Dos and Don'ts of prepping a second hand enclosure?

[Tigerlily]

Hi guys!

I recently nabbed an enclosure for my roughie - 88cm x 88cm x 58cm which I think is really nice and roomy for him! It's made of timber on three sides and a glass sliding door at the front. I have a couple of questions about cleaning/prep before I let my precious roughie loose in there.


The enclosure is home made and was in use until almost the day it was delivered to me. The person I got it from said they would clean it with F10, and they said "Wow it was a lot dirtier than I expected" (via text, I didn't get to meet them). Today I was finally able to bring it inside and noticed it still looked a bit dirty and smelled... not like snake poo, but a sulfur-ish smell.

I decided to give it another clean with Pine-o-clean, rinsed well with water and now it looks and smells clean.


1. Is it safe to put my snake in there after the Pine-o-clean if I air it out a few days, or do I need to re-clean it with F10?

2. The wood is sealed, but the sponge was getting caught in some areas. Does that mean it could use a new coat of varnish?

3. The person kindly gave me the big branches they'd been using for their snake, but I threw them out because I prefer to get my own. I usually disinfect them by baking in the oven, but branches the size for this enclosure won't fit in an oven. How can I be sure that my branches are safe?

4. If there's anything else I should know about, or some disease going around now I should be aware of, PLEASE let me know! I'm really attached to this snake and I would be devastated if anything happened to him just because I was cheap and got a second-hand enclosure in a swap.

PS! If you're the person who I swapped with, please don't be offended by this post lol... I have anxiety issues that occasionally flare up as OCD, so I basically worry about everything and it's 100% not personal. I'm really happy with the enclosure FYI, just erring on the side of caution!

 

[Smittiferous]

I would re-caulk and re-seal the interior, because it will 1. guarantee that it's properly sealed and 2. guarantee that it'll be free of contaminants/nasties.

I've never used second-hand branches before but scrubbing them thoroughly to get rid of any dirt or excrement and nuking them several times with F10 would be a good start.

 

[Bushfire]

DO. Have all the wiring inspected and tested you'd be surprised by the number of diy that haven't yet caught fire

 

[Wally]

Tigerlily

Please take what I'm about to say with the humour in which it is intended.

I am a little bit serious though.....

Do : Take said enclosure into appropriately well ventilated area away from combustible materials. Douse with accelerant and ignite.

Do : Find a brand new enclosure that is suitable to requirements and purchase.

 

[CrazyNut]

Depending on the size of the branch, for the large ones I usally let them soak in the sink with very hot soapy water also scrub it (some cases you must double soak as in drain the water, flip the branch and soak the other side). I then give the entire branch a rub down with some kind of safe disinfectant (f10 would be great). For anything two big to even "double" soak, I would recomend maybe trying either a) cuting it and rejoining it after soaking each 1/2 or poor a couple of buckets of boiling water over it and then bomb it with disinfectant. Btw soaking/boiling is usally done for fish, it realeses a lot of tannins into the water but I find it generally does the trick.

 

[africancichlidau]

DO. Have all the wiring inspected and tested you'd be surprised by the number of diy that haven't yet caught fire

I wouldn't be surprised, I have seen a few frightening aftermaths of 2nd hand cages!

 

[pythoninfinite]

You don't need to do ANYTHING to fresh branches for your enclosure. Branches from the bush carry NOTHING that can harm your animal, branches from other enclosures with other animals may indeed be a problem, so don't use them. I'm inclined to agree with Wally - if you have an animal that you treasure, don't ever take the risk of using second-hand enclosures. In the long-term, for your peace of mind (esp if you're OCD!) investing in a brand-new sterile enclosure is the only way to go. There certainly are viral diseases which kill many snakes, sometimes even entire collections, in this country, so do you think it's worth the risk for a couple of hundred bucks?

Forget Pine-o-Clean. The smell would be offensive to your snake, and it has very limited value as a disinfectant in circumstances like this. F10 or VirkonS are cold-sterilising agents which will do what you want a disinfectant to do - kill all bacteria, fungi and viruses, but you need to read the instructions, and exposure time is important - simply wiping will not be sufficient.

