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Disinfectant alternatives

jpccusa

jpccusa

Happy with this new hobby
For some reason bleach always find a way to stain my clothes.
With a huge viv (unmoveable), what other disinfectant solution I could use that:
1- is safe for the snake
2- does not require (much) rinsing
3- is readily available
4- is not extremely expensive?

Also, if turns out that 10% bleach solution is my best option (I'll use always the same stained clothes when cleaning), could I just leave it overnight so the chlorine can evaporate, therefore I won't need to worry about thoroughly rinsing it?
 
Chlorhexidine is the solution you're looking for. Locally we can get it at TSC stores. Not sure if they have them in Cali. Basically a farm supply store.

D80
 
Drizzt80 said:
Cleaning and disinfecting. When I worked at a vet clinic as a young(er) lad, we used it on most everything.

D80

PS. I changed the spelling in my original post to make it correct. ;)
Click to expand...

So what form of the product do you use? Do you dilute it or it comes in the right concentration already?
 
Drizzt80 said:
Cleaning and disinfecting. When I worked at a vet clinic as a young(er) lad, we used it on most everything.

D80

PS. I changed the spelling in my original post to make it correct. ;)
Click to expand...

DUH! Sorry I missed the "disinfectant" part of the title...I was thinking it was just a cleaning product.
 
BTW, I work for a contract pharmacy, and we have Hibiclens (chlorhexidine gluconate 4%) but I believe that is a kind of liquid disinfecting soap.
 
I just use a vinegar water solution, and then bleach once a year.

I did some reading on the net, but I'm unconvinced it kills parasites (since FinFang has come down with them) so in cases like that I'd go with bleach to be safe.
 
I use bleach solutions for all the herp stuff.

Because we only have one sink... and washing outside is SUCH a hassle, I use the kitchen sink. BUT, when I do, I do several things...
  1. Wash all HUMAN items first. Move all HUMAN items away from sink area.
  2. Use antibacterial soap on the sink before washing herp stuff.
  3. Wash and dry the herp stuff with rags and raggy towels.
  4. Wash the towels with bleach in the washing machine @ the sanitary setting.
  5. Wash the sink again with antibacterial soap.
  6. Use an industrial disinfectant spray on the whole sink area... including sinks, faucet handles, etc. I use paper towels to dry them off. I even do the door handles if I feel that I might have touched them with wet hands.
I hope its enough. I really wish I had a separate sink to wash in, but don't. I'd use the tub to wash them in... but that hurts my back and knees. LOL.
 
well i had bought that wipe out 1 from zoo med its a disenfectant for animal cages u cant get it at ur local pet store.

its a spray that contains alkyl,
.13 percent of dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
and mostly inert ingredients
 
chemical69 said:
well i had bought that wipe out 1 from zoo med its a disenfectant for animal cages u cant get it at ur local pet store.

its a spray that contains alkyl,
.13 percent of dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
and mostly inert ingredients
Click to expand...

I've used that too... But when you have more than one snake it doesn't last very long, and in my opinion it's kind of expensive. I'm using Healthy Habitat by Natural Chemistry right now. The ready made bottle isn't very cheap but you can buy a gallon of it concentrated. It will last a lot longer.
 
Another fan of Nolvasan (chlorhexadine) here....1 tablespoon per gallon of water, and it works like a charm.

Dale
 
chemical69 said:
well i had bought that wipe out 1 from zoo med its a disenfectant for animal cages u cant get it at ur local pet store.

its a spray that contains alkyl,
.13 percent of dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
and mostly inert ingredients
Click to expand...


This is 'quat' chemistry, quaternary ammonia.
It's very good at gram positive, but gram negative, not so much.

I'm OCD on clean, but since I swap tubs, I have to be as, I'll use the same tub on BPs, corns, kings, milks, or rubber boas.

I dump and scrape the old substrate out, use a HOT water spray to get out most of the stuff I missed, then spray with scrubbing bubbles (Quat) and let it dry on or almost dry on. Then I rinse it out with the HOT water spray again, and wipe it down (Inside and out) with a clean rag with bleach solution, and cross-stack the tubs, letting them air dry.

Nolvasan would be an improvement, as it maintains a residual on your hands, but bleach is a VERY effective broad spectrum cleaner and sanitizer, and it's proper use should not be underestimated. Bleach and quat are used in food plants all over the country, and they are very effective at doing their jobs, but they do different jobs, have different needs, and can't really be used interchangeably.

If you swap tubs around, you simply HAVE to sanitize with bleach (Or better.), or you're risking serious health problems.
 
Chlorhexidine should work for you. Othertahn that there are several types of disinfectants available that you can check out, that suits you requirements the best.
 
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