Re-use Cages? Safe?

[ChamOh]

Hey everyone. I'm about to be a first-time cham owner (panther). I bought a used cage (LLL all screen cage) to raise him in. The owner gave it to me kind of dirty, and I definitely needed to give it a good scrub to get it clean. I cleaned it with water and distilled vinegar in the bathtub and rinsed very well. It cleaned up pretty nice. I wanted to know if this cage should be safe to re-use? Do I need to be concerned that the previous owner had a herp or something in there that died of something that could be passed on to my little guy? Is it safe to re-use cages? Thanks for an insight on this!

 

[pssh]

I'd bleach it with a 1:10 bleach:water solution. If you're worried about parasites, then you need to get special hydrogen peroxide from a beauty supply store. I can't remember the strength though, sorry.

 

[ChamOh]

bump

any thoughts if I should just get a brand new one or use the old one? I definitely don't want parasites...

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I re-use cages all the time.
As suggested, use a diluted bleach solution to clean the cage and rinse really well.
If you can set it out in the sun to dry that helps. (not a great time of year for this)
Make sure it is completely dry before you start setting it up.

-Brad

 

[sandrachameleon]

There is risk. But frankly there is also risk of getting parasites from many other sources. You've got it so you may as well use it.

To help mitigate the risk of parasites, Soak the cage in 6% hydrogen peroxide. Then rinse by pouring boiling water over it. Or use a high quality very very hot steam cleaner, moved very slowly over the entire surface. It will take awhile
Bleach will not kill all parasites.

 

[ChamOh]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'm thinking about buying a used cage for when he needs to move into his adult size enclosure.

 

[ChamOh]

one more question just for my general knowledge of little buggers and chameleon husbandry--Can parasites survive on a surface (like a cage) for a long time after the animal is removed from it?

 

[sandrachameleon]

one more question just for my general knowledge of little buggers and chameleon husbandry--Can parasites survive on a surface (like a cage) for a long time after the animal is removed from it?

parasite eggs can