Sanitizing wooden enclosures??

[wuvvles]

How does one sanitize a wooden enclosure, if at all...? 10:1 water/ammonia is what I'm reading but I'm iffy on it because of how wood holds things and i cant really submerge the enclosure in the solution. they're saying spray it down and let it sit for 10 minutes +/- but with decor they're saying to soak it for an hour or so... so why treat one thing different than the other and expect the same results...? if any of that made sense.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I haven't seen anyone regularly sterilizing wooden enclosures here on the forum, only when getting a second-hand one or between two tortoises (especially, rescues).

Two most common desinfectants are F10 (ammonia-based) and Virkon (hydrogen peroxide based). And may be chlorhexidine as well.

I presume, different exposition times are for the flat, smooth, non-absorbing surfaces (glass/plastic walls, painted wood) and for porous non-uniform surfaces (cork bark, hides etc.).

If you have already cleaned wood with ammonia solution, be very careful with chlorine-based cleaners (e.g. dilluted bleach). Chlorine + ammonia combination release toxic fumes.

Here is two listings of desinfectants and their effectiveness against different pathogens:
1. https://faq.dubiaroaches.com/articles/reptile-safe-cleaning-and-disinfecting-agents
2. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Disinfectants.html

 

[Anastasia 22]

Barbicide- is EPA approved disinfectant. It kills up to 99% of bacteria, fungi, viruses.
Let me know if you decide to use it, so I explain how to mix it safe....and how to use it on surfaces.

 

[Tom]

How does one sanitize a wooden enclosure, if at all...? 10:1 water/ammonia is what I'm reading but I'm iffy on it because of how wood holds things and i cant really submerge the enclosure in the solution. they're saying spray it down and let it sit for 10 minutes +/- but with decor they're saying to soak it for an hour or so... so why treat one thing different than the other and expect the same results...? if any of that made sense.

What type of enclosure are we talking about? Indoor tortoise table, or an outdoor night house?

I've never sanitized any wooden enclosure. I sanitize the indoor PVC closed chambers for babies in between batches with F10 and 12% peroxide at different times.

 

[wuvvles]

What type of enclosure are we talking about? Indoor tortoise table, or an outdoor night house?

I've never sanitized any wooden enclosure. I sanitize the indoor PVC closed chambers for babies in between batches with F10 and 12% peroxide at different times.

Indoor tortoise table

 

[Tom]

Indoor tortoise table

Why do you want to sanitize it vs. just regular cleaning?

 

[EppsDynasty]

When using disinfectants one is to be careful if there are any 'Caulking or Silicone' in seams or cracks. What would be a better option would be clean out all substrate and decor and set out in the sun.

 

[wuvvles]

Why do you want to sanitize it vs. just regular cleaning?

Austwickia. Bleach doesn't kill it neither does F10. But ammonia does. Sadly I'm unable to get another enclosure currently and Tio is in a 10gal quarantine tank that gets sanitized daily. But glass is much easier to sanitize as it's not porris, like wood is. And my issue of thought is that why's it say to submerge wooden decor in a 1:10 solution for a few hours but when it's the enclosure it's self, it says to spray it down wait 10 minutes and then wipe it off. If they are both wood, they why are they being treated differently and such.

 

[jaizei]

How large is the enclosure?

 

[Dustin]

Did you confirm that your tortoise has Austwickia or is it just suspected? I would just destroy the wooden enclosure rather than attempt to clean and use it again. If it were me, In Florida, I would burn it to reduce the risk of exposing wild reptiles. That probably isn't as much of a problem in MO. It has been reported, on this forum at least, that it is transmissible to birds as well though.

