Cleaning rocks question

[BeardieBaby]

Hi again everyone! I have a question I have received numerous different opinions on, but I trust this site the most so I look forward to your responses! Anyways, I was wondering what the BEST solution to is in regards to cleaning the rocks in my beardies cage. I have something called Wipe out 1 that is used to clean the glass and it says on the box of my repticarpet that you can use it to clean the carpet too by leaving it on for 5 minutes and then rinsing it out. Would I be able to use this on the baby's rocks to clean them as well as long as I rinse it really good? I have used regular soap and water in the meantime but I know soap can be bad for the beardie but I have had no other suggestions on how to clean the rocks! And I thoroughly wash the soap off the rocks so my beardie does not ingest ANY of it. But I do not think that is the correct solution and I do not want to continue to do something that may be harmful, so anybody have any advice for me? And advice on if I can use the Wipe out on the rocks too or no? Sorry If I seem ignorant to this issue, but like I said I have had so many different opinions I have no idea what to do!

 

[Aleena]

Make sure that it says it's non toxic, whatever you use. Absolute best thing to do would be to just make sure you boil/bake/freeze them once a week during their thorough cleaning, and spot clean until then.

 

[BeardieBaby]

Ok, thanks! I did bake them right when I bought them at the store but haven't sinced. I forget, but how long do I bake them for until it should have killed anything if anything that is on the rock?

 

[Aleena]

I know the answer for boiling, not baking I boil mine for 15 minutes.

 

[BeardieBaby]

Oh thats okay! I can always boil them too. Now, I have a log that is in my beardie's tank. There was a tag on it that said it was heated before being sold but I know I have to continue to heat that somehow. I'm thinking I'm probably going to have to bake that because I think if I boil it, the bark might get too moist and then it won't dry and cause mold or fungus. I could be totally wrong but I am only guessing here. What do you think?

 

[Aleena]

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Quoted from there: "Clean items by soaking them in a solution of 10% bleach to 90% water (not recommended for porous materials such as wood), rinse thoroughly and bake them for approximately 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Weekly cleaning of enclosure items can be done with a solution of 30% vinegar to 70% water. Use the bleach solution once per month for a thorough cleaning but make sure you also rinse thoroughly! Accessories bought from the pet store should also be washed in the vinegar solution prior to adding them to the enclosure. Do not use detergents or other soaps as they may have the potential to be toxic to your dragon."​

 

[Aleena]

You can still bake the wood, just don't soak them in the bleach solution I believe is what it was saying. Just keep a close eye on it while it's baking.

 

[BeardieBaby]

Oh thank you so much! I didn't even see that!! You rock! Haha!

 

[Germ]

Personally I would wipe down the wood the best I could then freeze it overnight.

 

[Repti82]

i know how to disinfect wood bc of my other pets... and i guess now rocks too lol.

 

[blackclaw83]

Ok here is a stupid question. Why not use soup? I scrub the rocks in hot hot water, with dawn, then bake at 300 for 1 hour and let cool. i never even seen those guides for the care. I clean the tanks 1 time a week with everyday spot cleans. Then a massive clean once a month.

 

[BeardieBaby]

Soap can be bad for the beardie if somehow he ingests it. When I first got my Baby I was using soap as well but then quickly learned it can be very dangerous for your beardie. Of course I always made sure all the soap was washed off, but still, once I found that information out I stopped using soap. I've heard you can use a certain amount of vinegar but they also sell special cleaning supplies for the rocks, etc...I also bake the rocks at 300 degrees but only for 15 minutes. I was told that is all you had to bake it for. Never heard of baking it for a full hour....does anyone else know the amount of time you're supposed to bake the rocks?