proper cage cleaning methods
Proper cage cleaning (Written by Jenn Smith)
Cleaning. How to clean. What to use. I've been seeing a lot of questions lately asking about this very subject.
They poop. They run through it, paint the tank, walls, decor. Then you've got sick dragons, dragons being treated for parasites, infections, injuries that are susceptible to bacteria. Dragons that are
Yellow Fungus positive and are more prone to infections and have to be treated even more cautiously and are, in a lot of ways, more delicate.
So, lets talk about cleaning up crap and the best ways to clean and the only effective ways to 100% sanitize your tank and kill all bacteria that could affect your dragon.
A lot of people use vinegar to clean, because they don't like, or aren't comfortable with, using chemicals around their animal. Or, they use bleach because it kills a lot of active bacteria.
Unfortunately, neither of these are effective at killing coccidia or Yellow Fungus bacterias.
Ammonia is the first option for 100% cleaning and sanitizing, that will kill everything, and one of the only things that will kill coccidia eggs. You can find it anywhere that you find cleaning/laundry products, usually right next to soaps and bleach. You want to mix this up in a 1oz of ammonia to 10oz of water mix (most spray bottles have oz measurements marked on them). Spray, let it sit for a minute, and wipe away.
Another option is HDQ Neutral. It's made with an ammonium chloride base and is used in hospitals, restaurants, and vet clinics as a disinfectant and sanitizer and smells like citrus. It's quite a bit more expensive but the upside is that one ounce gets diluted into a gallon of water, so you can use it not only on your dragon, but on your entire house to clean everything, so you essentially just save yourself from ever buying another cleaner ever again lol.
For those who prefer no chemicals at all, you're going to want to go with high heat. Steaming, 165f (74c) will kill all bacteria. Whatever can be soaked in boiling water, go for it, as water boils at 212f (100c).
Do not boil or bake rocks. Rocks are full of tiny little air pockets. When small, enclosed pockets of air are heated, it creates pressure, and they explode. If you need to sanitize rocks, scrub loose debris off, place them in the sink or tub, and dump boiling water over them (or spray them with cleaner and rinse, or steam them). Wood can be put in a pan of boiling water, or just have it dumped on them. Everything else, clean as you wish.