Cleaning cage

[mricyfire]

Alright I have a glass critter cage and well after seeing what happened to crispy505 snake (hope it gets better for you) I want to make sure that this wont happen to mine.

Someone mentioned chemical burns...and well just want to make sure none of these are harmful to a snake.

I change mulch...use repti-bark. I clean the cage with soap and water. I clean the glass with windex inside and out and then use water and towels to clean up any residue left from the windex. Should I just not use windex or is it ok?

And then replace the mulch and clean all the caves and stuff with scrub brush soap and water.

[TheAudOne]

the windex I would worry about... I know others on here might say its no problem or some might say it is I duh know... but for me I dont use any chemicals and if I do I rinse 3 times after..I did dilute bleach i nthe tub and soak there bowls and rinse there tubs in it at one point...rinsing 3 times with hot water....I stopped that and now use vinager (I know I know make fun of me) and still rinse it out...
Since you use glass why not switch to diluted vinager? Its like cheap natural windex...

[Sausage]

....I stopped that and now use vinager (I know I know make fun of me) and still rinse it out...

You can use vinegar for ANYTHING! :eek:

[TheAudOne]

You can use vinegar for ANYTHING! :eek:

I use vinegar for just about everything you can imagine!!!! Get your mind out of the gutter!!!!!

[mricyfire]

never used vinegar for anything...will try it next time i clean. Do you mix it with anything or just straight up 100% vinegar?

[Gooseman]

I don't know too much about windex's chemical properties to say whether it's harmful or not. However, according to "Big Fat Greek Wedding" it is a medicine in it's own right. lol.

I used Zoo Med Wipe Out 1 (found at evil petco/petsmart/pet anything...) to clean my cage and everything in it. it's probably more expensive than necessay b/c it's a namebrand pet product, however I have not crossshopped it by volume with other cleaning products. I would just be VERY careful using bleach to make sure that it is well rinsed out and ventilated before re-introducing your animals into their set-up.

[jknudson]

Diluted Bleach! Spray, wipe, rinse.

[sweety314]

I wouldn't think that vinegar would be potent enough to kill the bacteria and germs. There's a big difference between sanitizing, cleaning and disinfecting.


Besides, most any vet will tell you, even w/a 1:10 bleach solution, the bleach has to be in contact with the surface 5 min or more to do any good. With THAT (I'm NOT a patient person, with a VERY busy life) and b/c of the smell and hassle of rinsing and then letting it outgas, I switched to the chlorohexadine.

U can buy a bottle of the 2% chlorohexadine gluconate solution and mix it up for A LOT of cleaning solution. Not as inexpensive, but it's much easier and faster to use.

[nebby3103]

Chlorohexadine is the way to go in my opinion. I use vinegar to clean the cage and remove all of the hard water stains and what not to make my tank look all shiny, but chlorohexadine is my disinfectant.

I wouldn't using Windex becuase of the amonia, which I always thought could cause burns to sensitive skin/mucus membranes (I could be wrong). If you insist on using Windex, they make an ammonia free version (which I believe uses vinegar...).

[Gooseman]

I wouldn't using Windex becuase of the amonia, which I always thought could cause burns to sensitive skin/mucus membranes (I could be wrong). If you insist on using Windex, they make an ammonia free version (which I believe uses vinegar...).

amonia can cause chemical burns, itchyness, repiratory distress, and eye destruction. this is why you change the substrate often, b/c the ammonia buildup in the urates.