All debris including feces,
urine and insect or food matter must be removed daily
from your lizards habitat. Not only
do these waste items reduce the quality of the look
in the habitat, they are also health concerns.
If you use a wood chip, moss and other mulch type substrate,
you must change it every once in a while to make sure
all waste is removed. If you are using a reptile carpet
or newspaper substrate it makes it easier to clean.
With newspaper, change it everyday. If using reptile
carpet, we recommend you have several pieces so you
can take one out to wash, and replace it immediately.
For desert lizards, playsand makes cleaning easy, as
you just need to 'scoop' the waste out.
The actual time inbetween cleanings is completely dependant
on the type of lizard, the size of
your lizard, and how many lizards occupy
the habitat. Keep an eye on the waste for several days,
and you should get a good idea of how often cleanings
are needed.
Make sure the decorations in the habitat are easily
removable as well. It makes cleaning the habitat easier
and quicker, and the decorations will need cleaning
as well.
You must also clean the habitat itself. This means
everything must be removed from time to time to scrub
the walls and floor down. A thorough cleaning every
two weeks is sufficient. Scrub the walls down with a
3% bleach solution. Make sure there is no bleach smell
leftover before you return the lizard
into its home. All cleaning equipment must be thoroughly
washed as well inbetween use. |
