[rmelancon]

Has anyone seen any reviews or used these two products? They are for "sterilizing" herp enclosures. Wipe Out 1 is for the "cage" and Wipe Out 2 is for things like wood, hot rocks, etc. I got a bottle of the Wipe Out 1 to use on a tank. Anyone have any other recommendations for sterilizing tanks, wood, etc. (Besides bleach)? If there is already a thread for this, admins feel free to move this post.

Thanks.

 

[khoff]

I use Virosan. It comes in gallons of concentrate. It is made for cleaning animals (cows teats to rid bacterial infection) and enclosures. This has worked great for us.

 

[Devin Edmonds]

I've been using Nolvalsan (might be the same thing as Virosan, not sure) for quite a while now and haven't had any problems related to it that I can tell.

 

[khoff]

Devin is correct, Virosan and Nolvasan are essentially the same thing. Just different brand names.

 

[Guest]

You should private label this stuff as Dendrosan How do you use it? Do the frogs react to it at all?

 

[Guest]

Ok after search the web, because I don't have my favorites anymore I finally found it. This is everything you wanted to know about the cleaners you are using: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww6eiv.htm

I do know a breeder that uses Roccal-D, but I haven't tried it yet and mainly use bleach to clean. However, Roccal-D can be used on hardwater stains so that may be a plus.

Sorry Rob.... I haven't used either of the products you have asked about.

Hope this helps

 

[melissa68]

They are both brand names for chlorhexidine solution. Although if you follow the link Ben provided, there are some minute differences between the 2 you mention.

Devin is correct, Virosan and Nolvasan are essentially the same thing. Just different brand names.

 

[rburnj]

cleaning agents

like Melissa said...both trade names are chlorhexidine. All are safe to use on frogs and various other animals as far as my experience. You can use generic chlorhexidine or novalsan scrub or solution. We use this for surgery prep at the hopsital so its good to keep on had in case you need to preform minor surgery or scrub on your frogs (although if your cleansing the frogs simple saline is the easiest to use). I have used Roccal as well but have found that its a stronger concentrate so you need to dilute it a lot more. For general cleaning purposes though, these products all seem safe to use. Hope this helps.

Ryan

 

[Guest]

I have been using a product called Peroxigard for the past year or so with success. Again, this is a veterinary disinfectant, and it is appealing to me for a variety of reasons.
The product is peroxide based. The manufactureres (bayer perhaps?... I cannot remember off the top of my head) call the disinfectant accelerated hydrogen peroxide. What this means chemically I do not know... but in terms of what it kills in a micorbial level, it{s performance on paper matches other products such as Quatsyl D and Clinicide, whcih are two extensively used veterinary disinfectants here in Canada anyway. That is.. it is bacteriocidal and virucidal... and according to the manufactuers, works in half the time that the above mentioned products work.
Why do I use it? Well, it is biodegradable.. and it contains zero volatile organic compounds. This is an important factor in my choice. Plus, it is far easier to rinse out than ANY other product I have used either with my own frogs, or at the Animal Hospital that I work at. Those other products include Quatsyl D, Clinicide, and bleach solutions.
So, I find it easy to work with, is much safer for use with amphibians (than the other products I have worked with), and it seems to be the more environmentally friendly choice. When I get back from Peru.. I will have a look at the bottle and dig up a link to post.
Either way... just thought I{d chime in.
Ryan

 

[kyle1745]

Virosan?

So are these useable with the frogs in the tanks or am I missing something? Also were can one purchase these?

 

[Guest]

I picked up Novalsan at the local farm supply house (Southern States). It was a smaller bottle, and that stuff is pretty expensive. But it is concentrated, so you have to dilute it, so it works out in price. You can also buy it off the internet, just run a search for it.
sue

 

[rmelancon]

Was looking at that page on disinfectants etc. Reading the part about Novalsan and Virosan:
"Hexachlorophene has been suggested to be a potent carcinogenic. Some aviculturists use chlorhexidine as a water additive for control of pathogens--this is not recommended by the manufacturers, as these products were never meant for ingestion, and long-term effects have not been studied. "

The potent carcinogenic part has me a little concerned. Does anyone know what type of exposure is carcinogenic? Is it ingestion, breathing "fumes"?

 

[melissa68]

doesn't really have an odor - so I am not sure.

 

[rburnj]

safety

hey melissa,

as far as i am concerned novalsan is pretty safe. everything now adays may contain carcinogens. many medicinal drugs that we use today can cause complication in high enough doses and frequency. We used novalsan at my first animal hospital and as long as it is diluted enough it should not have a deterimental impact on your animals. This is all personal experience though. I dont think any proper studies have been conducted on amphibians. Its like any cleaning agent...you dont want your animals swimming in it. If you use chlorhexidine solution bases then they are pretty safe. they are now using chlorhexidine in dog chews for breath and tartar control. So it being ingested in small amounts isnt a problem otherwise it wouldnt be passed for safety for oral ingestion. I also use a mint disinfectant (i think its didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride). Its a germicidal disinfectant and deodorant that which is pseudomon, staphylo, salmonelia, bacteri, fungi and viricidal as well as mildewstatic. So pretty much it does it all and it has i high dilution factor of 1:128. Im not sure if you can buy this off the market but just letting you know stuff like this exists. If i were to go with anything though i would choose a chlorhexidine based product to use as my cleanser. hope this helps.

ryan

 

[Bry]

I use Nolvasan for the snakes myself, and I love the stuff. It is said to be safe to ingest if some residual Nolvasan is left behind in the water bowl for snakes (unlike bleach). I have heard of some keepers using Nolvasan topically on tree frogs to treat bacterial/viral infections. So if it is safe enough for them, the same should hold true for darts. When you dilute the stuff, I would think you'd have to be sure to use water that is safe for your frogs. Using tap water with this stuff won't hurt for snakes, but frogs are another story.

Bry

 

[rmelancon]

Anyone ever use 35% h202 (hydrogen peroxide)? Read a bit about it but don't know how strong a mix to use as disinfectant. One site touted it as an alternative to bleach.

Here's one link
http://www.dfwx.com/h2o2usage.htm

 

[kyle1745]

So is there something you could add to you misting water that would not hurt the frogs but keep the bacteria levels down? I would think something very mild would so it, but the frogs are very sensitive.

 

[Guest]

As far as using the 35% hydrogen peroxide, You have to dilute it alot. 35% is the strongest that you can buy without having a liscense if I remember correctly. Since I work for a chemical company I can tell you that hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer and a corrsive. Beign an oxidizer it can burn anything organic it comes in contact with. It will eat through leather boots like a hot knife cutting through a stick of butter.

The hydrogen peroxide you buy at a pharmecy is only 1 % if not lower. All I can say is use extreme caution if you tend to use hydrogen peroxide for cleaning.

Mike P.

 

[rmelancon]

So if it is used diluted, would that make it essentially the same as "store bought" hydrogen peroxide?

And how long after using hydrogen peroxide does it take to break down into just water and hydrogen (become safe for frogs)?

 

[Guest]

Well, I was wrong about the 35% being the strongest they make. The company I work for buys it at a 75% strength then dilutes it down to 50%, 35%, and so on. I would think it would be the same as the store bought but not as strong. The web site that was posted said how to dilutte it to what degree, But I am not sure how strong that is but it will be stronger than the store bought.

I can only say I would use extreme caution if you treid this. You would also need to throughly rinse whatever you use it on. Also need to be sure not to spill any on anything like leather or the sort because at 35% it can and will catch on fire. May take up to 15 mins or so depending on the amount you spill.

Mike P.