Going to get cleaner

I've been cleaning out my reptile cages with aquarium cleaner so far. Its a mild cleaner and uses the same basic rules as bleach. Rinse until you can't smell it anymore.

Now I want to upgrade to Chlorhexadine. I found a 16oz bottle online for $7.99 not including shipping. It says it makes up to 16 gallons of mix. So, I have a few questions.

1) I've heard that this stuff can only keep for a certain time. How long is a gallon good for?

2) Does it follow the same rules as bleach. Rinse until the smell is gone?

3) Is it better to get the gallon jug for $28.99 (not including shipping)?

4) For two reptile tanks, how long will 16oz/1 gallon last me?

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Now I want to upgrade to Chlorhexadine. I found a 16oz bottle online for $7.99 not including shipping. It says it makes up to 16 gallons of mix. So, I have a few questions.

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You'll love it

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1) I've heard that this stuff can only keep for a certain time. How long is a gallon good for?

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Well you want to mix a fresh batch every cleaning to make sure you get it's full cleaning strength. But it has an expiration date on the jug.

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2) Does it follow the same rules as bleach. Rinse until the smell is gone?

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Nope spray in - wipe out - rock on
You can even use it on small wounds your BP might get but check with your vet first.

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3) Is it better to get the gallon jug for $28.99 (not including shipping)?

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Depends on how much you use. I can get it local so shipping isn't a thing for me

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4) For two reptile tanks, how long will 16oz/1 gallon last me?

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Also depends on how often to totally clean

Can I find Chlorhexidine in petstores? Or do I have to go to a farm supply store? (I have no idea where to find one of those)

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Can I find Chlorhexidine in petstores? Or do I have to go to a farm supply store? (I have no idea where to find one of those)

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Try your local Co-op or Farm supply store. It's a veterinarian antimicrobial they use to clean tools, and wounds. People know it cause its used as a mouth wash and the blue stuff in the jar that your barber put the combs in. :d

I will try to find a Farm Supply store around here somewhere. I'm about to go out pet shopping (cat food, mealworms, ect), so I'll try and find one online before I leave.

Thanks!

Good luck!

Glad I could help

There are no farm supply stores in my area. I guess I'll have to buy online.

Wait to buy online

I get mine at www.reptilebasics.com , maybe you aleady know this just an FYI.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

There are no farm supply stores in my area. I guess I'll have to buy online.

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Southern States in the Richmond area carries Nolvasan (brand name chlorhexidine), and most carry both Nolvasan S (disinfectant) and Nolvasan Surgical Scrub (chlorhexidine glucosonate - the safer stuff).

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Southern States in the Richmond area carries Nolvasan (brand name chlorhexidine), and most carry both Nolvasan S (disinfectant) and Nolvasan Surgical Scrub (chlorhexidine glucosonate - the safer stuff).

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I call and they said they didn't carry that.. :mad: they must have not known what I was talking about. :D

www.valleyvet.com Fast shipping and you can get a gallon of the concentrate for around $15. I use it to clean tubs, clean water bowls, rinse out rat wounds(on the rats), wipe dirty snakes down, etc. It's safe to use inside the mouth and strong enough to kill your average bacteria. Also takes off urates very well :)

Chlorhex is good stuff.

Make sure you get the solution, not the scrub. The scrub is thick and soapy and not intended for use in spray bottles, but for direct cleaning of skin.

Also, (and this may be a regional thing as somebody else said it dosen't happen to them) if you dilute it with tap water, it precipitates out into a milky diffuse layer and forms a hard blue coating on anything that soaks in it (you wanna see cranky, picture me scrubbing dozens of little pointy surgical instruments left overnight in the stuff after a new hire mixed it with tap water). I imagine it would clog up spray bottles as well. This also happens when it's added to sterile IV fluids for use in flushing wounds...pretty much anything except distilled water.

To avoid this, get a gallon of distilled water and add one ounce of chlorhex - use that gallon jug to refill your spray bottle. It'll keep indefinitely this way and won't precipitate out.

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Make sure you get the solution, not the scrub. The scrub is thick and soapy and not intended for use in spray bottles, but for direct cleaning of skin.

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I actually used the Nolvasan Surgical Scrub and did not have any issues like this with it in a spray bottle.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

www.valleyvet.com Fast shipping and you can get a gallon of the concentrate for around $15. I use it to clean tubs, clean water bowls, rinse out rat wounds(on the rats), wipe dirty snakes down, etc. It's safe to use inside the mouth and strong enough to kill your average bacteria. Also takes off urates very well :)

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Thanks for the link. I just ordered up a gallon.

So if I make the gallon of chlorhexidine with DISTILLED water instead of tap water, it keeps longer? That would be nice because I would feel so wasteful having to dump so much cleaner down the drain because I only clean two tanks.

And thanks for all the replies. :carrot:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

So if I make the gallon of chlorhexidine with DISTILLED water instead of tap water, it keeps longer? That would be nice because I would feel so wasteful having to dump so much cleaner down the drain because I only clean two tanks.

And thanks for all the replies. :carrot:

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Yup. A gallon of distilled water is about $0.53 at Wally-world.

Wow, that makes things so much easier.

Thanks everyone!