Sterilization/Disinfection Techniques

[reps4life]

oh wow lol if I knew about this article I could have just linked to that, would have saved some time haha

Yea all that information seems pretty legit to me.

They didn't post any sources though which would have been really helpful if you are questioning any of the info

Although I didn't either, but if you're wondering most of my source info is from pharmacology medical texts, including LANGE's "Basic and Clinical Pharmacology" which is what I used when originally learning about sterilization/disinfection, and THEIR sources are mostly original research articles that can be viewed in journal databases if you really wanted to put in the effort. For info on susceptibility of parasites and various bacteria, most of what I've learned is from a clinical microbiology text which I can't recall the name of at the moment.

I've had reptiles in the past with cryptosporidium and have always used full strength. Do you know if adding water will make it less effective?

 

[geckoboa]

yea you definitely have the right idea.

regular cleanings, chlorohexidine is fine. For spores/parasitic oocysts - ammonium, and QACs for regular cleanings

My previous comment was just to clarify that QACs are not the same thing as ammonia, and don't act as a replacement for sterilization. But for every day disinfection they'll definitely do the job.

I guess the point is there's a huge difference in what you should do after your reptile is actually sick or has come into contact with a sick reptile, versus what you should do to keep it clean on a daily or weekly basis.

Thanks for the info. I'm not an expert but have researched this quite a few times before. I personally just like clorohexidine and QAC because they can be used in close proximity to your reptiles. If I ever see anything weird or whenever heavy cleaning is needed I use the ammonia.

Do you know anything about the Bioshield QAC product I mentioned. I have only heard good things about it and I like that it will bond to surfaces to keep them sterile for months. Honestly most of the info available on it is from the manufacturer so I would like another opinion on it. Thanks!

 

[TylerDurden]

I've had reptiles in the past with cryptosporidium and have always used full strength. Do you know if adding water will make it less effective?

well 10% dilution is the "recommended strength", meaning it's ok to go higher, just not lower.

Using it undiluted should be fine, definitely wear a mask and thick latex gloves though lol

 

[TylerDurden]

Thanks for the info. I'm not an expert but have researched this quite a few times before. I personally just like clorohexidine and QAC because they can be used in close proximity to your reptiles. If I ever see anything weird or whenever heavy cleaning is needed I use the ammonia.

Do you know anything about the Bioshield QAC product I mentioned. I have only heard good things about it and I like that it will bond to surfaces to keep them sterile for months. Honestly most of the info available on it is from the manufacturer so I would like another opinion on it. Thanks!

I haven't really used any QACs before, I've only read about them, sorry! I personally clean hides/decorations with just soap and water for regular cleanings, only bring out the heavy duty stuff for sterilization, and use just diluted bleach for a thorough once a month disinfection to kill anything that may be forming that's resistant to soap and water like mold.

If you really want to know how effective it is though, they SHOULD be providing the actual name of the compound (not the brand name but the standard name of the compound), and just google that and see if any independent studies not funded by the manufacturer have been done showing it works.

From what I've read about them at least though, QACs in general pretty much all act the same way. Just make sure you really wipe away any organic material before using it (urine, feces, cricket or other insect parts that may be still around) because even a small amount of organic material can inactivate QACs pretty quickly.