Jamie

 

[Tinky]

With Branches I usually put into an old close hamper that I have that is 1m high, with boiling water and some domestos. Long branches stick out the top, so I flip them over once or twice a day.

The other method that I have seen is to put the branches in a large black plastic bag and sit in the sun. Not sure about this though. Something about heat and oxygen deprevation to kill any insects that might be living in the wood.

 

[ronhalling]

[MENTION=39720]Tigerlily[/MENTION], As Jamie and Wally have said, for the sake of your piece of mind and a couple of hundred bucks get a new 1, there is just so many things that can go wrong with an enclosure you say you have had to clean that much (even taking into consideration OCD tendency's) and from now until you finally buy a new 1 it will play on your mind constantly. As far as killing off nasties on/in branches and such i have found that if you don't have a freezer big enough you can put them in a big sealed plastic bag and take it to a friendly shop keeper or even some of the larger stores with a walk in freezer and ask them can you leave it there for a week or so, never heard of 1 saying no. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) -ronhalling

 

[Iguana]

Definitely going to agree with everyone else on the issue that it's better to get a brand new enclosure. My one has had 2 previous owners before me and was a massive pain to clean, and for quite awhile I was constantly anxious about my diamond catching something from it. I understand the appeal of getting a second hand one, to save money, but for peace of mind, and to ensure it's 100% safe both in cleanliness and wiring, a new one is just better.
As for cleaning, I'd ensure that anything with a strong smell is left out is a high air flow area to help with the chemical scent. I used a small amount of diluted bleach in very hot water, and then rinsed with more hot water before leaving it outside for the rest of the day.
Hope this helps! Good luck,

 

[Smittiferous]

FWIW a properly re-sealed* timber enclosure should be just as sterile as a new one. Why wouldn't it? To be fair though, you'd replace all the fixtures/fittings etc and by the time you've done that, you won't have spent much less than a brand new one.


*Thoroughly scrubbed, sanded, multiple coats of sealant applied as per instructions, any old silicone removed and replaced.

 

[Tigerlily]

Thank you everyone for all your posts, tons of great advice here! The part about checking the wires [MENTION=9873]Bushfire[/MENTION] was especially relevant as the cord for the light fixture does look a bit dodgy. I'm having our electrician family friend come over and check it out, possibly replace it - wouldn't have occurred to me if you hadn't mentioned it so thank you very much!
[MENTION=18662]Tinky[/MENTION] thanks for that idea; I'm thinking I could do the same in my bathtub. The domestos though - is that safe? Do you just let it soak in hot water afterwards and rinse thoroughly?
[MENTION=32194]Smittiferous[/MENTION] I've decided to do what you suggested. I think it's reasonable to believe that a good thorough clean and proper sealing would be enough. Then I'd wait a few months before moving my roughie in there - I don't see how that's much different from quarantining a new snake in your collection. It's not about the money at this point; it took a lot of time and the help of a few friends to get the enclosure where I needed it. Someone mentioned my OCD - this is part of an exposure therapy I'm undergoing, and I've decided to trust my rational mind that as long as I take all the precautionary steps, a second hand enclosure will not cause a threat to my snake's health.

Thanks again for all the input!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone

 

[Smittiferous]

[MENTION=39720]Tigerlily[/MENTION] if you're going to do that, please be extremely thorough, every step of the way. Prep work, caulking, sealant application (I would use twice the minimum required coats of pond sealer) etc. And when I say replace all fixtures and fittings I mean everything, including light sockets, wiring, vents and glass tracks. The only original stuff that would remain would be the physical enclosure itself and the glass (sterilise that too, thoroughly).

What timber is it made of, by the way? If it's melamine, don't even bother trying, sealant probably won't bond very well, if at all.

 

[Tigerlily]

Thanks [MENTION=32194]Smittiferous[/MENTION]! I don't know what timber it is other than the fact that it's regular wood, not melamine... That was one of the very few cons of this enclosure when I was considering it. Now that you've mentioned this I'm pretty happy right now!

Yes, definitely, everything will be cleaned EXTREMELY thoroughly. I've already cleaned the glass tracks with a bleach solution twice, using Q-tips.

Since I've got you here, I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions...

