Cleaning tank after Bubbies =(

[dolphinsilversea01]

I am sorry if this ends up not making to much sense and if I ramble.... get very choked up and lose train of thought quickly when I talk about it

So my bubbies past yesterday afternoon due to complications with being egg bound. She was in a 100gallon which sits empty .

I have mentioned before that I also have two other beardies that I recently adopted and had to keep together as they came due to lack of another cage and while I make them seperate vivs. Well now that bubbies has past, although I kind of don't want to, but I do have to consider putting one of the two in her tank so they will be seperated until their vivs are done. I always keep the tanks clean, etc. and she didn't pass due to anything another beardie can catch, so would it be okay to just give the tank a good washing and place another beardie in their? I don't see why not but I feel that right now I would rather be safe then sorry.. losing another beardie right now would probably send me over the edge in which I am already teatering on and I'd lose it for a while!!!

Thanks for your help.

 

[dobby293]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I think that you are asking how to clean the tank. I clean my tanks with a spray bottle filled with a very small amount of bleach and lots of water. I bake my sticks and the other stuff that my BD lays on in the oven at 225-250 for about 20 mins. This seems to keep the parasites down and adds to a clean tank. I hope that you are able to get some good info from the site. Once again sorry for the loss.

 

[sara24354]

I truly think that Bubbies would understand another dragon being given a safe place to live even temporarily.I can understand you not wanting to,it would seem too sad,not so sure I could put someone else in Alfs cage if something happened to her.
Hugs and if you need to talk I am here,
Sara

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General Discussion to Enclosures

 

[BadCon]

Terribly sorry for your loss, loosing our loved ones can be extremely hard.

Though your animal may have died from being egg bound, I would imagine that near the end it's immune system was failing...allowing any local parasites or infections to spread. I strongly advise you clean the tank and all tank furniture very well. Below is a list of recommendations based on what a relatively healthy animal might leave behind.

What kind of substrate? If its sand, repti carpet, newspaper, (anything similar) throw it out and start fresh. If its loose ceramic or stone tiles, clean with warm soapy water, rinse, then bake at 300 degrees for 1+ hours. If its attached to the tank, read below.

For the tank itself, I recommend the following procedure.

Step 1 - Clean up any organic debris (feces, old food, etc) with warm soapy water, then rinse well.

Step 2 - Use a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach, 9 parts water) and soak the entire tank for no less then 20 minutes. Make sure the surfaces stay wet with the bleach solution for the entire 20+ minutes. After the soaking time, proceed to rinse extremely well (best if done outside with a hose). Rinse until all the bleach fumes are gone. Alternatively you could use a 10% ammonia solution following the above procedure. Whatever solution you use, mix it fresh right before as the freshest solutions work the best.
There are other cleaners that can be used, ones that don't leave behind any noxious fumes. Chlorhexidine comes to mind, this can be purchased on the internet.

Step 3 - Rinse again, and let the tank air dry for a day or so. If you can smell bleach, keep rinsing. This is best done outside with a hose.

Cage furniture: You didn't specify what type of furniture is used, but I will just give brief methods for cleaning wood, ceramic, and plastic.

Wood - Clean with warm soapy water, then rinse well. Once rinsed, place in a 250-275 degree oven for 2 hours.

Plastic - Clean with warm soapy water, then rinse well. Once rinsed, soak in a 10% bleach solution for no less than 20 minutes. After 20+ minutes, rinse with water, then soak in clean water for 1 hour (helps rinse off bleach). If you still smell bleach, keep rinsing.

Ceramic (food/water dishes) - Clean with warm soapy water, then rinse well. Once rinsed, place in a COOL oven and set for 300 degrees and hold for 1hr+ at this temp. Once complete, turn oven off and let cool slowly (don't open oven, as rapid temp changes can shatter ceramic).

 

[dolphinsilversea01]

I haven't been able to bring myself to go to the tank yet, but I am going to give it a shot tomorrow as it needs to be cleaned in general and super cleaned for the other beardie.

Thank you all so much for your help!!