Is there a way I could clean and disinfect snake sheds? The one I just got from my ball python is a little gunky and doesn’t smell the best. Would using a light spray of bleach water mixture work?
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Sometimes bleach can deteriorate the shed, instead I honestly just soak them in soapy water whenever they’re gross then set them out to dry or stick them in a borax or salt box to preserve them. The salt or borax box doesn’t really have a use to it but it helps keep it dry if it’s too wet or too cold outside to lay a shed out or you’re just nervous it might blow away or get torn. Otherwise generally they lose smell over time and sometimes any gunk on them will just fall off
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From my wife’s crime TV obsession I gather that bleach is a problem for DNA so I would NOT recommend bleach for genetic samples. I do have a question in for the next RGI podcast if it’s ok to wash in tap water before drying.
For just really wet fresh and fairly clean sheds I’ve taken to holding one end open and gently blowing them open (of course not actually touching to my mouth). My thinking is they will dry much faster with a single thickness than all rolled or waded up and faster drying will reduce the chance of massive bacterial growth messing up the sample.
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