Odour in enclosure..OK a POO smell!

[Scotty]

Hey Guys,
Well, my male veiled "popeye" is going great, 6 months old and healthy!
I have just upgraded his enclosure's drainage system so that the whole base of the enclosure is open and drains away completely after misting 3 x 7 minute sessions a day.
I upgraded the drainage system purely because of this unpleasant odour that was present mainly after misting, so I assumed that water was sitting and stagnating, hence the smell.... I have now concluded, after dispelling the stagnant water scenario after installing my "you beaut" drainage system, that the smell was coming from the poop sitting in the plants and just stinking, as poo does... I clean the base of the enclosure at a minimum weekly and work permitting, bi-weekly, with a proper reptile discenfectant/anti-bacterial cleanser, so it is clean!
My plants all have pebbles on top to stop any "dirt eating" as I have read on here before, so how do you guys solve this problem?
Do you pull out each pebble with crap on it and wash it, or is there another way?
I have an enclosure that is 24X24X48" tall and literally full of plants... interested in some feedback to eliminate the stench...
My snakes and dragons don't smell as bad, maybe I should change his diet..LOL
Please help!!!!!
Cheers guys and gals...
Scott.

 

[Will Hayward]

Are you sure it isn't root rot? Sounds like a significant amount of water.

 

[Scotty]

Are you sure it isn't root rot? Sounds like a significant amount of water.

I have read many times that multiple 20 min sessions of water are common place or the norm..
The plants I have in the enclosure are raised, ie they are elevated so that the ficus, umbrella & hibiscus reach the upper limits of the cage, this inadvertantly lets the water drain away from the roots/pot..
Could be Will, I don't know what root rot smells like, but I would imagine if a plant was too wet, it would show signs of being "over watered" which these "at this time" are showing no ill effects even after 4 months, although you may be correct!
I have assumed, as I do own quite a few herps, that this was a poo smell only a different kind of smell for chams, would you recommend with the misting regime Will, that I reduce the amount/duration of the mistings?
Any advice would be most appreciated.....
Thanks
Scott.

 

[Will Hayward]

I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying, it is a significant amount of water.

You say there should be signs its being overwatered... Rootrot can be the sign.

Personally, I'd probably suggest one lengthy misting period and then a few short bursts if your intention is to keep humidity up through misting. The short bursts should not be enough to contribute to waterlogging, and the lengthy mist in the morning sould allow the plants to dryout over the rest of the day.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Get a good whiff (an inch from your nose) of his fresh poop. If the dark part smells really bad then you may have a parasite problem. Root rot is certainly a possibility. Its smell is less likely to evoke a gag response . If you haven't had a fecal float done on your chameleon's poop, now would be a good time to find out. Even if the test shows he's clean, at least you've established a baseline for future comparison.

In summary, if you smell the poop and you have to think if it smells bad or not then its probably ok. If you smell it and you instinctively yank it away from your nose, your chameleon may have a parasite problem.

 

[boothy]

i change the soil in my plants once a month for this reason , it stinks the high heavens ahaah or you can just shower the plant and run abunch of water through the soil i like to leave baking soda in the bottom of the cages so it takes the smell away not alot just enough to spread around and have under the paper towel i find it doesnt smell at all ahah or sunlight dishsoap itll kill anything ahah we use it for washing dishes so its gota do something right if were not sick already lol but i use this methode and it works great sometimes a lil messy when cleaning but that god awful smell is gone

 

[Scotty]

Thanks for the responses guys, i'll go a sniffing...
you've been helpful as usual!!!
Cheers
Scott.

 

[AgnesTheCham]

Stinky cage

Hi I am new to the forums but I have something that has seriously had me puzzled. I am not only new to forums but I am new to having a chameleon, and my chameleons cage smells distinctly of copper and it kinda makes me woozy. Is that normal for chameleon cages or should I be worried? thanks!

 

[MonikaHa]

I had the same problem, when my male vailed would poop into the flower pot, I just started to remove the poo as soon as it happened, fortunately he only poops once a day in the same spot.

 

[javsto]

WOW Multiple 20 minutes of misting per day? I probably mist for a grand total of 15 min all day but then again I have smaller cage and smaller plants so that would be areason for less "swampy" smell.