cleaning an old wood cage

[exotic hippie]

i finally found a nice used cage 4 cheap just gota clean out the dust and cobwebs i am geting the cage two laamps and wood 4 ten bucks.my only concern is the screen is kinda sharp on the ceiling wht should i use to either get ride of the edges or cover them up will the heat lamps melt glue frm a gluegun

 

[exotic hippie]

i finally found a nice used cage 4 cheap just gota clean out the dust and cobwebs i am geting the cage two laamps and wood 4 ten bucks.my only concern is the screen is kinda sharp on the ceiling wht should i use to either get ride of the edges or cover them up will the heat lamps melt glue frm a gluegun

anyone have any words ? can i use a 50/50 bleach water to clean off the dust

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Do not use a 50/50 solution. That is way to strong. Use 1oz of bleach for every gal of water in the bucket. Then make sure you rinse that cage off and wipe down all the water really good. People have killed their chams from using to much bleach on cages. Actually its a good idea to give them a few days to dry and rerinse them again just to be safe and make sure all the bleach residue is gone. I like to really scrub down used cages to be safe.

Also if another reptile was kept in that cage I would clean all the furniture with a bleach solution also. And then I would bake any limbs or vines in the oven for 30 min at a low heat just to be safe.

 

[Crazy Pet Lady]

Personally, I would use aquarium silicone on the sharp edges. It will stand up to the water and mist better than hot glue. Just let it cure for about 24 hrs. before introducing to your chameleon. Hope this helps.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

i finally found a nice used cage 4 cheap just gota clean out the dust and cobwebs i am geting the cage two laamps and wood 4 ten bucks.my only concern is the screen is kinda sharp on the ceiling wht should i use to either get ride of the edges or cover them up will the heat lamps melt glue frm a gluegun

dont bleach! you can use 1oz for every gal but just dont. its not recommended. soak or rince it thourghly in a hotttttt bath tub. you should post pics of your cage and a pic of the sharp edges. but with a chameleon heat lamp, i wouldnt think at all it would melt glue gun glue

 

[Texas Panther Man]

What is wrong with a 1 oz bleach solution per gal of water cleaning sol? That is commonly used method for cleaning cages for years. As long as they throughly rinse and dry the cage that is an acceptable method for getting rid of e-coli and a number of other bad things that could be in that USED cage. A hot bath doesnt kill bad bacteria dude. All it does is clean the dirt.

 

[draetish]

What is wrong with a 1 oz bleach solution per gal of water cleaning sol? That is commonly used method for cleaning cages for years. As long as they throughly rinse and dry the cage that is an acceptable method for getting rid of e-coli and a number of other bad things that could be in that USED cage. A hot bath doesnt kill bad bacteria dude. All it does is clean the dirt.

I agree 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[VeiledOwner87]

i agree to a certain extent, but she just wants to get dust off. whats the difference between spraying it down or washing it with bleach? dont soooo many of you guys just go in your back yard, cut a twig down and stick it in your cage as is? its dust, and imo wouldnt need to get cleaned with bleach. theres many posts on here where alot of members say stay away from bleach. but i break away from that, and say yes, you can use bleach. but imo opinion. not recommended. especially with wood. plastic and glass. yes i would assume a lot easier to get rid of, but in wood or even fake silk plants. it'll be a pain in the butt and just time consuming.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You didnt say why they shouldnt bleach? You just said you wouldnt. You also never mentioned anything about the posible presence of parasites or e-coli or any other number of pathogens that could be on that cage from the prior animal that was kept in it. You need to stop posting and start thinking before giving others advice.

To the op just use the 1oz bleach and water solution. It will be fine as long as you rinse well after cleaning. It should kill 99.99 percent of anything nasty that could have been left by the prior tenant.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

ok easy up. my bad on this one. i never thought about the previous animal. i read it but forgot about it when i was typing. sory dude.

 

[exotic hippie]

i agree to a certain extent, but she just wants to get dust off. whats the difference between spraying it down or washing it with bleach? dont soooo many of you guys just go in your back yard, cut a twig down and stick it in your cage as is? its dust, and imo wouldnt need to get cleaned with bleach. theres many posts on here where alot of members say stay away from bleach. but i break away from that, and say yes, you can use bleach. but imo opinion. not recommended. especially with wood. plastic and glass. yes i would assume a lot easier to get rid of, but in wood or even fake silk plants. it'll be a pain in the butt and just time consuming.

its not just dust theres sum old poo and ima dude lol

 

[ChamOh]

personally, i don't think a 1oz : 1 gallon solution of bleach will do much for killing parasites.. unfortunately..

 

[VeiledOwner87]

what would you recommend?

 

[draetish]

personally, i don't think a 1oz : 1 gallon solution of bleach will do much for killing parasites.. unfortunately..

Really? why not?

 

[ChamOh]

Really? why not?

too weak... I've disassembled an aluminum cage and soaked that sucker in straight bleach already. of course endless rinsing ensued. parasites like coccidia seem to be pretty hard to get rid of. for example: https://www.chameleonforums.com/parasites-bleach-waste-drain-water-13245/

 

[draetish]

too weak... I've disassembled an aluminum cage and soaked that sucker in straight bleach already. of course endless rinsing ensued. parasites like coccidia seem to be pretty hard to get rid of. for example: https://www.chameleonforums.com/parasites-bleach-waste-drain-water-13245/

Do parasites like coccidia survive in a dry environment or just when things are kept wet and damp? If the cage has been stored and dusty and dry what type of parasites would still be present?

 

[toddmkeller]

I use 12% Hydrogen peroxide to clean cages. If you plan on using this method you must wear gloves and eye/skin protection. Hydrogen peroxide is very caustic and WILL kill coccidia (and remove your skin)... Trust me I know from experience.

See ya,

Todd

 

[exotic hippie]

o man so many methods i dnt kno which to choose.

 

[sandrachameleon]

A bleach solution is okay for cleaning, but Bleach is not effective against some parasites. Its also not very environmentally friendly. Prolonged exposure to high heat (steam or boiling water) is more effective. Peroxide (6%+ higher is better) is more effective. Vinegar is good for light cleaning. You can also clean and then paint the wood (zerio VOC), to ensure nothing nasty is passed along.
Silicon is good for screen edges. Paint might be too.

 

[exotic hippie]

A bleach solution is okay for cleaning, but Bleach is not effective against some parasites. Its also not very environmentally friendly. Prolonged exposure to high heat (steam or boiling water) is more effective. Peroxide (6%+ higher is better) is more effective. Vinegar is good for light cleaning. You can also clean and then paint the wood (zerio VOC), to ensure nothing nasty is passed along.
Silicon is good for screen edges. Paint might be too.

well thank you very muh i shall indeed use the peroxide and wht brand of paint would u suggest do they have silicon at walmart?