Thank you everyone for your ans.Can you clean a tank for a bearded dragon with 409? A week befor we get them?

Question

Thank you everyone for your ans.Can you clean a tank for a bearded dragon with 409? A week befor we get them?

Answer 1

No! Formula 409 was not meant to be used to clean tanks and the chemicals and smell can be harmful to your pet.

You can either purchase reptile tank cleaners at a pet store, or mix 1 part white vinegar with 9 parts water to clean the tank, then rinse it and wipe it thoroughly.

Answer 2

No, I would not use 409, it is not reptile safe.

You can get reptile friendly cleaners at your local petstore, or you can get some really great stuff from http://www.proexotics.com/store/product....   It's totally safe as long as you dilute it properly.

You can also use diluted vinegar like suggested above, or mix a solution of 1 part beach to 10 parts water. You will have to rinse the cage VERY well afterwords, until there is NO bleach smell. If you get even the fainest wiff of bleach, then you have to keep rinsing.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

I would not recommend it.  (More strongly worded: that would be an emphatic "NO."

If you're breaking the tank down for a thorough cleaning, simply use a mix of bleach and water.  I like to be sure the bacteria is killed, and use a 50/50 solution, but I rinse the tank/bowl/perches/hides well with a garden hose, and permit them to completely dry/air before setting up the tank again.  If you're only planning to wash the tank down, you would do better to use a weaker solution like 1 part bleach and 10 parts water.  It's still very important that you rinse the tank, bowls, etc. well, and air dry them before returning the animal to the enclosure.

White vinegar can be used as well, or also, as mentioned by your other posters, you can use a commercial disinfectant and follow the manufacture's diluting/drying instructions.

Though I don't use it personally; I know of several hobbyist who use Windex, but again - wiping the residue free, and airing the tank until thoroughly dry is necessary.

For stubborn cleaning (f***s on a perch/rock, etc),  just use a tooth brush and iodine free salt.  Make sure you rinse it well, and allow to dry completely.  This will also kill bacteria.  

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 4

Don't listen to these morons. Yes you can use any type of cleaner you want, just make sure you wipe it up really good and let it dry for about 30 minutes before putting you pet back in. Don't use a clothe, use paper towels so you can tell if you got it all, when you wipe and there's nothing on there, you got it all.

Answer 5

Since you are doing it a week before you should be fine, just make sure there is no left over smell and rinse very well, but I would listen to the others for cleaning ideas when you have the lizard.