Nolvasan Advice needed

[Nroc]

I have only been researching Chlorhexidine since last night. I have discovered a few things and wanted to get some insight from people here in the know.

1. Nolvasan is made by a company that was recently bought by Pfeizer
2. Nolvasan is a brand name for a Chlorhexidine disinfectant
3. Generic Chlorhexidine is far cheaper (1/5 the cost) , but may not have all the other ingredients, not sure about this.
4. Nolvasan has alcohols in it, I am not sure about the generics, does this matter? What's the implication
5. Nolvasan comes in like 5 varieties. There is a disinfectant, and a surgical scrub to name a couple. The surgical scrub is available to me locally at a horse supply store 16oz only, but they don't have the disinfectant or generics.
6. The surgical scrub is also a 2% solution of Chlorhexidine, not sure about the other ingredients
7. Some Nolvasan comes scented. Is this bad? I would prefer to have unscented, but is the scent OK when diluting it 1 oz to a gallon?

So some of my questions were wrapped up inside those facts that I listed above. Is there a benefit to getting the Nolvasan brand name? I can order a GALLON of generic for the same as 16oz of Nolvasan. Do any of the other ingredients make Nolvasan better? If not, I would just get the generic, and have like a decade worth of sanitizer ready to use. I did read something last night saying that alcohol makes Chlorhexidine more effective...is this really necessary for a monthly cage cleaning?

Any other things to think about would be greatly appreciated. I want to go this route for my monthly cleanings as bleach is too harsh IMHO, and I don't want to have to rinse the cage out really well, and air it for a day before returning the snake.

 

[jlindp]

I think you will be just as fine going with the generic as you would Nolvasan. Nolvasan is generally used it vet clinics because it doesn't irritate tissues and is used as an antiseptic for skin wounds. If you get a kind of Chlorhexidine with alcohol, it'll have more antimicrobial properties.

However, it should also be stated that almost any type of Chlorhexidine will need a long contact time, and is ineffective against Crypto, coccidia, and gram-positive bacteria (to name a few). It also loses efficiency if diluted with hard water. If getting Nolvasan, it should be mixed with distilled water, so that the mixture will last for up to 6 weeks. If mixed with tap water, I believe it will only last for about a week.

 

[Nroc]

I think you will be just as fine going with the generic as you would Nolvasan. Nolvasan is generally used it vet clinics because it doesn't irritate tissues and is used as an antiseptic for skin wounds. If you get a kind of Chlorhexidine with alcohol, it'll have more antimicrobial properties.

However, it should also be stated that almost any type of Chlorhexidine will need a long contact time, and is ineffective against Crypto, coccidia, and gram-positive bacteria (to name a few). It also loses efficiency if diluted with hard water. If getting Nolvasan, it should be mixed with distilled water, so that the mixture will last for up to 6 weeks. If mixed with tap water, I believe it will only last for about a week.

I really want to avoid using bleach for my monthly cleaning. That's a much longer ordeal start to finish than this product will be. I am not trying to disinfect the cage such that any diseases my snake has would not be transferred to another snake. This is just monthly cleaning. Do I need to clean for Crypto and coccidia? If so, I think bleach is even ineffective on that stuff right? Which means upgrading to ammonia AND bleach once a month...I don't think I can handle that...

 

[AshleyShadows]

I think you will be just as fine going with the generic as you would Nolvasan. Nolvasan is generally used it vet clinics because it doesn't irritate tissues and is used as an antiseptic for skin wounds. If you get a kind of Chlorhexidine with alcohol, it'll have more antimicrobial properties.

However, it should also be stated that almost any type of Chlorhexidine will need a long contact time, and is ineffective against Crypto, coccidia, and gram-positive bacteria (to name a few). It also loses efficiency if diluted with hard water. If getting Nolvasan, it should be mixed with distilled water, so that the mixture will last for up to 6 weeks. If mixed with tap water, I believe it will only last for about a week.

Here in Zoo Med we use deionized water and it only lasts a week. Seems wasteful, but w/e. Definitely make sure your mix is very dilute. It needs to be a very pastel color when mixed with the water.

