps

We use listerin and water mix. Spray the tubs/cages, wipe em down, they're clean and smell good :)

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really that sounds like a good idea

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Disinfectants.html

A good resource for disinfectants.

Thymol is in the same family as phenols (5-Methyl-2-(1-methylethylphenol). This family is natural occurring disinfectants and pesticides. It is the same family of chemicals found in wood like cedars and a lot of tropical hardwoods and strong smelling softwoods (pine). Phenols are know toxins for all reptiles (purified forms are just plain very toxic.) Thymol just because it is from thyme oil does not mean the refined form is not toxic. How much it takes to have impact on health is impossible to say as there have been no testing done on reptiles. The thing with all chemicals it is the route of exposure the frequency of the exposure and the concentration that matter.

I would not suggest using any chemical that is in any way related to phenols around reptiles. listerine and the wipes both have the same chem thymol in them, it is common to a number of generic low level disinfectants. The other common one that is suspect is Trilosan that is also a phenol base chem and is very common in anti bacterial soaps.

Listerine undiluted might be effective but diluted the rate of effective use is likely limited. Disinfectants are funny things there is no easy way to know if they work (yes swab tests can be done but at 60-200$ a sample hardly cost effective) The only way to be sure you are actually doing what you think you are doing is to use a disinfectant as the instructions say to use it .And follow all of the guidelines of its use to the letter. Not following the instructions means you have no idea if what you are doing is disinfecting.

So sorry to do this, because I'm sure the answer is somewhere. Quick question!!!

I'm new to F10, could someone please fire me the mixing ratio. I've always used chlorohexadine before.

THANKS!

Depends on what you are trying to do and which F10 product you have. the F10sc typically is 1:500 for general use 1:250 for high level it kills most bacteria and fungi and virus. 1:125 this kills enclosed virus like Parvovirus. I am not sure what IBD is so I use 1:125 for all quarantine conditions. I use 1:250 for everything else.

The F10 scxd is the same but the others are at different rates.

F10 requires a 10 min contact time. The big difference is the stability of it diluted is 6 months compared to one week to one month for Chlorahexidine.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Depends on what you are trying to do and which F10 product you have. the F10sc typically is 1:500 for general use 1:250 for high level it kills most bacteria and fungi and virus. 1:125 this kills enclosed virus like Parvovirus. I am not sure what IBD is so I use 1:125 for all quarantine conditions. I use 1:250 for everything else.

The F10 scxd is the same but the others are at different rates.

F10 requires a 10 min contact time. The big difference is the stability of it diluted is 6 months compared to one week to one month for Chlorahexidine.

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F10SC it is.

I have a rack that was used for my 2011/12 breeding season that have been sold and I'm getting new girls soon. So I figured I'd give it a solid cleaning - went with 8ml:1000ml