Regarding the Simple Green discussion:
 
I have 3 ferrets that I love dearly, and I also have 3 iguanas - they
share the same room (for now), but are obviously in separate cages as
the ferrets would gladly attempt to bite or kill the iguanas.
 
Iguanas can carry salmonella and gram-negative bacteria - humans can be
infected through contact with feces or by being bitten.  Gram-negative
bacteria can be extremely antibiotic resistant, and it can make you very
sick.  So, when handling iguanas, turtles, or other reptiles it pays to
be very careful.
 
Like ferrets, iguanas don't deal well with chemical cleaners -
unfortunately, being reptiles, they don't show reactions to toxic fumes or
substances as fast as a mammal would.  They can slowly go into a decline
without the owner (mainly novices) having any idea why.  Melissa Kaplan,
a noted reptile researcher and one moderator of the Iguana Mailing List
has a wonderful site for info on herps, which has, among other things, 3
links (below) about salmonella, gram-negative bacteria, and a simple,
homemade NON-TOXIC cleaner that was tested at the Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University.
 
Originally used on fruits & veggies to remove bacteria, it was found that
this cleaner can work on kitchen surfaces (counters, etc.) as well.  Just
about every iguana owner I know uses it to clean cages, floors, bathtubs
(after bathing an ig) and before using Clorox or whatever is used in the
home, their own hands, - in short, anything to remove any trace of
possible salmonella or gram-neg bacteria.
 
What is it?  One spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and one spray bottle
of plain white vinegar - spray first one, and then immediately the other
one!  Let sit a bit, wipe up with paper towel, and then if you feel you
need to, spray with plain water.  SIMPLE, NON-TOXIC, and CHEAP.  I use it
for my igs, the ferret cages, the floors - anything my critters come in
contact with!  Check out the links below (honest, I am NOT making this
up!!)
 
http://www.anapsid.org/aasalmonella.html
(scroll down to this heading below)
 
Non-Toxic Disinfectants for Kitchens and Foods
 
Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants
  by Judy Stouffer, BS, MS.
 
Stouffer writes on the research and use of vinegar and hydrogen peroxideas
disinfectants for food and surfaces.  The comjbination of the two, used
as directed, have proven to be effective against Salmonella and E. coli.
 
I went to the Science News website to see if I could find copies of the
articles she referenced, and found several of interest: How to Disinfect
your Salad, Sponges and Sinks and Rags, Oh My!, Wash-Resistant Bacteria
Taint Foods, Cutting Through the Cutting Board Brouhaha, Food for Thought:
Lessons from a case of toxic ice cream, and Tracking and Tackling
Foodborne Germs.
 
http://www.execpc.com/~mjstouff/articles/vinegar.html (this is the first
link above - Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants)
 
http://www.anapsid.org/gramnegative.html (I included this to show that
gram-neg is nothing to play with.  If this cleaner can kill gram-neg,
and not hurt the iguanas, it would not affect our ferrets!)
 
I usually scrub with soap & water first to get any obvious dirt off, rinse
with water, then spray with the hydrogen peroxide & vinegar to eliminate
the germs I can't see.
 
Hope this helps anyone who is looking for a safe, effective, non-toxic
cleaner for their furrkids!
 
Jane & Rikki, FiFi, and BeBe ("Beebers")
[Posted in FML issue 3718]