Chams cage reeks!!!

[chameleoman]

my chams cage REEKS ALLFULL i just cleaned it cause it was horrible
my mom told me to do it so i did it i threw all the old leafs away scrubbed the poo of the driftwood?
but it only smells HORIBLE when i mist it any help would be greatly appreciated!
my mom wanted me to use antibacterial wipes to clean the bottom of the cage because shes really mad saying its not healthy for me to be breathing this smell in?
the cage was made by my dad i helped
the bottom was a 1.5 in thick of wood with a coat of brown oaky stain and then some clear coat stuff that someone here told me to put on

 

[ChameleonNerd]

all i can say is, clean it more often next time

 

[gr33n]

Febreze your room!!

That's what I do to keep my wife quite.

I clean my cage out daily.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Febreze your room!!

That's what I do to keep my wife quite.

I clean my cage out daily.

Is frebreeze healthy for chams?

 

[chameleoman]

should i wipe the bottom with the wipes?
he doesnt lick the floor but occassionly walks on it

 

[gr33n]

Is frebreeze healthy for chams?

I don't spray near cage. I spray at the other end of the room. Also crack open my window to get fresh air in.

 

[Ta2Smitty]

I up a candle burner in my room plugged into the lights timer and keep a pile of Yankee candle tarts in the "just plain clean" scent it does an amazing job and they only cost .99 cent each at bed bath and beyond

 

[gr33n]

should i wipe the bottom with the wipes?
he doesnt lick the floor but occassionly walks on it

If it was me I wouldn't. I would use some mild soap and rinse off with some warm wet towels. But let the pros give you advise. I'm new to the Cham world. I do that with my 3x3x4 ft iguana cage.

 

[danibug23]

i really wouldnt use wipes. just to be on the safe side. but gre33n did have a good suggestion just use soap and water and scrub and maybe repeat the best you can use is the antibacterial soap on it (plus it smells good) haha

 

[davthevieled]

For any reptariums from lll reptile I used peroxide diluted with water, rinse and dry outside. For terrariums, same thing. Idk what I'll do with Bo's new tank yet... For vines and plants, warm water cloth.

 

[Pilotman800]

Are you sure its not the poo that smells? Chameleon poo shouldn't smell bad. If it does, you should get a fecal done.

 

[Elizadolots]

Yeah...if you have a stench, there's a problem. My guess would be it's with the plants, not the poop. If it's the poop then a fecal test at the vet is in order.

I'm really not a good "clean up" person....but my cages do not stink (and I'm sitting in the room with them now).

I'm curious what "the driftwood" is? It's possible you have things in your cage that aren't really appropriate for the fairly wet environment that chameleons sort of demand.

 

[lumbasammler]

If you americans would simply use some substrate with useful little things like Trichorhina tomentosa and aspringtails in it, you would never need to clean the cage (and i seariously mean NEVER!) and would not have such unnecessary problems
I would never give my chameleon the stress of cleaning the cage daily or every other day.
The only thing i need to do is collect the poo i can see without searching too much.
Life could be so easy

 

[Pilotman800]

If you americans would simply use some substrate with useful little things like Trichorhina tomentosa and aspringtails in it, you would never need to clean the cage (and i seariously mean NEVER!) and would not have such unnecessary problems
I would never give my chameleon the stress of cleaning the cage daily or every other day.
The only thing i need to do is collect the poo i can see without searching too much.
Life could be so easy

Trichorhina tomentosa and aspringtails? Is that toxic?

 

[lumbasammler]

I meant springtails. Just google it Trichorhina tomentosa are some kind of woodlouses.

 

[emilybier]

When I got rid of the live plants, the smell disappeared. It could be that. Do not use antibacterial wipes. Use vinegar and water or the solution davtheveiled suggested and rinse VERY well. Chemicals can be very harmful to chams and other herps. When I was keeping crested geckos and frogs I was advised not to use glass cleaner for even the outside of the cage. Vinegar works very well and does not smell when dry.

 

[jcarlo17]

If i dont have a constant air flow my room will smell different but i just leave a window open have some plug in air freshners and i clean the poo everyday and dump out the water tub i have under my cage and i have no smell in my room

 

[Elizadolots]

I don't always have airflow...and my house if full of nasally sensitive people. Allergy should be our middle name....so, I know my cages do not stink and I know I'm really bad about cleaning...

my cages have full mesh bottoms, so liquid flows through and I empty that once a day....but I only go into the cages to wipe poop off leaves and clean the bottom of debris every couple of weeks.

If I notice poop on a leaf I know my chameleon is using as a drinking station, I clean that immediately, but really, that's only happened once or twice...they seem to know not to poop where they drink.

So...I have cages with poop all over the place and even some dead leaves....and it does not stink at all.

Stink is a problem. It needs to be checked out and addressed.

 

[TOMMYBOY72]

cleaning

Another member told me white vinegar n hot water 50/50. When I take out my lizard rocks and drift wood from my bearded tank, I use 10% bleach and 90% water, clean and rinse thoroughly. I haven't had any problems all are healthy. I only use distilled water. You can buy a counter top distiller for about 175.00 makes 4 gallons a day and will pay for itself. Plus its the best water you can drink.

 

[Bernie]

The worst smell in my cages is the soil from my chams plants. I use organic compost and it smells a bit funky. Other than that you shouldnt have any bad smells normally.

Is your cage screen? Does your cage dry out fully between mistings?

I clean poo out each day. I generally clean the bottom and the plants around 1-2 weeks at a time (depending on the state of it and my spare time).