Universal precautions

[Christina]

Hello all:
A conversation we had in the chat has prompted me to write this post.
Universal precautions is a must with the animals we chose to keep in our homes.
Washing hands before, after and inbetween handling all of our creatures is a must!
I know some of you well go "YEAH DUH!" But some keepers tend to fall into bad habits without even being aware of it so this is a gentle reminder that washing is a must.
Using an antibacterial dish soap as a hand wash is a good way of keeping clean and dont forget to wash right up to the wrist and do it and a downward motion to take the germs from the wrist to the tips of the fingers than down the drain.
Using antibacterial dish soap in our tanks etc is a good idea and if people choose to use Javex one cap full in a bucket is sufficient!
Does anybody have any other ideas on good products to use to clean our creatures habitats?
Take care and be safe from me Christina
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Tarzet]

I use Betadine sterile surgical soap for almost all my reptile cleaning needs. It is great for dissinfecting and cleaning water bowls ect.. not to mention cleaning wounds....since that is actually what it is for. I even use it to clean my boys cuts and scrapes...sometimes my own too...lol. It's that yellow/orange stuff they put on your wound after surgery, stiches...ect..
You can get it behind the counter of most pharmacies....just ask for it. It comes in a bottel or jug and is fairly inexpencive and lasts a long time.
I mix it with antibacterial dish soap for realy dirty things.
I VERY rarely use bleach for anything because of enviromental concerns.

ttfn...

[Scotty Allen]

I like Betadine too Teresa. As a side note, you can get it much cheaper from your vet. or farm supply stores.

[Big Mike]

I've heard that some people here use peroxide and vinegar in spray bottles...I have not used this but supposedly it cleans as well as bleach while being a lot safer for you & your animals.

I use antibacterial dish soap most times and add a tiny bit of bleach the occasional time.

Does anyone use that antibacterial hand lotion...or no-rinse hand cleaner? Last show I was at, every table had it. Seemed like a good idea, especially for a show. My question is this...would this have any adverse effects on the snake etc. if you have this on your hands while handling?

[Christina]

No Mike I wouldnt think it would have any reactions to your herp. The clear antibacterial gel soaks into the skin quite well but it has been proven that 10 seconds of hand washing equals the same effect.
The vinegar and peroxide solution works properly if the item being cleaned is sprayed with the peroxide first than rinsed in vinegar and water. It is definately better for the enviroment. The vinegar and peroxide is bio degradable.
We are going to have to check out the Betadine method!
Christina

[eyespy]

Having come from a surgical tech background, I use PhisoHex on my own skin, as that is what we used to scrub up for surgery. However, I only use it in cases of broken skin, known or suspected infection, etc. If I have a new animal in the house I use it consistently throughout a 90 day quarantine period.

I just use lots and lots of plain soap and hot water most of the time, as there is always the possibility of creating resistant bacteria through overuse of antibacterials.

I am a peroxide/vinegar girl, and also love a product made for birds and aptly named Poop-off.

[eyespy]

Oh, yeah, almost forgot!! I swear by baby wipes. Since they have been proven to get coliform bacteria off parents' hands after a diaper change, I figure they are good to keep by my cages to remind me to clean up my hands.

I do make sure that my hands have thoroughly dried after using them before handling another animal, cage furniture, etc. I've been using them for over 20 years so they seem to work pretty well.

[Kathy]

Ive got that Alco-gel stuff (the no rinse hand stuff) and it works really well. Dries really fast and takes away odour too (good for me if iwas touching the mouse, then wanted to play with the snakes. Dont need them thinking I'm a mouse!)

[Lisa]

Originally posted by Kathy
Ive got that Alco-gel stuff (the no rinse hand stuff) and it works really well. Dries really fast and takes away odour too (good for me if iwas touching the mouse, then wanted to play with the snakes. Dont need them thinking I'm a mouse!)

You can be unpleasently surprised when they think you're a mouse.

[Lisa]

Oh the topic that triggered the discussion in chat was cryptosporidiosis. It is somewhat serious if your immune system works and can be fatal if you have a deficient immune system. There is no cure for it, your body must make it's own antibodies. One of the symptoms is severe diarea for 2-3 weeks.

How can you get it? Well the virus is transmited through the feces of many reptiles and invertabrates (ie crickets).

[North]

I have always used vinegar with no problems .. peroxide is also great and can be used on any nicks or abrasions or mouth problems as well as being antibacterial.. hibitane soap is available at your vets and it is also good for just about anything. when I travel to the schools the kids all have to feel the snakes skin so I take tubs of baby wipes with a bottle of peroxide poured in.. quick and easy...

[Cas]

Eyespy, that babywipes idea is great! I think I'm going to give that a try... I have annoyingly sensitive skin, and my hands get really dried out on cleaning and feeding days - I'd imagine babywipes would be a lot kinder to me. And then I could limit my washing with antibacterial soap to just between each and after all my quarantined critters.
Thanks for the idea!

