Hey y’all. I’ve actually been gone for a while! Anyway
My leopard gecko, Cleopatra, passed away last night. Owning 10+ reptiles, and planning on owning more, I know I will have uses for her tank. But is it a bad idea to use it? Ofc I’ll clean it really well (pls lemme know the best methods how) but…the question is, can I still use Cleo’s tank after she has died? Google is saying no
3 Likes
Depends on why she died, but in most cases I feel like the tank should be fine to use, just make sure to clean it thoroughly. Personally i would scrub it thoroughly with soapy water first, and then maybe rinse it with bleach afterwards, depending on the reason the last inhabitant couldn’t live in there anymore
2 Likes
Okay, thanks. I have no clue why I exactly she died. She’s been in and out of the vet, and on antibiotics and other meds for a bit now. I’m considering switching vets my vet before seemed like she didn’t know what she was doing.
1 Like
Cryptosporidium used to be a big problem with leopard geckos in the past. It seems to be less of an issue now, but in the case of an animal’s death I would still do the same as far as sterilizing for potential use.
Anything porous like rocks, hides, logs or bowls should be tossed away. It’s difficult to sterilize things like that. Obviously all bedding should be tossed safely, try not to fluff it up and make dust particles get around.
Soak the habitat with a strong bleach solution. Give it 20 minutes to sit. Rinse it really well with clean water. If it is going to be used for anything aquatic, fill it with clean water and add 3x the recommended dose of water conditioner to help inactivate any potential leftover bleach.
1 Like
If cleo had crypto, what do I need to do with my other Leo’s? They’ve never shared tanks, or really been around each other at all, and once cleo got sick she was quarantined and I was super careful with all of my other Leo’s after caring for her. Do I need to be concerned for their health concerning that? Or what do I need to do?
1 Like
Hopefully it wasn’t crypto. It’s been much less common now it seems. I just use similar sterilizing protocols for anything suspicious. For example, I had a ball python pass earlier this year after only being symptomatic for a week. Everyone he had contact with was QT’d immediately and his tub and the other snake’s tubs were nuked with bleach just in case.
As long as they’re all happy and eating well I wouldn’t worry much. As long as you were keeping good hand washing protocol before handling your other Leos they should be okay. It’s usually from exposure to feces or the infected animal that spreads it most quickly.