 

[wuvvles]

Did you confirm that your tortoise has Austwickia or is it just suspected? I would just destroy the wooden enclosure rather than attempt to clean and use it again. If it were me, In Florida, I would burn it to reduce the risk of exposing wild reptiles. That probably isn't as much of a problem in MO. It has been reported, on this forum at least, that it is transmissible to birds as well though.

its pretty much guaranteed to be it. Tio's scales have come off in large patches and is mostly just bare skin. he's lost/loosing toes and a node has come up on the side of his head ( near the ear-ish area). the yellow spots have went away with treatment of silver sulfadiazine (at least 2 hours before his soak) a 10 min soak of just normal warm water followed by a small/gentle scrub (with a small paint brush). then off to a betadine/water soak (warm water + enough betadine to make it look like weak tea is what my vet said to do.) pat dry with a clean dry paper towel or wash cloth then applying nitrate 2% antifungal cream. we've been doing this for a week and his check up is later this week when i get his antibiotics.

he's still eating/drinking and walking around, so that gives me hope. from what me and vet are reading/researching it has a sensitivity to the Cillin family of antibiotics and I'm most likely going to ask them to put an IV-port in the little guy rather than me having to stab him so many times over the next few months.

as far as sanitizing goes, i don't have the funds currently to buy another winter encloser. 22.4"D x 38.1"W x 13.1"H but i have an account with the vets office that i just pay on every 2 weeks. i also have mixed feeling about putting him in a new encloser while he's still icky incase it just spreads to the new one. as of right now, he's in a 5 gal tank. he still has the heat at 80-90 ( depending on time of day) but no humidity as the fungus thrives in it. but with the 5 gal, i can easily sanitize that everyday.

I'm not worried about his growth as he's not going to grow much anyways while he's going through treatment. he's staying hydrated via his soaks and his food is mostly moist (aside from a small pile of pellets i put in the corner as an option for him) he's eating bokchoy, mustard greens, collared greens and mazuri pellets along side orchard and timothy hay (tell me why i have to put the hays in the blender for him to even go near them lol. i also sprinkle it over his greens so i know he's getting more.) i just got grassland grazer Repashy and haven't made it yet. hoping he likes it that way i can more accurately measure how much he's eating.

 

[wuvvles]

How large is the enclosure?

22.4"D x 38.1"W x 13.1"H. mind you that it's just a winter encloser as it gets too cold here. ( oh how i miss living in Florida)

 

[Tom]

its pretty much guaranteed to be it. Tio's scales have come off in large patches and is mostly just bare skin. he's lost/loosing toes and a node has come up on the side of his head ( near the ear-ish area). the yellow spots have went away with treatment of silver sulfadiazine (at least 2 hours before his soak) a 10 min soak of just normal warm water followed by a small/gentle scrub (with a small paint brush). then off to a betadine/water soak (warm water + enough betadine to make it look like weak tea is what my vet said to do.) pat dry with a clean dry paper towel or wash cloth then applying nitrate 2% antifungal cream. we've been doing this for a week and his check up is later this week when i get his antibiotics.

he's still eating/drinking and walking around, so that gives me hope. from what me and vet are reading/researching it has a sensitivity to the Cillin family of antibiotics and I'm most likely going to ask them to put an IV-port in the little guy rather than me having to stab him so many times over the next few months.

as far as sanitizing goes, i don't have the funds currently to buy another winter encloser. 22.4"D x 38.1"W x 13.1"H but i have an account with the vets office that i just pay on every 2 weeks. i also have mixed feeling about putting him in a new encloser while he's still icky incase it just spreads to the new one. as of right now, he's in a 5 gal tank. he still has the heat at 80-90 ( depending on time of day) but no humidity as the fungus thrives in it. but with the 5 gal, i can easily sanitize that everyday.

I'm not worried about his growth as he's not going to grow much anyways while he's going through treatment. he's staying hydrated via his soaks and his food is mostly moist (aside from a small pile of pellets i put in the corner as an option for him) he's eating bokchoy, mustard greens, collared greens and mazuri pellets along side orchard and timothy hay (tell me why i have to put the hays in the blender for him to even go near them lol. i also sprinkle it over his greens so i know he's getting more.) i just got grassland grazer Repashy and haven't made it yet. hoping he likes it that way i can more accurately measure how much he's eating.

You need to throw the wooden one away, or just use it for this one tortoise, and then throw it away/burn it.

