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| Rhino Resource Center: Rhino Forums > Rhinos in Captivity > Zoos > Urate Removal |
| Posted by: Sarahk Aug 25 2007, 03:54 AM |
| Hey guys-- I was wondering what you do to remove urates from your walls, bars. etc. We just hammer them off when we have time and sometimes our water hoses are able to get some off if the pressure is high enough. We have 5 rhinos in our barn and it is hard to keep up with the deposits. Another problem that has just come up is that our keeper hallway is becoming very slippery and therefore becoming dangerous. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sarah |
| Posted by: Rynotamer Aug 31 2007, 11:19 AM |
| We use a high pressure power washer, works great. Time consuming but not as bad as using the hammer. Also it's "fun" as any fecal removal process goes. We have a wall mounted unit, works great. If you can get a heated version go for it, but not necessary. Mark |
| Posted by: Sarahk Sep 1 2007, 02:29 AM |
| Mark--Thanks for the reply. Is your power washer run off gas or off electricity? Is the power washer able to get off multiple layers of deposits? |
| Posted by: ktimko Sep 1 2007, 04:58 PM |
| We also power wash our barns, albeit not as often as we would like. I'm interested to hear how much more efficient the heated washer can be. Ours is gas powered and can probably be found at Home Depot or Lowes. We chose the portable model because we have multiple Rhino barns. Power Washing removes multiple layers at a time. In fact, our joke is that it flakes off as 'pee chips.' Good Luck |
| Posted by: Rynotamer Sep 5 2007, 03:01 AM |
| Yeah, we actually at times fight for who gets to power wash...well not actually. But it is very satisfiing to have a huge "pee chip" come flying off the floor. Our power washer is electrical and is mounted on our wall. This way we can use it year around and not worry about gas and exhausts. VERY worth the money. Mark |
| Posted by: Sarahk Sep 5 2007, 04:00 AM |
| Mark--Would you mind letting me know what brand your power washer is? My boss said they have tried power washing before, but he did not really think it worked too well. |
| Posted by: Rynotamer Oct 11 2007, 01:36 AM |
| Sarah, Here's the phone number and company name for the power washer we have in our rhino barn. We have a Model 600. It is a wall mounted unit and is electrical, so it's safe to use indoors. Our animals could care less when we use it. It is not a heated unit, it works great but if you have the chance to get a heated one get it. We love this thing. SMT Spray Master Technologies 1 800-548-3373 or (479) 636-5776 |
| Posted by: cydneyp Nov 12 2007, 01:18 AM |
| An alternative to a pressure washer is bathroom urinal cleaner. U/X is the brand we use. The chemical compound is phosphoric acid so there needs to be ample ventilation in the barn. Also, the treated area needs to be thoroughly rinsed after application. We use it more so in the summer when the rhinos can be locked outside and the treatment can sit for a while and then rinsed. Word of warning though, wear rubber gloves when using the remover, it is caustic! We had some areas in the the barn that had layers in excess of 1/2 inch of pee. We finally got down to the concrete after 5+ treatments and a little hammering. There is something strangely gratifying about "pee chipping." I have gotten so obsessed with getting the pee off that I have kept buckets of the chips, probably in excess of 50 lbs now. For anyone who works in a facility that also houses carnivores, the cats really get into rhino urine chips for enrichment. |