Smell Level

Hello,

I'm trying to set some expectations, especially for my wife who hasn't done any of the research I've been doing regarding dragon caring. We own an Indian Ringneck Parrot who has full flight and pretty much travels where he wants in the house, so we are used to cleaning up animal poop. That said, I'm wondering how stinky the dragon cage will be if poops are cleaned up in a timely manner, with an appropriate cleaning solution. Will there still be a stank in the air at all times?

Also, I was at the local pet store on the weekend, and lifted the lid of the cricket cage, and it smelled horrible. Is that also something we're going to have to get used to, or are there ways to get around the stank of live feeder insects?

Thank you,

Hossinn

Once the poop is cleaned up and what's already in the air is given a chance to dissipate there shouldn't be any smell left in the enclosure. As far as live feeders go crickets stink. But you don't have to feed them as there are plenty of other options that don't smell nearly as bad.

I was wondering if the crickets have a more pungent smell than other feeders. I know super worms are widely used. Are they (worms) the type of less stinky bugs you're referring to? My understanding is that it's also important to mix up what we feed to dragons so we don't bore them. