Reptile safe disinfectant out there?

I am asking if there is any disinfectant that could safely be used ON a reptile, not just the cage.
Since I have learned about cryptosporidia after emergency housing a half dead leopard gecko for a day, I have become EXTREMELY anxious. I never knew if the leopard gecko was positive since I had it only one day, than spipped him off to another keeper and he died shortly after but anyhow....
After this I am so scared I only touch my ball python with gloves and try to prevent anything from outside his enclosure to get inside which is very hard.
So I disinfect as much as I can but I am still anxious since I cannot disinfect my snake.
Is there anything at all that would be safe to clean a snake with?

F10...

I use F10 for all my cleaning. I've never used it on my BP's or leopard geckos but I've spoken to more than one who have said they have.

I suppose their logic can be supported by when we clean the enclosures or equipment with it which they can then easily transfer to their mouths and ingest if they rub their heads on the sides / drink from an F10 cleaned bowl etc etc.

Did you keep this sick leopard gecko in the same room as your BP? Did you handle the sick leopard gecko and then go pick up your healthy snake? I understand why you’re experiencing some anxiety, but I think you may be trying to kill a fly with a shotgun, so to speak.

If your enclosures are clean, wash your hands between handling animals, and you quarantine new arrivals you should be fine. I wouldn’t go wiping my snakes down with F10 or chlorhexidine regardless of if it may or may not have any adverse effects.

Yeah I use F10 for all cleaning/ disinfecting.. it’s used by all UK vets so that’s good enough for me .

Just follow the diluting instructions carefully.. I think it’s 1 part : 250 water from memory for disinfectant


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hugsplox

Did you keep this sick leopard gecko in the same room as your BP? Did you handle the sick leopard gecko and then go pick up your healthy snake? I understand why you’re experiencing some anxiety, but I think you may be trying to kill a fly with a shotgun, so to speak.

If your enclosures are clean, wash your hands between handling animals, and you quarantine new arrivals you should be fine. I wouldn’t go wiping my snakes down with F10 or chlorhexidine regardless of if it may or may not have any adverse effects.

---

No. I had it for one day only, kept in antoher room with it's tank. I toched the gecko only with gloves but I touched items of the enclosure with my hands. I did wash my hands and disinfected them but only with "normal" disinfectant that is not effective against cryptosporidia as I later learned. As soon as I knew this I bought stronger disinfectant marketed against cryptos and wiped down every surface the geckos tank came in contact with. I washed blankets in my home I placed the items on. I did what I could.
But since I didn't use this disinfectant early on I now am paranoid my home and myself could have the parasites somewhere and if I let my snake touch anything out of it's enclosure it will get sick.
I wish there was a way to relieve my mind of this but I have been told cryptos last around six months and this happend three weeks ago, so I will probably not get over it till then.
It also bugs me that I don't even know if the gecko had it. It was severely malnourished. People in the reptile community said to me it looked like the geckos with cryptos, it had the dreaded "stick tail". But now it's too late to know if it was sick or just so underfed.
It's not fun at all to not be able to touch my BP.

I wouldn't worry to much about it, what's done is done. For future reference some snake mite treatments might be effective against germs and they're obviously safe to use on snakes.

Has anyone had experience with UV-C Lighting? Does it do much at all?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CakeLike

Has anyone had experience with UV-C Lighting? Does it do much at all?

---

You mean like they use in hospitals? NO, & don't even go there. Anything you can afford to buy won't do a darn thing, regardless of whatever tv-schtick they try to sell you on. Nor could I promise it's safe to use.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

You mean like they use in hospitals? NO, & don't even go there. Anything you can afford to buy won't do a darn thing, regardless of whatever tv-schtick they try to sell you on. Nor could I promise it's safe to use.

---

I mean something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F4K8YCZ...366533&sr=8-13

What about dish soap or soaps in general at least? for washing sometimes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CakeLike

Has anyone had experience with UV-C Lighting? Does it do much at all?

---

It should not be used on the snake. UVC works by radiation and is very harmful to living things. That's why it's used for killing microorganisms in the air and water. I was just researching UVCs effectiveness on preventing the spread of airborne snake virus like nidovirus.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Erie_herps

It should not be used on the snake. UVC works by radiation and is very harmful to living things. That's why it's used for killing microorganisms in the air and water. I was just researching UVCs effectiveness on preventing the spread of airborne snake virus like nidovirus.

---

Well then there's nothing out there after all :tears: .
Any soaps at least so I can wash him sometime? At least that would make me feel better.

You could use dawn dish soap or similar but I really don't see how that would help. Even if it does make you feel better it would likely cause more harm than good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CakeLike

Well then there's nothing out there after all :tears: .
Any soaps at least so I can wash him sometime? At least that would make me feel better.

---

We (living creatures) all have beneficial bacteria as well as those not beneficial. If your snake truly needs a bath (which I doubt- & remember they shed now & then too) then plain water is what you use ON the snake, nothing else. Actually, better yet would be to let him slide thru a damp towel a few times- it's not nearly as stressful for a snake as trying to bathe them. Please don't obsess over cleaning a snake- you'll more likely to cause harm.

(UNLESS they have mites, then it's okay to use A DROP of mild liquid soap in the water- but understand, that's not there to clean the snake, but only because it breaks the surface tension so the mites will drown rather than float & survive. It's bad if the snake swallows any soap water- it's likely to cause digestive upsets.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Erie_herps

You could use dawn dish soap or similar but I really don't see how that would help. Even if it does make you feel better it would likely cause more harm than good.

---

PLEASE do not encourage this. (see my post above)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Erie_herps

You could use dawn dish soap or similar but I really don't see how that would help. Even if it does make you feel better it would likely cause more harm than good.

---

It just went past my editing window so I have to make a new post.
Dish soap should not be used on snakes for cleaning. It causes more harm than good and plain water should be used for bathing.

Just a suggestion for you. Not that this should be your responsibility as I'm assuming you aren't the owner and keeper of the Gecko, but, maybe you could suggest having the geckos stool sample sent off for a relatively inexpensive test for cryptosporidium. Should that test come back negative, all your worries can be averted.

Yes, stick tail can be an indicator of crypto but it isn't a definitive for it.

Sadly, our first gecko suffered with stick tail and anorexia and we spent a small fortune trying to see him right, but he did pass away. Of what we're not totally certain, but it wasn't crypto as that test came back negative.

In the interim, just F10 anything and everything you think you may have touched. Spray the F10 on (watch the electrics, obviously), allow it a few minutes and wipe off.

CakeLike, I can understand your anxiety about possibly exposing your snake to a sick gecko- please be more careful in the future & always ALWAYS practice quarantine for any new animals (even those temporarily in your care) for the safety of all the others you may have around.

But just in case someone suggests (or you get the notion to) spraying something like F10 disinfectant directly ON any live pets, please DON'T. I'd suggest that you READ ALL THE FINE PRINT ON THE PRODUCT LABEL- I think you'll see that the product is more lethal than the illness you're only imagining might be there.

I feel the same way about using F10 "off-label" in a fogger for RI's. While I know some have tried that with varying degrees of outcomes, I personally would NOT -unless that advice came from my vet & knowing there is updated safety testing to justify doing this, & then only carefully following instructions.

Because just as Erie_herps was saying earlier (cautioning against trying to use UVC) the thing about these "antiseptic" chemicals is that they KILL living things by design. And just because we get used to using these cleaning products routinely in our homes, please don't get complacent & forget their danger to living things. That goes for laundry bleach too- it KILLS- & such chemicals don't distinguish the "good" from the "bad".

While properly diluted F10, Nolvasan or chlorhexidine are safe to spray on your cages & equipment, then always wiping them dry, they're NOT made to wash our animals with. When I first saw this thread title, I assumed you were asking for suggested products to clean enclosures with. With any luck though, your snake will be just fine. :please:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bleh

Just a suggestion for you. Not that this should be your responsibility as I'm assuming you aren't the owner and keeper of the Gecko, but, maybe you could suggest having the geckos stool sample sent off for a relatively inexpensive test for cryptosporidium. Should that test come back negative, all your worries can be averted.

Yes, stick tail can be an indicator of crypto but it isn't a definitive for it.

Sadly, our first gecko suffered with stick tail and anorexia and we spent a small fortune trying to see him right, but he did pass away. Of what we're not totally certain, but it wasn't crypto as that test came back negative.

In the interim, just F10 anything and everything you think you may have touched. Spray the F10 on (watch the electrics, obviously), allow it a few minutes and wipe off.

