When can I put a healthy snake in a tank after cleaning a sick one?

I am so sorry about your leopard geckos. You are definitely on the right track toward prepping your vivarium safely. It sounds like you have already cleaned everything so it just needs a final sterilization. For your tank, and anything else nonporous, use a bleach solution (1 cup bleach per gallon of water) and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Then, rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Heat and UV will also kill it, so letting it dry in the sun is ideal. Any wood can be baked in the oven at 285deg for 1 hour. You can then consider it safe.

For a new tank, hot, soapy water followed by a thorough rinsing is sufficient. Steam cleaning and a dilute bleach solution (1/2 cup bleach:1 gallon water) can be used for disinfection. There are also commercial cleaners, such as Zoo Med Wipe Out, that can be purchased online or in most pet stores.

You can bathe your snake in warm clean spring or filtered water. Fill your bath tub or bathing container about four inches. Do not use chlorinated water, as it can irritate your snake's skin. Snakes are sensitive to temperature, so use a thermometer to ensure that the water is between 100 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit. She will enjoy this, and you can let her swim for a few minutes, then dry her off. This should remove the stain. Do not use chemicals (baking soda is a chemical as well). If the stain does not go away, it will be shed with the old skin the next time she sheds.

Ideally, the tank should be kept at about 86 F for two weeks to resolve Ich infection. The gravel or substrate should be vacuumed and tank furniture sanitized. If you are setting up the tank anew, you will have to allow time for it to properly cycle prior to adding fish.

It's not ideal to let him chug water so, in the future, try to limit him to small amounts of water frequently to avoid over-filling his stomach. That much water may cause him to regurgitate. Just put him in his normal enclosure. Make it so he cannot escape again. Let him rest for a couple days and then you can feed him. Feed him smaller than normal prey for a couple weeks. After than you can go back to normal feeding.

Hi there. If the snake died due to illness or poisoning, I would not recommend feeding it to another snake, as there is definitely a risk of the second snake being poisoned or contracting the illness if you do this.

I'm glad you found him! Since he was missing for so long, an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet would be strongly recommended to diagnose and treat any illness or injury. In the meantime, give him a good soak in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will warm him up and provide hydration. Once he's warm and hydrated, he will be more likely to accept prey.