Lake rocks ok to use?

[Amuseismom]

Hi I live near Lake Erie and was wondering if it's ok to use a rock from there and also what process should I use to clean it? Bleach? Oven? Both?
I just want to make sure I avoid passing anything on. Also, how frequently do I need to sanitize it? Amusei will 97% of the time only go to the bathroom in his bath.

Thanks!

 

[Claudiusx]

Bleach will work. You need to be careful baking rocks in the oven. If there is any trapped moisture in the rock it can turn to steam and cause explosive pressures if it builds up in the rock.

You can bake branches and logs safely though.

-Brandon

 

[Amuseismom]

I am glad I asked! I would be blowing the house up cooking a rock with my luck.
There are lots of beautiful pieces of driftwood I can also get too. Maybe I better just bleach the rock and see if he even likes it before putting it in his house. Just because I think it has pretty coloring he might not.

Thanks a bunch!!

 

[kingofnobbys]

Depends on the type of rock.

If it's porous , soaks up liquid , I'd simply leave them outside on the grass for a few weeks to dry out, then give them a good rub with some sandpaper to remove any scum and algae and dried sllme,
then sterilize using F10 made up 1:250 and give it a few soaks to kill any bacteria on it's surface.
Essentially spray the diluted F10 on , let it air dry ( 30 mins to 1 hour ) , then repeat.

Drift wood , see above.


If it's nonporous , I'd give them a good scrub to remove any algae and slime , then sterilize using F10 made up 1:250 and give it a few soaks to kill any bacteria on it's surface.
Essentially spray the diluted F10 on , let it air dry ( 30 mins to 1 hour ) , then repeat.

Then you'll be good to go.

 

[Ellentomologist]

Hiya,

First of all, nice to see another great lakes person.
I'm up in Michigan, used to work with water samples from Lake Erie for my job during undergraduate (I was looking at viruses and free-living fungi at the time).

For cleaning object like this I always recommend treating them the same way I would in a lab, but that's likely because I'm a lab person, lol. First wash them with clean water and a brush to remove any dirt/debris from the surface, then soak for a few minutes (5-10) in a low-concentration bleach wash (about a tablespoon per gallon of water should work, that's slightly stronger than you would use for baby bottles, etc. You could probably go up to 10% safely, but if you're in the great lakes region there's probably going to be a relatively low abundance of reptile pathogens to be concerned about with your BD). Remove from bleach solution and rinse completely 3-6 times with clean water. Finally, submerge in water treated with 1.5-2 times the recommended amount of reptisafe or similar product. Finally, drain and lay on a dry, absorbent surface in a single layer and allow to air-dry for 24-48 hours. Ideally, this would be done under sunlight.

There's a lot of products out there that would work great, though, like the F10 someone recommended.

Another really good option would be boiling them for 10 minutes in a large, sturdy pot after scrubbing them free of dirt/debris and then allowing them to cool and air dry.

Hope this helps,
-Ellen