Is next Thursday too soon?

[khaleesi]

I feel a bit better now and more positive in my out look, so since I have more skills to be a successful Beardie owner I should move forward, past my devastating experience and offer a loving home to what I hope will be a healthy, happy little Beardie. I plan to go on Thursday to pick one out from a shop but I would much rather go to a trusted breeder but I'm having trouble finding one in my area It feels like I'm rushing a little into getting another but I feel so lost without my babies.

Should I just go get a whole new setup and start afresh? Or just continue in a sterile viv I already have? I cleaned them both really well, with a reptile spray and a mix of lemon juice, white vinegar and warm water. All of the perches and basking logs etc have been boiled back to sterility, but I'm not sure if I should chance using them again.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I agree whole-heartedly that you will provide an excellent home when it comes time to get another dragon. Usually when I feel like I am rushing I step back for a moment and take a deep breath..It's more of a pause to make sure that I am really comfortable with the speed...if I am then I take one more breath, give myself permission and set the new adventure truly into motion without fear. Only you can say and know if you are comfortable with the speed no matter what the situation in life is...it's your foot on the gas pedal always...if you feel it's too soon just lift your foot but if you know it's right then hammer-down and enjoy the ride

I don't see any reason that you couldn't use the vivs you have as long as they were thoroughly cleaned and sterile. What happened to your other two little ones truly sounded like a reaction to the feeders but either way were it me I would clean everything using a bleach solutions and rinse with water and any furnishings I intended to reuse I would also clean in bleach solution, rinse thoroughly with water and bake at 220 degrees for at least 30 minutes. I am not familiar with the lemon and vinegar cleaning and have no idea how effective that solution is.
I believe the bleach rinse bake method should knock out most anything you might worry about but if it will be a constant worry and you would feel more comfortable and have the funds then replace it all. Me personally I hate to toss something that is still perfectly good and workable away. My money comes too hard..lol

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

I agree with Buddha 100%, and I'm really glad that you're ready to go at it again.

 

[khaleesi]

Thanks guys! I have boiled everything in a large pan so I know that they are sterile and can be used again and moneys tight right now so I will probably select the best bits and add them to create an environment that he or she will like. I've never used bleach in my viv's I didn't think it was ok but I will give it a try. What do you mean bake them for 30 mins? I may be having a brain fart and making my self look silly but do you mean in the oven? The lemon, vinegar and water mix was just to give it a good clean, kill any bacteria with the acid and make it smell fresh.

If anyone reads this from the UK I could really use a little advice. Do you order live food online? If so where do you get them? I'm looking to find a new supplier and figured I'd try online as shops are limited by me. A direct link to the site would be great if you could.

Thank you

 

[sircactuscat]

If your looking for livefood deliveries. I use Swell Reptiles. They sell most livefood and in bulk and delivery is cheap and fast! You could also try livefoodbypost. They have quite a lot of stuff inexpensive!

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@Khaleesi...I use a 10% bleach/water solution when doing a thorough cleaning of vivs and furniture letting the bleach solution sit for a good 10 minutes before rinsing everything really well with clean water to make sure there is no bleach residue left behind. then in the case of vivariums and things that will not fit in the oven or that might melt (I dont use anything that would melt) I let them air dry thoroughly. Perches,tiles, and stones I put in a 220 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for them for 30 minutes. Most anything that would be anything to worry about will not survive the 220 degree heat.Then I let them all cool to room temp before adding them back to the viv. When cleaning wood perches I do not let them soak in the bleach but instead just use it to scrub them and then rinse thorughly with water then they go in the oven...the oven again will take care of killing off any bacteria.
This is just how I have always done things and works very well
Enjoy!

 

[khaleesi]

Thanks @sircactuscat. Hey @Mungi I used your formula for cleaning and I have to say it will probably be my weekly routine now

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@Khaleesi...glad I could help

 

[Lemonpie]

Mungi's Buddha, do you put the stones and tiles on a cookie sheet or an oven rack?

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@Lemonpie...I usually place things directly on the rack unless they would fall thru in which case a cookie sheet or even a shallow baking pan works just fine..for instance before I use the playsand in Mungi's setup I sift it and then bake it in baking pans...for some reason the sand I used just goes all over the place in my oven when I try to pour it directly on the rack..lol
Hope that helps...Enjoy your Evening!!