Cage cleaning query

[JubJub]

I am gonna clean Jubs home for the first time next week when I get back from vacation. I use Reptisoil for a substrate (or something like that name). While I was going to clean I was going to transfer jub jub over to a rubermaid and UTH for a little while why I did the cleaning. Can i use the reptisoil, just a light coating in the Rubbermaid, or would you suggest just newspaper?

My cleaning procedure I am thinking of doing this:
1. Dry out substrate and shovel it out of the terraium to remove most of the debris.
2. Rinse thouroughly with water.
3. Soak with bleach solution (what is a good ratio? 1:10 water to bleach or even smaller amount like cap full to a gallon?)
4. Rinse several times thouroughly.
5. Dry outside for 3 days in sun and fresh air.

If my process is hosed up somewhere please let me know...thanks.

[Smulkin]

Newspaper would be easiest and cleanest. Why 3 days for drying? Is the tank you are cleaning glass or plastic?

1:10 is a good ratio I use it and a regular (non scratchy) sponge on the tupperware to clean with. A thorough series of rinses coupled with good swabbing with a second (non bleach-infused) sponge


(EDIT - typing today is extra craptastic sorry)

[Anonymous]

Go Smulkin its your birthday ...
Anyways, I use around the same ratio of bleach to water.
Why would you dry for 3 days?!

[JubJub]

Thought that the 3 days drying would raise some concern...I have a glass aquarium. Maybe only one day...just trying to schdule it out though.

I am leaning toward the reptisoil stuff (actually just saw it today when I picked up mouse it's called bed a beast I think) because He is use to living in that, and the feed tank is newspaper, so he would associate the newspaper with feeding and all. Whereas my clean/transportation Rubermaid setup I would want to have the soild substrate to accomodate his actuall living conditions.

By the way, with cleaning do I have to clean his wood climb thing, the fake plastic plant, and his hide and in the same manner? I already have cleaned his water bowl thoroughly (do that about every 2 weeks), whereas everyday I change and rinse out the bowl.

[Marla]

For lots of good info, read Jonah's Cage Cleaning 101.

[JubJub]

Thank you for the link Marla...I will probably go bleach and alchol for the first clean, and I will invest in that Virosan stuff.

[jotay]

Virosan totally rocks! You will love using it.