 

[jlindp]

I really want to avoid using bleach for my monthly cleaning. That's a much longer ordeal start to finish than this product will be. I am not trying to disinfect the cage such that any diseases my snake has would not be transferred to another snake. This is just monthly cleaning. Do I need to clean for Crypto and coccidia? If so, I think bleach is even ineffective on that stuff right? Which means upgrading to ammonia AND bleach once a month...I don't think I can handle that...

Well, if you don't want to use bleach, then you don't need to use bleach. Just make sure to follow the directions of whatever you end up getting. Another alternative is Roccal-D. And it would be ideal to prevent against Crypto (death sentence for snakes), but there's several ways to do so. Bleach will actually disinfect if diluted correctly and kept it contact for at least 15 minutes. But like I said, it's whatever you want to use! Nolvasan, Virosan, Roccal-D, or other chlorhexidine will be effective enough if used properly.

 

[Nroc]

If you get a kind of Chlorhexidine with alcohol, it'll have more antimicrobial properties.

However, it should also be stated that almost any type of Chlorhexidine will need a long contact time

I am probably going to order a gallon of the generic online this week. I was thinking about the alcohol based versions. After diluting it 1-2oz per gallon, the alcohol portion of the solution will be basically useless. Using it at full strenght IMHO is the only way to benefit from the added alcohol. Given this, I am going to the get the generic 1 gallon bottle.

I will either dilute it 1-2 ounces to the gallon. I need to read some more about the ideal dilution rate. Does a stronger solution require less contact time? I suppose it would also require a light rinsing if too strong.

I'll probably mix up a gallon of it at a time. I'll take 12oz of that gallon and put it in a spray bottle, and I'll use the rest as a soak for the cage ornaments and hides.

To ensure contact time, I have decided to spray the solution onto the glass really good initially, and then do touch up spraying every minute or two for the next 20 minutes. This should ensure ample contact time, and surface area saturation as well. I could also make it a goal to finish the entire 12 oz of spray, so I may be spraying constantly for 20 minutes. Afterwards, I assume a wipe down until dry is in order. I may even take a damp cloth and go over everything to get as much up as possible before drying.

A gallon used in this manner will last about 5 years. My only question now is with regards to odor. Is it imperative that I get unscented? At this dilution level, is the scent ever an issue?

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

I've always diluted at the recommended amount of 2 tbs/gallon. I actually only make about 16 oz of working stuff at a time. I've read somewhere that after it sits its no good. So I figure better safe than sorry. Plus this way I'm not wasting it by only making what I'll use at a time.

What I do is mix it up in a spray bottle, then I clean all my tubs. I do my best to wipe out everything before spraying, then I spray liberally, let it sit for a few minutes then wipe away. If an area was extra soiled, then I'll spray that area again and then wipe off. I make sure the tubs are completely dried out, put in new bedding and I'm done.

I then throw away the left over solution and wait to make some more next time I clean. Been doing it this way for several years now and so far every thing seems OK. I bought a gallon several years ago, and have barely made a dent in it.

 

[Nroc]

I've always diluted at the recommended amount of 2 tbs/gallon. I actually only make about 16 oz of working stuff at a time. I've read somewhere that after it sits its no good. So I figure better safe than sorry. Plus this way I'm not wasting it by only making what I'll use at a time.

What I do is mix it up in a spray bottle, then I clean all my tubs. I do my best to wipe out everything before spraying, then I spray liberally, let it sit for a few minutes then wipe away. If an area was extra soiled, then I'll spray that area again and then wipe off. I make sure the tubs are completely dried out, put in new bedding and I'm done.

I then throw away the left over solution and wait to make some more next time I clean. Been doing it this way for several years now and so far every thing seems OK. I bought a gallon several years ago, and have barely made a dent in it.

I was only going to make 21 ounces of the solution each time. A single teaspoon added to 21oz of water will give 2 Tablespoons/gallon dilution. But then I realized that I would prefer to soak the furniture than to spray and wipe down...so I figured I would go ahead and make a gallon to give some soaking room.

As mentioned, making a gallon of it each month will last me at least 5 years, and that's for 4 tablespoons per gallon. If I do only 2 per gallon, I now have 10 years worth of chlorhexidine.

Thanks for the feedback, it's nice to read up on how others are using it.