Chlorhexidine is an active ingredient in various disinfectants. It comes in a variety of strengths including 2%, 4% and 5%. It also comes in two forms, Chlorhexidine Acetate and Chlorhexidine Gluconate. The Acetate is a product called Nolvasan (by Fort Dodge) and the Gluconate is the generic product made by various companies. There is a huge price difference between them. So are they the same? Is the generic Gluconate the same? Not according to Fort Dodge. Here are copies of their product sheets. For more info, you can contact them directly at 1-800-685-5656. Home Page for Nolvasan

Nolvasan solution Staph Aureus 1:32 Pseudomonus Aeruginosa 1:256 E Coli 1:512 Strep Agalactiae 1:128
Salmonella Enteritidis 1:128 Average MEC 1:2111

They also recomend mixing only enough for immediate use. When mixed with tap water, the solution will only be good for one week. When mixed with distilled water it is good for up to six weeks.

For general cleaning I use a 1:20 dilution and for bathing reptiles I use 1:30.