What Enclosure Disinfectant Do You Use?

I've been using diluted vinegar etc for a long time but I'd like to get a actual product to clean the enclosure if I can.

Also, anyone know if Nature's Miracle is snake-safe? It says small animals, it's natural and people in the reviews have used it for reptiles, but I'm not sure;
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Mirac...7&sr=8-11&th=1

What disinfectant does everyone else use to clean their enclosures?

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Originally Posted by 55fingers

I've been using diluted vinegar etc for a long time but I'd like to get a actual product to clean the enclosure if I can.

Also, anyone know if Nature's Miracle is snake-safe? It says small animals, it's natural and people in the reviews have used it for reptiles, but I'm not sure;
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Mirac...7&sr=8-11&th=1

What disinfectant does everyone else use to clean their enclosures?

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I use F10SC. It hasn't been available for a year because of trade disputes, but just came back on the market. I am actually making a thread about this in a second.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/F10SC-100ml

This concentrate makes a ton of spray bottles. Follow the directions, but 100ml makes a bunch of 1 liter spray bottles. You spray, let it sit 5-10 minutes, it kills about everything, and also leaves a coating to protect the enclosure (from bacteria etc.).

You can also use Chlorhexidine, but I much prefer F10SC.


https://www.amazon.com/Durvet-B000HH...s%2C170&sr=8-5


I DO NOT USE NATURES MIRACLE AT ALL WITH MY REPTILES!!!!!!!!

However, I do use this which is cheaper, smells better, is natural, and doesn't hurt reptiles. They say you can spray it on them.

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

This stuff is amazing. I clean with F10SC, then spray this in and wipe it up and the cages smell fresh. A little goes a long way.

In a 6X2' boa tank, 3 sprays per 3FT of cage, or 6 sprays total, work great. I use this up much less quickly than the F10SC. If I spray 12 sprays of F10SC to disinfect, I use 3-6 sprays of this and the cage smells amazing. I can stick my head in and not know a snake or lizard made a mess.

Healthy Habitat is NOT a concentrate and does not disinfect. USE F10SC or Chlorhexidine to disinfect.

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Originally Posted by dakski

I use F10SC. It hasn't been available for a year because of trade disputes, but just came back on the market. I am actually making a thread about this in a second.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/F10SC-100ml

This concentrate makes a ton of spray bottles. Follow the directions, but 100ml makes a bunch of 1 liter spray bottles. You spray, let it sit 5-10 minutes, it kills about everything, and also leaves a coating to protect the enclosure (from bacteria etc.).

You can also use Chlorhexidine, but I much prefer F10SC.


https://www.amazon.com/Durvet-B000HH...s%2C170&sr=8-5


I DO NOT USE NATURES MIRACLE AT ALL WITH MY REPTILES!!!!!!!!

However, I do use this which is cheaper, smells better, is natural, and doesn't hurt reptiles. They say you can spray it on them.

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

This stuff is amazing. I clean with F10SC, then spray this in and wipe it up and the cages smell fresh. A little goes a long way.

In a 6X2' boa tank, 3 sprays per 3FT of cage, or 6 sprays total, work great. I use this up much less quickly than the F10SC. If I spray 12 sprays of F10SC to disinfect, I use 3-6 sprays of this and the cage smells amazing. I can stick my head in and not know a snake or lizard made a mess.

Healthy Habitat is NOT a concentrate and does not disinfect. USE F10SC or Chlorhexidine to disinfect.

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Daksi, I'm always looking to improve my own cleaning regiment, in ways that are both safe for the animal and cost-efficient. I use just hot water alone or F10SCXD to first clean any stuck grime, poop, urates in the enclosure. After it's all cleaned up, I then spray it down with F10SC and let it sit for 10 minutes, before I give it a final wipe. So I clean with water or F10SCXD first, then use F10SC to disinfect.

If I'm reading correctly, you do the disinfect first with the F10SC, then use the HH second?

No matter what you use, for "disinfectants" to work, the surfaces should be as free as possible of waste products & all other organic debris. This is true whether you want to use diluted F10, diluted chlorhexidine (-as I personally use), vinegar (which is pungent but also a mild disinfectant) or even bleach. Generic wipe down first doesn't even need soap if whatever is stuck on visibly comes off. You want to use disinfectants only on visibly-clean surfaces. (The disadvantages of bleach or vinegar are obvious- bleach is toxic, vinegar is "merely" irritating, both must be thoroughly rinsed out. I only use vinegar on water bowls- as it removes hard water crystals that tend to form.)

