Double-take cleaning

[Zaenya]

Im a new ball python owner, and thanks to this forum Ive been able to take great care of him so far. I fed him today for the first time, and cleaned his tank while he worked on getting it down (seperate cage feeding.) My concern is that after putting him back in his cage, I noticed some bleach residue on the outside of his tank. My worst fear is my little guy getting any sort of infection, so naturally I wanted to do a double rinse of the tank, but I didnt want to relocate him again and potentially stress him out. I plan on doing it tomorrow, when he's digested a bit more. Should I be concerned for any harm this could potentially cause, even if he's exposed to it for only a short time? He hasn't shown any abnormal behavior since I put him back in his home, but naturally, Im going to be paranoid.

Thanks.

[KMG]

If the bleach is on the outside it should not cause any problems. If you have bleach inside that could cause an issue. Did you not let the tank dry before placing your snake back inside?

Feeding in a different cage is not required or needed for your snake. It is not going to become aggressive if it eats in it's house and alittle substrate is not an issue either. The only thing changing cages does is cause stress to the snake, increase your odds of getting bit while you handle your snake in feeding mode, and become a bother when you have a larger collection.

I would not clean on the same day I feed. If spot cleaning is needed then take care of that but any main cleaning I try to do after the snake has a movement. This way you are removing your snake while it is empty and not causing any stress during the digestion process.

[The Serpent Merchant]

If you can still smell bleach you haven't rinsed it enough.

This is why I don't use or recommend bleach to clean animal cages. Sure it will kill pretty much everything in the cage, but it is a nasty chemical that can do equal damage to you and the cages inhabitant.

There are numerous animal safe disinfectants on the market. The two that are used the most are chlorhexidine and F10 veterinary disinfectant. These chemicals have been developed for this specific task and are safe to use around animals (when diluted according to the directions). They also have the added benefit of leaving behind a protective film on the cage surfaces that actively prevent bacteria from growing.

Here is where you can purchase these chemicals: http://www.reptilebasics.com/cleaning-products

These concentrates go a long way. For example a 1 gallon jug of chlorhexidine will make 128 gallons of usable cleaning solution (1 floz of chlorhexidine mixed with 1 gallon of water) My sister is a vet and they use this stuff in stronger concentrations to disinfect kennels and even inspection/surgery tables. (anything that can't fit into their autoclave) Yet it is so safe when diluted properly it can even be used as mouthwash for dogs or as a disinfectant on open cuts.

[Rob]

I'm a big fan of F10, great stuff

[kitedemon]

If you are going to use bleach I would add a step to cleaning as a precaution place the bleached objects out in bright direct sun for two or three hours. Bleach is broken down by UV (among other things) so if there is even a tiny little bit it will be neutralized.

I too would recommend F10SC first, as it is very stable (6 months diluted with tap water) and non toxic. Chlorhexidine second as it is less stable (2 weeks after dilution with tap water) It also needs to be stored diluted in air tight containers. It is easier just to mix up what you need and toss the left over.

All disinfectants only work of clean surfaces they are not cleaners but to be used after cleaners. F10 has a detergent they recommend for use with the F10SC, it is F10SCxd, I suspect any soap/detergent will work just fine. However both are available at http://www.bigreptileworld.co.uk/f10...oducts-9-c.asp no where in the US carries the whole line.

[Zaenya]

Wow, thanks for all the outstanding responses.

I do towel dry my tank before setting anything up again, and I dont see or smell any bleach on the inside. The residue is mainly under one of the outside rims, so now that I think of it, it's probably nothing to worry about. However, I will do a second rinse today just to make sure my baby stays healthy. Thanks for all the advice, I think I will invest in these animal-specfic disinfectants as well.