1. What do you mean by prep work (apart from cleaning, removing parts etc)?

2. By caulking, do you mean the silicone along the joints?

3. Is there a specific type of sealant that you would recommend? I don't mind doing multiple coats at all - should the outside have the same number of coats as the inside, and is there a time frame for how long to leave between coats? (if this kind of thing is on the label or I should ask a salesperson at Bunnings, just let me know!)

4. Do I need to remove the current sealant before going over it with the new? (the only analogy I can come up with is removing nail polish before doing a new coat; this is done for aesthetic reasons but I'm wondering if it would be necessary for the enclosure - and if that's the case, do I need to sand it down, use acetone, something else...?)

5. I've never actually bought F10 before. I buy pet supplies from a few different places and I know that one of the online stores sells it starting from 200ml. The directions on the site say:

How to dilute F10Sc:
General disinfection of hard surfaces: dilute 1:500.
High level disinfection: dilute 1:250
For the most resistant viruses (eg parvovirus): dilute 1: 125.


That seems VERY diluted to me! Is it accurate? How diluted would you suggest?

Thanks in advance for your help! This will be my very first foray into DIY so I REALLY appreciate any advice.

 

[Stompsy]

Thanks [MENTION=32194]Smittiferous[/MENTION]! I don't know what timber it is other than the fact that it's regular wood, not melamine... That was one of the very few cons of this enclosure when I was considering it. Now that you've mentioned this I'm pretty happy right now!

Yes, definitely, everything will be cleaned EXTREMELY thoroughly. I've already cleaned the glass tracks with a bleach solution twice, using Q-tips.

Since I've got you here, I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions...

1. What do you mean by prep work (apart from cleaning, removing parts etc)?

2. By caulking, do you mean the silicone along the joints?

3. Is there a specific type of sealant that you would recommend? I don't mind doing multiple coats at all - should the outside have the same number of coats as the inside, and is there a time frame for how long to leave between coats? (if this kind of thing is on the label or I should ask a salesperson at Bunnings, just let me know!)

4. Do I need to remove the current sealant before going over it with the new? (the only analogy I can come up with is removing nail polish before doing a new coat; this is done for aesthetic reasons but I'm wondering if it would be necessary for the enclosure - and if that's the case, do I need to sand it down, use acetone, something else...?)

5. I've never actually bought F10 before. I buy pet supplies from a few different places and I know that one of the online stores sells it starting from 200ml. The directions on the site say:

How to dilute F10Sc:
General disinfection of hard surfaces: dilute 1:500.
High level disinfection: dilute 1:250
For the most resistant viruses (eg parvovirus): dilute 1: 125.


That seems VERY diluted to me! Is it accurate? How diluted would you suggest?

Thanks in advance for your help! This will be my very first foray into DIY so I REALLY appreciate any advice.

Don't use silicon. Use no more gaps as its acrylic and you can paint over it, unlike silicon.

And we used pond sealant, which is acrylic also and safe to use with reptiles.

Everything else Smittiferous can answer.

 

[Smittiferous]

1. Prep work = removing and discarding everything that isn't the actual timber enclosure, and scrubbing the life out of the timber, disinfecting it, and sanding the inside to remove previous coatings and to rough up the surface.

2. Yes, cut out all the old silicone before you sand everything. You can get paint scrapers with razor blades that will do this, I'd recommend one with removable blades. Probably best not to use silicone remover, it's nasty to handle, makes a huge mess, and isn't very pleasant.

3. I use pond sealant for the interiors of all my enclosures. It creates a membrane that is both impervious to water and keeps anything that's in the timber from leaching out. Available from Bunnings in different colours and clear. I'd use twice the normal number of coats to be sure. Time frame between coats depends on the brand but the stuff I use (Crommelins) I think requires 8 hours between from memory. Exterior you should be fine to use a simple varnish if you want to re-do it, it's the interior that's critical.

4. Yes, the prep work (sanding etc) will do this.

5. As with anything like this, follow the instructions on the packaging, and for peace of mind, give it another go.

 

[Tigerlily]

Thanks [MENTION=17341]akarsha[/MENTION], will be ehading to Masters next week!