5 gallons is way too small. You can get a couple of large plastic totes and those can easily be sanitized with ammonia or with 12% peroxide. They sell Christmas tree storage bins that are 48 inches and large enough to suit a baby for a while. Check out this thread:

How to make a closed-chamber baby habitat out of a 55gal Sterilite bin

Since several folks have asked about how to make a closed chamber baby enclosure out of a 55gal Sterilite tote, here are some pics and description of how I do. This is not the most beautiful option, but since the babies will only be in here for 9-12 months, I'm okay with that. My own Russian...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[turtlesteve]

Read this: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/a...-information-what-to-do-if-you-see-it.206999/

I (and at least a couple other people now) have had success treating this with antibiotics. It is sensitive to penicillin-group and oral amoxicillin seems to work when given for long periods of time.

I do not know if you can fully sanitize a wood enclosure, but I also don't know if treating the tortoise actually eliminates the disease or just allows their immune system to get the upper hand and puts it in remission. If the same tortoise is going back into that enclosure and not any other tortoises, I wouldn't feel horrible about continuing to use it, even if you cannot sanitize it perfectly. Ammonia and quat-ammonia should be more effective than bleach. Just don't ever re-use the enclosure for other tortoises or reptiles that haven't had austwickia. In the long run it won't matter because the tortoise will outgrow it soon enough.

I use one-piece plastic tubs for all of my new tortoise enclosures specifically because I have confidence in the ability to sanitize them. I have a nice wood tortoise table in the yard waiting to be burned, just because I am no longer willing to use it due to the inability to sanitize.

 

[wuvvles]

You need to throw the wooden one away, or just use it for this one tortoise, and then throw it away/burn it.

5 gallons is way too small. You can get a couple of large plastic totes and those can easily be sanitized with ammonia or with 12% peroxide. They sell Christmas tree storage bins that are 48 inches and large enough to suit a baby for a while. Check out this thread:

How to make a closed-chamber baby habitat out of a 55gal Sterilite bin

Since several folks have asked about how to make a closed chamber baby enclosure out of a 55gal Sterilite tote, here are some pics and description of how I do. This is not the most beautiful option, but since the babies will only be in here for 9-12 months, I'm okay with that. My own Russian...

tortoiseforum.org

thank you ,love. im just trying to give him the best chance of surviving this whole thing and it feels like im drowning in everything i do.

 

[Dustin]

Interesting that the the disease progressed to the point of scale/nail loss and you started to see yellow spots. From the pictures you posted in your first thread it wasn't immediately obvious that the tortoise had Austwickia. There have been other posters recently that have shared images of similar looking tortoises that seemed like the scales on their legs were worn down rather than lost entirely.
Thanks for sharing your experience and working with a vet on this. It is a benefit to your tortoise, the vet community and all of us tortoise keepers.

 

[wuvvles]

Interesting that the the disease progressed to the point of scale/nail loss and you started to see yellow spots. From the pictures you posted in your first thread it wasn't immediately obvious that the tortoise had Austwickia. There have been other posters recently that have shared images of similar looking tortoises that seemed like the scales on their legs were worn down rather than lost entirely.
Thanks for sharing your experience and working with a vet on this. It is a benefit to your tortoise, the vet community and all of us tortoise keepers.

Absolutely! when i started noticing things with him, i started google-ing things to try to match pictures to what was happening and came up empty handed every time. so i was thinking maybe he was just shedding..?(new tort mom) and it wasn't until he lost most of his scales on the front of his legs that i became more worried. then when i was playing with him one day while he was soaking and he stretched his neck REALLY far for some greens, is when i saw the bumps. but only after the vet and i started with the creams and medicated soaks. but even that information i couldn't/didn't find online. ill post better pictures of him when i get home later tonight so y'all can see the damage. but yeah... there needs to be more studies and stuff done on it with more pictures so little lost ones (like me) can get a better idea or two.

 

[wuvvles]

Ok so here are before pictures

 

[wuvvles]

And after