Quote Originally Posted by Snagrio View Post
I'm a fool... Just did a smell test with renewed context and all but one of my snake enclosures smells of plastic (the only one who doesn't is the BP despite also having the same type of decor, his enclosure has a more natural earthy smell). Clearly I needed to do more than just a rinse to clean them before use and now I'm worried I've done irreversible harm to my babies...

I've promptly removed all the fake foliage decor from the corn snake PVC and the VBB's QT tub, and I'll have to effectively tear down most of the permanent VBB enclosure and get everything washed and soaked in a hot water vinegar solution. After all the work and money I've put into things and I still made a grave mistake, sigh...
You're not a fool, you're just someone that's grown up with plastic being used EVERY where, in many contexts, because it's so darn cheap & useful, that society just wants to overlook the downsides.

And people tend to forget how much bigger & tougher we are compared to our small pets, in terms of how much exposure to things is too much. But as someone with a lifelong interest in health, it's obvious to me that while exposure to toxic things is fairly inevitable these days, it's in our best interest to stay aware & to minimize risks as best we can (to avoid cancer or other health impacts).

Don't beat yourself up- I'm surely not...it's a fact that when we smell something (anything, whether food or fragrances, etc) all the time, we become "nose-blind" & tune it out, no longer noticing it. So just do your best to minimize the exposures now, & I'm sure it will be okay- it hasn't been "forever" at least.