Once my tanks are devoid of debris (both substrate & excrement), then I spray them (sides & bottoms) with my chlorhexidine spray & let them sit for 15-20 minutes. Best I recall, you're also supposed to do the same thing with F10- to give the disinfectant time to actually work. Either of these options do not require rinsing- just wiped dry & that's all I do. I also use chlorhexidine for cleaning my rodent cages, where admittedly I don't usually wait as long for it to be most effective.

I have not found it necessary to use a product such as Natural Chemistry to enzymatically remove odors, but you're more likely to need this on plastic enclosures. For me, it's an extra un-needed step on glass tanks. I like Natural Chemistry brand products- I use their "waterless shampoo" for my elderly dogs, & from what I'm reading, it sounds like the "Nature's Miracle" product is similar (both use enzymes) & so it's probably also safe for reptiles but it would be nice if it stated as much.

There is nothing wrong with a bit of dish soap & water to clean up stuck-on excrement in enclosures before you disinfect, though in PVC enclosures, sometimes the urates & such get really baked on, especially with the higher temperatures used in housing BPs. (In the past, I had 2 enclosures made of HDPE, & for years I also used various Neodesha enclosures for some of my snakes. I do remember having trouble with a few spots at times.)

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Originally Posted by Charles8088

Daksi, I'm always looking to improve my own cleaning regiment, in ways that are both safe for the animal and cost-efficient. I use just hot water alone or F10SCXD to first clean any stuck grime, poop, urates in the enclosure. After it's all cleaned up, I then spray it down with F10SC and let it sit for 10 minutes, before I give it a final wipe. So I clean with water or F10SCXD first, then use F10SC to disinfect.

If I'm reading correctly, you do the disinfect first with the F10SC, then use the HH second?

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What you do makes sense.

I usually don’t have too much stuck on the PVC floor because I use paper substrate and most of the animals are good with aim. The ones that aren’t as good I spray everything, wipe up, and spray the affected area again for ten minutes.

I always do the HH last.

I never used Chlorhexidine or HH. But, will probably start buying and using the Chlorhexidine, since I've always read good things about it and seems much cheaper than the F10.

But, I like the smell of F10. It's not artificially scented, as you know, but smells "fresh" to me, after I wipe it all down. And safe for the animal. How does the other two smell? I think you already said HH smells nice.

Chlorhexidine leaves no scent- it's not about what you do smell, it's more about what you don't. :D

And yes, chlorhexidine is more widely used & available- feed stores carry it, for example- & it's much cheaper.

It's also used as an ingredient in some mouthwash, so if you really want a minty-fresh cage, you could wipe it out with mouthwash. (But I can't promise the remaining ingredients are safe, or that the mint or other odors won't irritate your snake who has to breathe it in 24/7 as long as the scent lingers.) ;)

I use diluted chlorhexidine also. No smell and easy to find/buy.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Chlorhexidine leaves no scent- it's not about what you do smell, it's more about what you don't. :D

And yes, chlorhexidine is more widely used & available- feed stores carry it, for example- & it's much cheaper.

It's also used as an ingredient in some mouthwash, so if you really want a minty-fresh cage, you could wipe it out with mouthwash. (But I can't promise the remaining ingredients are safe, or that the mint or other odors won't irritate your snake who has to breathe it in 24/7 as long as the scent lingers.) ;)

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Is there a specific brand of chlorhexidine that you use? I'm running a little low on F10 myself and wouldn't mind trying something different this go around.

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Originally Posted by Hugsplox

Is there a specific brand of chlorhexidine that you use? I'm running a little low on F10 myself and wouldn't mind trying something different this go around.

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I know the question is not intended for me, since I've never used it. But, this is the one that others have told me they use, and the one I will probably get:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHNZVW...GTGN9RHNPQSXD8

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Originally Posted by Charles8088

I know the question is not intended for me, since I've never used it. But, this is the one that others have told me they use, and the one I will probably get:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHNZVW...GTGN9RHNPQSXD8

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Thanks Charles! This is what I was looking at as well, just wanted to make sure I was on the same page as everyone else.