Also, I'm curious... is that PhisoHex stuff readily available? If so, how is it on your skin, and how much does it cost?

Thanks,
Dawn

[Syst3m]

I used Anti Bacterial hand sanitizer. It has a high alcohol content so its harsh on the hands, after I'm done I use Aveeno Moisturizing lotion on my hands to soothe them. The Aveeno is the greatest thing for your hands to keep the from drying out on feeding/cleaning days.

I've posted these cleaning links before and I will do it again. This is VERY in depth stuff on cleaning, what to use, how to use it and what works best.


http://www.anapsid.org/cleaning.html
http://www.anapsid.org/disinfectants.html

I suggest if any of you herpers are considering what to use on your herp cages for cleaning these articles are the best. A must read for any herper.

[eyespy]

pHisoHex is available in most US drugstores, but sometimes you need to ask the pharmacist to order it for you. I'm not sure how easy it is to get up your way. It is sort of rough on the hands but not so bad as the alcohol-based cleansers and hand sanitizers. I became a Cornhusker's Lotion junkie when I had to use it every day, with Bag Balm if needed to heal up the cracked, raw knuckles. I too have very sensitive skin. It's roughly $30 USD for a 16 oz. bottle so it's not cheap. Many of my friends are surgeons so they keep me well stocked.

[crimsonking]

One of the bad things(if there weren't enough) about crypto is that it is now showing up in forms that are very resistant to our efforts to get rid of it. Some strains are becoming resistant enough to live quite well in swimming pools. It is a matter of hygiene really. Here in FL. there's a lot of water parks etc. You can bet that out of 1000 people, 1 is sick or has not "cleaned" well. Babies not toilet trained,etc. You get the (dirty)picture. I'm not an alarmist or anything, but anything we do to keep clean (whether around our herps or not) is good. Hand washing is probably one of the most important and overlooked weapons we have. I too use most of the mentioned cleaners, with the gel hand sanitizer handy in all my snake areas. Most cleaners w/ bleach or Triclosan need to be in contact with the object for some time to be really effective though. Our herps are only as clean as we keep 'em. Do any of you also use an air cleaner and / or spray disenfectant?
:Mark

[crimsonking]

I would add only that a contaminated water supply (in their dish for example) is maybe #1 for harboring the "baddies" we're talking about.

[Cas]

eyespy, thanks... wow that's expensive! Think I'll actually give betadine a try ($10 CAD for a decent sized bottle at my local feed store). I may take a look around and see if I can find Cornhusker's lotion someplace up here though... I use Udderly Smooth now, and it works really well most of the time - but it'd be nice to have another lotion that works!

Dawn

[Syst3m]

Aveeno lotion works like a million dollars, I used to have to wash my hands in 99.5% alcohol, that stuff destroys your hands (and your liver too) and once a day with aveeno made my hands as soft as a childs.

[eyespy]

This summer I was working on a rescue case in which Cryptsporidium baileyi was suspected of sickening a family's reptiles and a 7 year old girl. It was never definitively proved because by the time I got the public health officials to pay attention to my concerns, the animals in question had been dead for months and the fecal smear slides were not properly preserved for molecular testing for either the child or the herps.

The official diagnosis for the child was "parasitic infestation of unknown etiology". We do know that crypto was the cause of death for a bearded dragon and a leopard gecko, both purchased from the same store and acquired from the same large-scale breeder. That breeder is no longer shipping animals to North America and so our worries are over there.

I spent many an hour pouring over info about cryptosporidiosis and found this site particularly helpful.

University of Kansas Parasitology: Cryptosporidiosis (http://www.ksu.edu/parasitology/)

Stuff I gleaned from my reading:

It is extremely rare for humans and reptiles to be sickened by the same strain of crypto. There is only one documented case and that man had an advanced case of AIDS. The strain that sickens reptiles is usually Cryptosporidium serpentis, which is rarely found in North American water supplies. It is Cryptosporidium parvum which sickens mammals, and that is the strain most commonly found in North America as a result of runoff water from farms and ranches. Therefore, it is not likely our animals will ever contract crypto unless we ourselves encounter a crypto animal and bring home oocysts to infect our collections. We must use our heads when handling pet shop animals or animals at a show.

Soap and water mechanically removes oocysts from our hands and from underneath our fingernails more effectively than any chemical. The hard coating of the oocysts makes them extremely resistant to penetration by any chemical agent that might kill them, and so chemicals have to be in contact with them for long enough to soak in. Lots of running water is most likely to send them down the drain where they won't harm us or our collection. Hand sanitizers are great for bacterial problems but not very effective for stopping the spread of crypto.

Hope this was helpful.