Hand Washing vs. Hand Sanitizer

I know that for our own health, it's important to clean our hands after handling our dragons or their stuff. My question is this: is hand sanitizer a safe alternative to soap and water, or should I head to the bathroom to scrub after each interaction? I know that for food allergies, hand sanitizer doesn't cut it - it doesn't remove the food proteins from the hands. Is this the same for salmonella and other zoonotic nasties that we can catch from our dragons?

~Chris

Hi Chris,

If poo is involved, soap and water is always best as you want to remove solids from your skin (or solids you cant necessarily see)
If you just want a way to clean your hands after handling, hand sanitizer is fine.
Basically, if you need to remove something from you skin, soap and water. If you just need to kill germs, hand sanitizer

With a baby now I try to be more careful about that too. If I handle the bugs (since I will get their substrate on me or the calcium powder) I always wash. Same for when I clean up poo.
If me and the crew are just hanging out though, I just use hand sanitizer. Ultimately I'm not too worried about it, but the wife definitely is since our daughter is at the age where everything goes in her mouth including her fingers and hands every 5 minutes LOL.

-Brandon

IMO, better safe than sorry. I've also spoken with several veterinarians about this. Best to use soap even after handling, because fecal matter isn't limited to just the cloaca (vent). Tails can get dragged through, and if the lizard walks back over the material again, its entire underside could become contaminated. In the heat & dryness of an enclosure, you might not realize it, but it'll still be there, and viruses can be indissoluble.

My plan is to use inexpensive (vinyl) surgical gloves for cleanup; probably not for casual handling, but I will be fastidious about washing with soap after any contact--including after bathing (the dragon :lol: ).

Thanks, guys - your feedback was very much in line with what I was thinking, too. I will be vigorously soaping hands after a cleaning-and-handling session, and after handling the feeders and their stuff as well.

Speaking of poo and sanitation, I'm seriously thinking of replacing Figment's basking branch, because that's where he's doing all his "business" and it's a pain to clean after work (it's already gotten baked on pretty hard, and gotten into the crevices). I hate to do it, since my best friend paid an arm and a leg for it as a dragon-warming gift, but it's a matter of sanitation until he stops pooping where he sleeps. I need to investigate alternatives that will still get him the elevation he needs to get close to the lamp - or get a higher wattage bulb for a lower basking area to heat up properly.

~Chris

I know what you mean. I don't know what I'm going to do if mine starts defecating on the cork round I just paid $30 for. What are you using for clean-up/disinfecting? I know there's a reptile equivalent, but I'm going to try Nature's Miracle (we always have plenty on-hand for puppy accidents, though he hasn't had one in years--probably get a new bottle). I'll have to double check ingredients against the reptile version (though I'm guessing they're the same), and whether it kills bugs/viruses. We also have some surgical soap (with iodine) that might be worth a try--it's the porousness of the cork bark I'm not sure about.

I was out in the yard the other day, and noticed several dead standing hardwood trees on which the bark had fallen off, leaving a clean log. (We've got a couple wooded acres out back.) I still have to get out there & check for bugs, etc. but if feasible, I'll cut one into a few "disposable" logs--just in case. I might even consider sending the logs to Brandon to seal with a non-toxic spray sealer. :laughhard:

Our town also has "cleanup days" twice a year, when they send around a chipper to grind any tree limbs people put out front. If you have anything like that (or a town compost) it might be worth checking out for other folks logs that can be sanitized & cut up. :dontknow:

I’m using baby wipes - unscented - for daily cleanups, then bleach and water for thoroughly scrubbing on the weekend. Might try the reptile cleaning supplies later, but I figure bleach and water I’ve got. When I had rats I used white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide for daily cleaning. Might do that again to see if it does a better job.

$30 for a cork round sounds reasonable; my friend paid $99 for the chunk of spider wood Figment basks on. I shouldn’t have let her, but she insisted... so I’m pretty motivated to scrub it well each week!

Disposable logs sound like a good plan - I almost pulled over on my way to work this morning when I saw a pruning crew! Ha... you know you’re a beardie owner when you develop obsessions around poo and logs!

I think the reptile cleaning products may be a ripoff, but YMMV.

ComicBookMama":1teu5tj9 said:

$30 for a cork round sounds reasonable; my friend paid $99 for the chunk of spider wood Figment basks on.

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WOW! :shock: We saw some cork rounds the same size we got for around $100, and started noting what different dealers were charging. It was an eye-opener. One (the largest dealer there) seemed to have everything priced close to Amazon prices plus average shipping. Don't know what he was doing about sales tax. He did have a 10% discount if you bought a reptile, which may or may not have been worthwhile.

Disposable logs sound like a good plan

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Obviously I was joking before, but sealing/waterproofing climbing apparatus for real might not be a bad idea either(?) :dontknow:

Soap and water is fine.

I have F10 handwipes but only use these when I am dealing with a sick rescue.