Bad odor

My ball python tank always smells gross. I always clean up after him, and if the odor smells even a bit stronger than usual I do a thorough search for poop or urates. I'm using repti bark as a substrate. Anyone know how I can eliminate the smell?


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What are you using to clean?

How are you cleaning it?

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Originally Posted by KMG

What are you using to clean?

How are you cleaning it?

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I use a litter scoop for poop and pee and I take the tank apart completly once a month and sanitize everything.


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The Repti Bark is probably absorbing the liquid. That's why I switched to aspen. It's cheap and I just throw it all out and do a full cage cleaning once a month.

Had the same problem with substrates. No matter how well you spot clean, there is still going to be waste you didn't get. You really couldn't tell standing close. But when you went to take a good sniff, ouch. I just switched to paper towels. When they go, I clean. ;)

I take all the substrate in the area of the release and throw it away. I remove it all the way to the cage floor. I then clean the cage floor and replace the missing substrate. I have not had an issue with odor in my cages with substrates.

I use Chlorhexidine and Healthy Habitat as my cleaners.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

I take all the substrate in the area of the release and throw it away. I remove it all the way to the cage floor. I then clean the cage floor and replace the missing substrate. I have not had an issue with odor in my cages with substrates.

I use Chlorhexidine and Healthy Habitat as my cleaners.

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Well, there you have it.:)

OP; You can never be sure you got it all without a total change. It's up to you to do what your comfortable with. Just a quick look through the forms will show you a varying level of how people keep their animals. And from there you can do what suits you best. I have NP cages, glass tanks and tried every substrate available. I'm a bit of a cleaness/hygiene freak. So in the end it's always paper towels. But I do like the look of substrates better. And my experience with Repti Bark, is that liquid waste travels much further out then you might realize.

Is he an older male? Most of my males are young, but I have a six year old normal, and even though he's in a tub/rack system with paper so his tub is completely cleaned out and disinfected when he makes a mess, even a day later he has a bit of a "musky" odor to him. It's definitely not poop or urates.

Nope, he's only a few months old. I can definitely say it smells different than poop or urates.


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Agree with KMH I used eco earth when I had cages. I scooped out to the bottom and replaced it with fresh, and once a month cleaned entire cage. Never had an odor. I now have a rack and use news paper.

I meant KMG sorry