---

The gecko is dead. I safed it out of the goodness of my heart from terrible care even though I didn't know much about geckos. See where it got me. My good samaritan times are over for good now.
I shipped it off to a keeper who could care for a gecko but it died right after. And this person left me alone eith my worries after it died and got rid of the body without testing. So yeah no way of knowing now.
I did clean what I could. But I have no way of knowing where it could have spread in my home since I cannot detect these microorganisms.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I feel the same way about using F10 "off-label" in a fogger for RI's. While I know some have tried that with varying degrees of outcomes, I personally would NOT -unless that advice came from my vet & knowing there is updated safety testing to justify doing this, & then only carefully following instructions.

---

Here are 2 of the main ingredients in F10, to support your claim.
https://www.unitedlabsinc.com/conten...msds/64sds.pdf
https://www.essentialingredients.com...%20070%20S.pdf
I would question anyone who says these should be inhaled.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

CakeLike, I can understand your anxiety about possibly exposing your snake to a sick gecko- please be more careful in the future & always ALWAYS practice quarantine for any new animals (even those temporarily in your care) for the safety of all the others you may have around.

But just in case someone suggests (or you get the notion to) spraying something like F10 disinfectant directly ON any live pets, please DON'T. I'd suggest that you READ ALL THE FINE PRINT ON THE PRODUCT LABEL- I think you'll see that the product is more lethal than the illness you're only imagining might be there.

I feel the same way about using F10 "off-label" in a fogger for RI's. While I know some have tried that with varying degrees of outcomes, I personally would NOT -unless that advice came from my vet & knowing there is updated safety testing to justify doing this, & then only carefully following instructions.

Because just as Erie_herps was saying earlier (cautioning against trying to use UVC) the thing about these "antiseptic" chemicals is that they KILL living things by design. And just because we get used to using these cleaning products routinely in our homes, please don't get complacent & forget their danger to living things. That goes for laundry bleach too- it KILLS- & such chemicals don't distinguish the "good" from the "bad".

While properly diluted F10, Nolvasan or chlorhexidine are safe to spray on your cages & equipment, then always wiping them dry, they're NOT made to wash our animals with. When I first saw this thread title, I assumed you were asking for suggested products to clean enclosures with. With any luck though, your snake will be just fine. :please:

---

I didn't know about crypto since I am only interested in ball pythons I never researched illnesses specifically common in leopard geckos. And common illnesses in ball pythons usually are not incurable and lethal, so yeah I was blissfully unaware. It was unfortunate but happend because of my caring nature. But I have learned good deeds don't pay off so even though it pains me to see mistreated animals I won't "help" again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CakeLike

I didn't know about crypto since I am only interested in ball pythons I never researched illnesses specifically common in leopard geckos. And common illnesses in ball pythons usually are not incurable and lethal, so yeah I was blissfully unaware. It was unfortunate but happend because of my caring nature. But I have learned good deeds don't pay off so even though it pains me to see mistreated animals I won't "help" again.

---

What illnesses are usually lethal? I haven't heard that most are lethal, some, but not most.
If you follow proper quarantine procedures many rescues are curable. I've seen some where geckos (even ones with rubber-like legs from mbd) are on their deathbed and still recover. However, proper quarantine is a must along with testing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Erie_herps

What illnesses are usually lethal? I haven't heard that most are lethal, some, but not most.
If you follow proper quarantine procedures many rescues are curable. I've seen some where geckos (even ones with rubber-like legs from mbd) are on their deathbed and still recover. However, proper quarantine is a must along with testing.

---

Well crypto is what I am talking about. I have gotten opinions on my situation from other reptile keepers before and most of them basically made clear that cryptosporida is a death sentence and it's uncurable. Most common in leopard geckos (which I didn't know) and apparently transfarable to snakes also.
Someone even told me I should not touch my snake for two years now since these cryptos are that horrible. It basically made me feel like I have the black death in my home and my snake will be on deaths bed because of it. That's why I am paranoid now about germs with my snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Erie_herps

Here are 2 of the main ingredients in F10, to support your claim.
https://www.unitedlabsinc.com/conten...msds/64sds.pdf
https://www.essentialingredients.com...%20070%20S.pdf
I would question anyone who says these should be inhaled.

---

I know- I tried F10 a few years back, & was sorry I did after I thoroughly read the label. (It was shipped to me.) The stuff is nasty, with many product cautions, yet there is at least one "herp guy in business & with a big megaphone" that touts the F10-fogging to treat RI's in snakes. But as I tell people, these are not his personal pets, they're inventory, as far as I can tell. Big difference, at least to me. :( So I'd be wary of who you (anyone reading here) listen to & believe- we don't all have the same values. Don't be afraid to ask questions & use common sense.

