Quote Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum View Post
I myself really like to know 'mechanisms of effect', but that might not be a box that the various husbandry issues fill well.

Not your question, but: in the thread you use as a supporting citation there was not sufficient evidence to establish that the chemical caused the issue. It was one anecdotal instance of post hoc correlation. Further, the OP said the snake seemed to be rubbing the area, which would also cause redness, especially if rubbed enough to cause scale damage which the OP noted. The OP also noted that after using the disinfectant the surfaces were both wiped clean and rinsed with water, so it isn't even clear whether the chemical was even present (except to appeal to the symptoms, but that's fallacious reasoning).

Note also that some indispensable disinfectants (ammonia and H2O2 are the only practical disinfectants that have been shown to inactivate cryptosporidium spores, for example) have serious health risks, so recommending a halt to usage of any disinfectants with such hazards wouldn't be beneficial.

Benzalkonium chloride is actually used in a bath for reptiles and amphibians:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/avj.12341
https://academic.oup.com/mmy/article...9/4/215/943369

None of this is to say that a different disinfectant wouldn't be better (benzalkonium chloride actually has shortcomings in efficacy, which is reason enough to use something else), but only to say that as a source for a factual claim that thread falls quite short.
Thanks for the revisional information — do you want to be listed as a collaborator?