cleaning animal plastics enclosures

[05kas05]

i just recently got my ap t3 enclosures set up so i was wondering with what and how do you guys clean your enclosures, i mean my tubs i can just take them in the backyard and wash them with soap and water. i dont see that happening with the enclosures such as the t3's or t8's that most of us use. so what is the best way to clean them? any ideas suggestions or links to products used would be greatly appreciated.

[Medusas Lair Herp]

make a 1-3% bleach solution and dip them in it. Usually a cap-full of clorox bleach in 5 gallons of water does the trick. This prevents mold growth, minimizes bacterial growth, and overall disinfects your tubs.

[05kas05]

i know how to clean my tubs i was looking for suggestions on cleaning the animal plastics enclosure such as the t3's and t8's i was wondering if people just sprayed them with a cleaner and wiped them out or do they actually take them outside scrub them down with soap and water and let dry then put everything back in and set it all back up

[The Serpent Merchant]

I remove/wipe up any messes in the cage then spray down with either Chlorhexidine or F10. Let that sit then wipe up.

Bleach in AP cages isn't the best idea as the fumes get trapped in and it takes forever to air out.

I scrub out my cages every other month, and disenfect when dirty.

[kitedemon]

I use F10 products, I remove everything from the enclosure and spray (water) the interior spray with F10scXD the cleanser. I scrub the interior down removing all organic residue I can and then rinse all the detergent out then dry with a clean cloth finally I saturate the surface with F10SC and wait 10 min and then dry it out. This is following the instructions. f10, CHD, CHG, bleach, iodine, and peroxides all work only on clean surfaces so cleaning the enclosure first is a must or there is no point to using a disinfectant.

http://www.f10biocare.co.uk/vetguidelines2.pdf
http://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-359873_mfr.pdf

[05kas05]

The Serpent Merchant ,this is going to sound like a dumb question but when you say scub out your cages every other month can you explain to me exactly how you do it.
i guess what i mean is do you clean it where they sit or do you move them outside take off the flexwatt scrub them down with soap and water and rinse of with the hose. im just trying to make sure i get my cleaning and maintenance done right and use the right stuff so i dont have any problems as far as cleanliness goes. so far i have only been cleaning with a light soap and water solution then wipping it out 2-3 times with a wet towel until the soap is gone then i let it dry and put everything back.

[kitedemon]

I can't speak for Aaron but i can tell you how I clean all my enclosures.

Remove all the furniture and start it to soak in hot soapy (f10scDX) water.
I use a shop vac and remove all the substrate.
Spray the interior with F10scXD detergent and scrub with a long bristle brush.
Rinse, rinse , and a third time.
I then spray F10sc on the interior.
While waiting I scrub the furniture I left in the hat water and rinse it.
Spray it with F10sc.
Re apply to the interior more F10sc (saturate means saturate and it runs off the sides and top)
The exterior I use a sponge with f10scXD and wash the top, VENTS especially back and sides. i do not do the bottom as there are no vents and electrical connections I do however check them every month and once a year remove test and clean under them and then return.
Dry everything (after it has sat for at least 10 min.)
return everything clean and disinfected.

- - - Updated - - -

This is how I do everything the rack I own excluded, I have to remove the heat from it every month in order to do a cleaning. It is a huge job and takes all bloody day.

[05kas05]

thanks for the detailed breakdown thats exactly what i was looking for, most people when asked just say pick up the pee or pooh and wipe it out with a sponge but i know there is a right and wrong way to do things and i figure most of the people here have been doing it a lot longer than me which is why i asked. this way i can have everything planned and have all the supplies i need and there wont be any suprizes when i do my daily cleaning or my monthly scrub downs . thanks again

[The Serpent Merchant]

The Serpent Merchant ,this is going to sound like a dumb question but when you say scub out your cages every other month can you explain to me exactly how you do it.
i guess what i mean is do you clean it where they sit or do you move them outside take off the flexwatt scrub them down with soap and water and rinse of with the hose. im just trying to make sure i get my cleaning and maintenance done right and use the right stuff so i dont have any problems as far as cleanliness goes. so far i have only been cleaning with a light soap and water solution then wipping it out 2-3 times with a wet towel until the soap is gone then i let it dry and put everything back.

Pulling an entire stack of cages apart would be a huge pain. I just pull the glass doors off, remove the divider (if the cage has one) and scrub it down with dawn dish soap, then I disinfect it with either F10 or chlorhexidine.

If you keep up with the your cleaning (clean it as soon as the snake soils it) then the full/deep cleaning is much easier.

So as soon as the snake soils a cage I remove the hides/water dish/paper substrate and quickly wipe the effected spots. Then I spray down the entire cage with F10 or chlorhexidine. Let it sit, and then wipe up.

Every other month I pull everything out if the cage including the divider and really scrub everything down. I put my water dishes/Reptile basic hides through the dishwasher at this time as well. Everything gets disinfected then I put the cages back together.