Beared dragons reek?

[bennylava]

My beardie is only about 10 inches long, but man doe he create a smell. I clean out his cage about once every 10 days, and by that point it smells horrible in the room he stays in. Is there some way to counteract this odor? Its definitely NOT the crickets. They're somewhere else. Its him.

I just have him on that green reptile turf, which I vaccum out, then put through the washing machine. Then I'll wash the inside of his tank. But it really doesn't matter, the smell is back in about 3 days. That is a lot more maintenance than I really want to do.

 

[corine milum the]

He needs spot cleanin every time he poos !its unhealthy for the dragon an you if proper husbandry isnt adhered to, sorry didn't mean this to sound harsh

 

[atochats]

I would use a plastic fork as a pooper scooper, the take a washcloth and light bleach solution to spot clean. It really only takes like 2 minutes to do. No worries!

 

[atochats]

I would use a plastic fork as a pooper scooper, the take a washcloth and a very light bleach solution to spot clean. It really only takes like 2 minutes to do. No worries!

 

[atochats]

Oops

 

[bennylava]

So in other words, yes. The smell will always be there. I'm starting to see why people just use calcium sand for the adults as substrate. Just feel them outside the cage, or somewhere that is off the sand. That way they don't eat any of it. The sand would make it very easy to clean up after them.

 

[atochats]

Washed and sifted children's playsand is the only safe sand. No No calcium sand please!! Even using this, it still must have a thorough change periodically so it's not necessarily "easier" than carpet or such. It'll be ok hon...just give the carpet a spot clean when he poops and wash the tank and carpet as you have been. Think of it as having a cat. You clean the litterbox when they go, then dump the whole thing and clean weekly. You'll be fine and your dragon will love you for it, he won't have to smell his own poop...we don't exactly love smelling our own, right lol?

 

[bennylava]

Yes the sand would need changed periodically, but the little poops would be easy to pick up with a little sifter spatula scoop thing. Thus, the sand would last a lot longer than my green carpet stuff, before it started to smell bad. Right? Makes sense to me. Because you really can't get it off that reptile green carpet stuff, some of it will still cling to the carpet until its washed. With the sand, the sand will cling to all the poop, and therefore you get all the sand that touched it when you scoop it up. Of course you will have to change the sand eventually, but it should last a good deal longer than the carpet. Which needs to go through the washing machine at least once a week.

How does this idea sound to everyone? I won't be able to do it until he's an adult.

 

[stoned philosopher]

You should clean the poop daily and bathe him a few times a week, at least once. Clean his setup fully every month or so. If taken care of properly, there should be no smell.

 

[PatsyB]

Washed children's play sand is very cheap and would be simple to maintain when he gets older. You still need to take a few minutes a day now to just pick up the poop in his tank, it literally takes 2 minutes. Easier than the reptile carpet use plain paper towels, he poops on it you pick it up throw it away put a new one in, simple!

 

[atochats]

Your sifted washed playsand plan sounds good to me and Patsy's idea on the paper towels is a great one till he gets older if the green carpet is giving you fits Just remember removing his poop asap is critical to the whole "no stinky dragon" thing. Plus it's healthier. He won't track through it and it lessens the chances of parasitic reintroduction.

 

[pameladale]

I have a water bowl in my beardies tank, I change it in the mornings and put warm water in and place him in it he always does his buisness in there than I take it and flush it down the toilet his tank never smells at all

 

[CB43FAN]

Try changing the carpet out with a rough surfaced ceramic tile. Not that I know everything, but that is what I use and it is sooo easy to keep clean. I spot clean when they poo and once or twice a month I remove the tiles and wash and dissenfect them. My tanks have no smell whatsoever. It may also help dull their claws as well.

 

[atochats]

Try changing the carpet out with a rough surfaced ceramic tile. Not that I know everything, but that is what I use and it is sooo easy to keep clean. I spot clean when they poo and once or twice a month I remove the tiles and wash and dissenfect them. My tanks have no smell whatsoever. It may also help dull their claws as well.

I've heard that using tile as a substrate does help dull their claws immensely and is a great thing to use! Do you find that a lot of stuff falls in between the edges of the tiles since they're not secured together or at the edges of the tank? Does using tile effect the temps inside your tank at all? (Increasing it due to light reflecting off of the tile surfaces) I'm thinking of replacing my green carpet with tile that's why I'm asking.

 

[timbalan]

I'm also curious about this. I just built a 4'x2'x18" viv. Trying to figure out how I want to set up the inside.

 

[blazedragon]

we use slate tile in cjs cage and love it.. it helps keep their nails filed down and very easy to clean.. not sure about temp changes in the cage, i suggest if you do change just watch the temps closely. stuff does fall down in between the tiles but its not a lot if your tiles are cut properly.

 

[Dennis Cronin]

I posted here about smell a while back but it's no longer an issue. I use tiles cut to size at Lowes. No smell except when he poos and man can he fire it up. I just get a handful of toilet paper and wipe up the lizard pile. I feed Dubia roaches now. I think a lot of the smell I was getting was from dead crickets. I couldn't keep 'em alive. But Dubias are pretty invulnerable to my inability to provide proper bug care apparently.

 

[atochats]

I'm usimg dubias now too and I can't even smell them when I take the lid off their tub! Awesome! No problem with die-off either...very happy using dubias

 

[ravenwolf]

My beardies can produce foul smelling poops but they are cleaned pretty much as soon as they are spotted, I use newspaper so I just put fresh stuff in -- simples

 

[Defianceofexistence]

I can only imagine how much it must smell if you only clean once every 10 days.....I clean Bowzer out every evening unless he hasn't poo'd or made a mess. Which is hardly ever lol.....I use paper towel on the bottom of his terrarium and it makes for super easy and quick clean up. Takes like 5 mins. Then once every week or two I plan on doing a huge clean and wash out of the tank. (Ive only had him for a week and a few days)