Erie_herps, I'm so glad to know you feel the same way about using F10 as an inhaled treatment for herps after reading the "fine print". :cool:

I will be testing his poop regularly to keep my mind sane but IF in fact I had these parasites somswhere in my home it wouldn't do me much good if it comes out negative since I could still be infecting my snake every time I come in contact with him.

Crypto is a nasty disease and antiseptics strong enough to kill it are too strong to use directly on your reptiles. F10 will handle everything else and when dry or even just damp on a surface, like if you've wiped it with a dampened paper towel, it won't hurt your reptiles.

It's also not likely that your snake picked up crypto as transmission is fecal-oral. Lizard colonies get it because co-habitated critters run through feces, then they run through their water, and other lizards drink the water. If you washed your hands after cleaning up after the lizard then your snake is likely fine.

That's not to downplay just how dangerous crypto is - I did have a snake I purchased die from it - but because I quarantined her, always worked with her last, and washed my hands afterward, the disease never jumped to my other critters.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CakeLike

I didn't know about crypto since I am only interested in ball pythons I never researched illnesses specifically common in leopard geckos. And common illnesses in ball pythons usually are not incurable and lethal, so yeah I was blissfully unaware. It was unfortunate but happened because of my caring nature. But I have learned good deeds don't pay off so even though it pains me to see mistreated animals I won't "help" again.

---

There's more than just one thing to worry about your snake catching from a lizard- maybe, for example nidovirus (see below), not to mention pathogens that are as yet unknown. Alas, life is never simple or completely safe. Plenty of diseases that BPs might catch, some lethal, but that's not saying they always will either. So for now, think positive & please TRY not to panic right now. On the other hand, when you're mostly a beginner, it would be better to leave the sick herps to those with more experience, unless you have access to a really good herp vet & plenty of funds. I know you meant well, but yes, "good deeds" can bite you, or your other pets.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...21.733404/full

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/11/1329/pdf

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

There's more than just one thing to worry about your snake catching from a lizard- maybe, for example nidovirus (see below), not to mention pathogens that are as yet unknown. Alas, life is never simple or completely safe. Plenty of diseases that BPs might catch, some lethal, but that's not saying they always will either. So for now, think positive & please TRY not to panic right now. On the other hand, when you're mostly a beginner, it would be better to leave the sick herps to those with more experience, unless you have access to a really good herp vet & plenty of funds. I know you meant well, but yes, "good deeds" can bite you, or your other pets.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...21.733404/full

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/11/1329/pdf

---

Yes I know. But I am not worried about curable diseases.
I only picked the gecko up because I was in contact with a more experienced keeper who said she'd take it. So I considered myself only the middleman. And I didn't really think when I did this. I was just so worried about the animal that I had to act quick since I believed it could die any moment.
But yeah, lesson learned. Being a stone hearted "don't care" person protects my animals.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

It's also not likely that your snake picked up crypto as transmission is fecal-oral. Lizard colonies get it because co-habitated critters run through feces, then they run through their water, and other lizards drink the water. If you washed your hands after cleaning up after the lizard then your snake is likely fine.

---

I was about to add something along these lines. So to support what bcr229 is saying here, it's very unlikely the cryptosporidium parasites, even if that is what the unfortunate little gecko suffered with, ever left its body if he didn't have a bowel movement whilst with you.

And all that aside, your basic hygiene steps between handling the gecko and BP should have been safety enough to protect your little BP.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CakeLike

But yeah, lesson learned. Being a stone hearted "don't care" person protects my animals.

---

I don't think this is the best attitude to have towards the situation. You've had a scare and yea if I were you, based on what appears to be some inexperience and anxiety over your healthy animals, I would maybe forego "rescuing" or fostering anything for awhile. At least until you feel really certain that you have a fail-proof quarantine process in place. Like many others have said, I don't think you have a lot to worry about with your BP.

I don't say any of that to be mean or to put you off from helping at-risk animals, and if you're interested in doing that more often I encourage you to do a lot of research and set yourself up so you can do it safetly. Safe for you and your pets.

Just use f10

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jamiekerk

Just use f10

---

Yes

Properly diluted F10 is perfect - vets swear by it

( 1 part F10 to 250 parts water I think )


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro