Infection When do I throw out the cage toys? What should I allow in his cage during treatment?

[chr1st1na]

Whilst I wait a week for the results of the vets test to tell me if Rockys infection is fungal (probable) or parasitic, I figured I would treat the small area with some grape fruit seed extract starting Monday and if it is fungal then that should clear it up in a nice natural way. The thing is I am unsure as to when I should throw out his wooden log & toys and what should I let him have in his cage during treatment? I am doing a bleach wash tomorrow and disinfecting the room as well. Should I throw his wooden things then even though he will still be infected? Will that mean he can't have any play toys whilst being treated? I feel so sorry for him but I really want to do what I can to help him get better and prevent it ever returning. Can anyone guide me on where I start with disinfecting etc whilst he's infected?
Many thanks.

 

[bpatters]

I would take the wooden things out and bag them while you wait on the results of the test to tell whether or not he's got a fungus. If he does, then throw them away. If not, you can bake them in a low (200-225 degree) oven for an hour or so, and sterilize them that way.

Anything metal or plastic can be cleaned with a vinegar solution, rinsed well, and put back in there. Cloth things can go through a hot wash with bleach, and a hot dryer.

If the vet didn't give you anything to put on the lesion, I'd hold off until you know what it is. If it's a fungus and you put an antibiotic on it, natural or otherwise, you'll get a die-off of the good bacteria and an explosion of the fungus. Vice versa if it's bacterial and you put a fungicide on it, although not as dramatic a result. If it's a parasite, you may just irritate the parasites, the way bathing a pig with mites does, and just make him very miserable.