Lizard cages

Before you bring a lizard home you should ensure your cage set up and ready to house them straight away. An part of this is to make sure the cage and materials are clean and disinfected. Rocks should be boiled for 20 minutes before being put in a cage.

Branches should also be wash and heated to the same temperature to remove any organisms. Cages should be cleaned daily of fecal matter and uneaten food. When you clean your cages, using warm soapy water and wash areas thoroughly. You should disinfect your cages on a regular basis.

How often you clean your cage will depend on the size and habitat of your herp. For example, cages of large iguanas require more work than those of a snake. Read as much as possible about your pet to determine the best cleaning schedule.

In general you should daily remove spills, uneaten food, shed skin and waste materials, clean food and water dishes daily when providing fresh food and water and clean and disinfect the entire cage, substrate, and decorations weekly. The use of rubber or latex gloves are recommended during cleaning. You should wash your hands thoroughly after every contact and every cleaning procedure, no matter how brief, to avoid transmission of harmful bacteria. Make sure you cage is free of fumes and is dry before returning your pet. Wash food and water dishes in hot soapy water and dry thoroughly and use a disinfectant or antibacterial soap to sanitize. Be sure to rinse thoroughly, leaving no trace of soap or disinfectant behind as these may be harmful to your pet. If you want to make the cleaning process more efficient, consider having two or more sets of dishes. By doing so, you can quickly and easily replace one set while it is being cleaned. It is important to understand the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning is the washing and removal of waste materials and unwanted matter. Disinfecting is the process of killing harmful bacteria, fungi and removing or minimizing viruses. Cleaned surfaces can still have disease causing bacteria and other harmful agents.

It is important to use lizard-safe products per instruction and to thoroughly rinse disinfected items after they have been treated. As lizards are sensitive to fumes (this applies to humans as well) keep your lizard in another room while disinfecting their enclosure. Most of the disinfecting products will produces fumes so treat the cage materials in a well ventilated area (open the windows if you have them) and use gloves and even safety goggles.

Household bleach is one of the most inexpensive and readily available disinfectants. You can make a disinfecting bleach solution by mixing 1 part bleach to 16 parts water (or 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water). Apply this bleach solution to the cleaned cage, decorations, and accessories for 5-10 minutes then rinse thoroughly with clean water.

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