Mold?

[brighteyez]

SO, since moving into my mom's house a few months ago my jackson Wilson has gotten his own room. He quiet likes his privacy, and the warm mist humidifier I've put in there to keep him healthy. Here's the problem:
A few weeks ago we discovered black mold. There is quiet a bit around the window located on the other side of the room from his cage. The worst of it though is on the ceiling. Wilson's room also happens to contain the entrance to the attic. It's one of those hatches that you pull down a later from. Well the wood hatch thingy is covered in the mold.
Has anyone else had this problem?? Any suggestions on how to clean it off and hopefully prevent it in the future? Mom my wants me to scrub it off with bleach, but I'm worried about that since I'm sure the fumes can't be good for Wilson. Even if I remove him from the room, I imagine it would take quiet a while for the fumes to dissipate.
Thanks for the help!

 

[brighteyez]

anyone? any ideas?

 

[ndalal]

if you do scrub it with bleach, definitely take him out of the room for a week or two

 

[xluketyluc]

some fresh air wouldn't hurt and would probably do you some justice. mold grows in moist, stagnant, warm conditions...

 

[luevelvet]

I think I've found my trigger topic on the forums!

If you're seeing black mold, then you have a worse problem than it seems. Mold needs moisture and ~70f temperature. You need to find the source of the leaking water in order to "stop the bleeding" then assess the damage.

If the entire entrance of the attic is covered in black mold, I would seriously have someone come out and take a look at it. We just had black mold (in our central air blower) kill 5 of our animals in a matter of 2 weeks and has made Nicole and I ill for the past few months (prior to knowing there was an issue).

My advice is to move the animal into a "cleaner" room while you work at finding the cause of the problem in that room. If it's as bad as you say it is, you may very well need professional assistance to get it safely cleaned up. I would also recommend not spending too much time in that room without a dust mask or respirator.

You may think I'm over reacting but having just gone through what we did a few weeks back, you'd understand. The amount of mold you're describing is not to be taken lightly at all.

Luis

 

[DGray]

Mold: bad, Bleach: good

I'm going to be blunt - the black mold is an immediate threat to your health. You need to kill it, and bleach is a very safe and effective way to do that. Get a respirator rated for mold spores. Wear it when entering the room. Remove your animals and feeders. Wear eye prtection and your respirator. Sponging with a ten percent solution of household bleach should kill it. Once dry the mold should look faded or white; if not repeat the sponging.

A heater in the room with the windows open a bit should speed drying, if that is reasonable in your climate.

Bleach and it's fumes are not very dangerous even in an enclosed space at the 10% rate. I don't know why people are convinced it is. A day of ventilation should be sufficient for re-introducing animals. Lysol and anything containing phenolic compounds *are* very dangerous to reptiles, and should not be used in the same house.

Mold will form on the cold walls first where moisture condenses. Adding insulation may help. Keeping the room warmer and less humid will help. Fans to vigorously move the air will help. If you have heating or air conditioning ducts in the room they may need professional inspection, as Luis says. I have had to fight mold in animal habitats for my entire history. Bleach is the most essentil tool I have.

I hope your mold problem is quickly resolved and you and your animal have a happy holiday season.


Best of luck.

 

[laurie]

I'm going to be blunt - the black mold is an immediate threat to your health. You need to kill it, and bleach is a very safe and effective way to do that. Get a respirator rated for mold spores. Wear it when entering the room. Remove your animals and feeders. Wear eye prtection and your respirator. Sponging with a ten percent solution of household bleach should kill it. Once dry the mold should look faded or white; if not repeat the sponging.

A heater in the room with the windows open a bit should speed drying, if that is reasonable in your climate.

Bleach and it's fumes are not very dangerous even in an enclosed space at the 10% rate. I don't know why people are convinced it is. A day of ventilation should be sufficient for re-introducing animals. Lysol and anything containing phenolic compounds *are* very dangerous to reptiles, and should not be used in the same house.

Mold will form on the cold walls first where moisture condenses. Adding insulation may help. Keeping the room warmer and less humid will help. Fans to vigorously move the air will help. If you have heating or air conditioning ducts in the room they may need professional inspection, as Luis says. I have had to fight mold in animal habitats for my entire history. Bleach is the most essentil tool I have.

I hope your mold problem is quickly resolved and you and your animal have a happy holiday season.


Best of luck.

I was told by a reptile/cham vet to use full strength white vinegar. Of course that was only for a small amount. It seems to have worked for me.

Has anyone else used vinegar?

 

[brighteyez]

Unfortunately I read all of these posts after cleaning up the mold. I used water and bleach (a lot of water and a tiny bit of bleach, but I can't remember the exact ratio), and that seemed to get it all up. I didn't move Wilson from the room, just opened the door for a little bit, and it's been a week or two and he seems just fine. He's eating normally and running around his cage as he usually would. Because he's a montane species, I have to keep the humidity above 50%. I'm keeping a much closer eye on things in the room so that if any mold starts again I can get it right away. There is a vent in the room somewhere though, so I'll have my brother check it out (he's familiar with that stuff). As for circulation, someone suggested I should get a fan, so I will. As for me and my family, no one has been sick in anyway, so I can only assume that this particular mold wasn't as harmful as some, or we just weren't exposed to it for long enough.

Thanks for all the replies! I appreciate your help.

 

[RPCV]

I've been lurking on this site for a week or two and am grateful for all the cham experts. Perhaps this is a topic I can chime in on and give back a little (or if nothing else just Ramble On):

- The first priority will be to identify the moisture source responsible. Failure to do so will result in recurrence of mold growth after cleaning. You'll end up spinning your wheels and having to clean again, and again.

- It appears that condensation is the likely cause. This can only be fixed by; increasing surface temperatures where the condensate is forming (normally by insulation), decreasing relative humidity or a combination of these two.

- Don't be so quick to hit the panic button. There are many types of mold that appear to be black. Even the ones that have the potential to produce mycotoxins do so only when specific species are present, nutrient sources are available and environmental conditions are met. "Toxic" mold is a term coined by the media and the current science does not support many of the adverse effects associated with these chemicals. Also, Stachybotrys (the evil one) is hydrophilic and requires relatively high and constant water activity and cellulose content for growth (not that common when the cause is condensation on wood materials).

- The vast majority of health concerns with mold is allergy/asthma. This is caused by proteins on the surface of the mold spores or structures. "Killing" the mold using bleach or other substances does not get rid of these proteins and therefore does not reduce the risk of allergic reactions. Pathogenic affects associated with mold are possible (only thing bleach helps with) but are very rare and caused by select species.

- To the point above. The best approach is to first vacuum the surface with a vacuum equipped with an excellent filter (HEPA). This will pull off the loose spores and structures which are responsible for most health affects. The mold is trying to release these as part of its reproductive cycle so a vacuum will take care of most of the problem.

- Follow by wiping with a damp cloth and detergent to remove remaining structures (use dilute bleach if it makes you feel better but it won't do that much good)

- As a general rule of thumb - wear an N95 dust mask respirator (available anywhere), gloves and goggles without vents. If mold covers more than 10 square feet of surface area consider calling in outside help.

More good info at: http://www.aiha.org/aboutaiha/AIHAMembership/Documents/Facts%20about%20Mold.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html