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Tank cleaning - how often & how?

A

aurorlyn

New member
Newbie here :wavey:

I have a 2 month old corn snake which I've owned for a month. I've been spot cleaning his cage daily and every few days I rinse out his water dish and just wipe it down with a paper towel.

For a monthly clean is it okay to just wipe down/soak the tank and decor with a vinegar and water solution, as well as bake the wood and replace the substrate? Or should a monthly clean be more or less extensive than this? I also have bleach but I've been reading that bleach cleans don't need to be done every month.

I know these questions have been asked a thousand times, but there's seems to be so much variety in the answers that I'm getting confused!
 
Hello and welcome to the forum! You have came to the right place for many different answers.

I use a simple rinse (warm water with safe low concentrate soap) and throughly clean the tanks. Spot cleaning and replacing water with fresh water is a good habit to have. I do not use bleach or any vinegar however everyone has their own ways of doing things. I have attempted to use bleach when I first started keeping snakes but stopped because I did not like the idea of my snakes living in bleach fumes. I replace the substrate as often as I give a full tank cleaning every three - four weeks. Sooner or later you will be able to just "know" when the tank needs to be clean based on look or odor of the tank.

Instead of baking the wood and tank decor I have in my tanks I rinse them and scrub them with warm water and soap.

Another important cleaning spot is the water bowl. Over time water bowls can develop that slippery coating in it. As part of my complete tank cleanings I use a scrubbing brush and scrub the water bowl as well to prevent this.
 
I agree with everything Mike said, but I still encourage you to bake the wood. Wet or damp wood can cause mold or mildew, so why take the chance? Boil it in water with a capful of bleach for about 30 minutes and then bake it in the oven at about 250 for 30 minutes to dry it out and ensure all bad things are eradicated.
 
I use glazed porcelain water bowls for the most part, or disposable plastic cups sometimes. These get taken outside and bleached once a month, followed by a LOT of rinsing, air drying, careful inspection of each one for salts/residues, and then cleaning again if necessary. Bleach fumes, like Lysol Aerosol, can kill pets.
I do 100% change of aspen when needed, I go thru loads of aspen. Different snakes have different bathroom habits. Some need a 100% change every cleaning. Vivs get taken outside and bleached out at least once every 3-4 months. Some more often. Between bleachings I use paper towels and a sprayer of Chlorhexadine (here, under 'cleaning products' : http://www.reptilebasics.com/ ). Do not use a paper towel from one snake's accessories with another.
Water changes includes cleaning the water bowl inside, out, and bottom, before refilling.
What other persons have mentioned about boiling/baking wood. Though some pathogens, virus, etc will not be killed at conventional oven temps. Also try not to collect wood from places where it may have been exposed to fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. Chemicals flow downhill during rains, so the piece of driftwood in the creek might be laden with heavy metals and who-knows-what-else from upstream.
Different persons have different approaches.
 
yeah, I think everythings been covered here, I love the way Dave went about explaining everything. :)
 
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