This is the one I use(Durvet B000HHSD8M n Chlorhexidine 2% Solution, 16 fl. oz): https://amzn.to/3lG4yuX

I’m getting some Chlorhexidine, but I’ve never used it before and the measurements confuse me for diluting. I watched a Snake Discovery video about it & it says 1:32 parts chemical-to-water per gallon...but idk how much that equates to with a spray bottle. The size I typically use is a 32 oz, so I’m just not sure how much of the chemical I should put in...

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Originally Posted by Charles8088

I know the question is not intended for me, since I've never used it. But, this is the one that others have told me they use, and the one I will probably get:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHNZVW...GTGN9RHNPQSXD8

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Yes, this is the one I'm currently using, though in the past I've had other brands depending on regional availability. It's a "generic" product, all brands should be equal.

BTW, there is a patented version of this that has been around for many years & widely used by veterinary clinics called Nolvasan- it has a slightly different formulation to be effective against more things, but it's quite expensive & IMO it's over-kill for the average pet-owner. I used it years ago when I had many more snakes than I do now, & when I took in rescues of all kinds (both native & exotics) on a regular basis. Just fyi. If you find yourself in the business of breeding high-end snakes, & want to do everything possible to protect your substantial investment, either Nolvasan or F10 is probably the way to go & would be deductible as a business expense anyway. At this point all my snakes are long-term residents & captive-bred, nothing coming in, so for me, generic chlorhexidine is just fine, as I believe it is for most members here. (Nolvasan is used the same way as the generic- much-diluted, spray on-wait- & wipe dry).

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Originally Posted by Hi I am Snek

I’m getting some Chlorhexidine, but I’ve never used it before and the measurements confuse me for diluting. I watched a Snake Discovery video about it & it says 1:32 parts chemical-to-water per gallon...but idk how much that equates to with a spray bottle. The size I typically use is a 32 oz, so I’m just not sure how much of the chemical I should put in...

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That's EASY: you want one ounce of chlorhexidine & the rest of the 32 ounces is water, so just fill the bottle. (If your bottle holds exactly 32 ounces & no more, you'd actually end up with 1:31 but don't let that keep you up nights, lol. It doesn't matter.)

But- it's best to put most of the water in first, because the running water will cause the chlorhexidine to foam up a little & not allow you to add all the water to dilute it properly. Make sense?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's EASY: you want one ounce of chlorhexidine & the rest of the 32 ounces is water, so just fill the bottle. (If your bottle holds exactly 32 ounces & no more, you'd actually end up with 1:31 but don't let that keep you up nights, lol. It doesn't matter.)

But- it's best to put most of the water in first, because the running water will cause the chlorhexidine to foam up a little & not allow you to add all the water to dilute it properly. Make sense?

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I think it does, thank you! :)

I believe most of those dosage "caps", that come on medicines like Dimetapp and such, hold an ounce of liquid. You could use one of those to measure. Or a shot glass. ;)

What are you going to go with?

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Originally Posted by Spicey

I believe most of those dosage "caps", that come on medicines like Dimetapp and such, hold an ounce of liquid. You could use one of those to measure. Or a shot glass. ;)

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A 30 ml syringe = 1 oz as well.

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

A 30 ml syringe = 1 oz as well.

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Somehow I can just see myself dropping the syringe into my gallon of chlorhexidine if my grip slips...:rofl:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Somehow I can just see myself dropping the syringe into my gallon of chlorhexidine if my grip slips...:rofl:

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You and me both lol, that's why I picked up several of these from the local pharmacy. On Amazon they're a little pricier but it's the same thing.

https://www.amazon.com/Calibrated-Me.../dp/B000VCF6FG

I use these for all of my aquarium stuff, different syringes and stoppers for each item obviously, but they have saved my life.

Dollar store... always have those cheap little measuring cups of almost any measurement. Perfect for the snake cubby.

I also use chlorhex and I love it. I use it for my girl's enclosure, her hides, her foliage (artificial), everything. I put 1 oz in a 32 oz spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Measure with shot glass. [emoji14]

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To add, if you run the water down the side of the bottle (if you happen to add the solution first), it doesn't foam up as much. Trick from my bartender days lol.

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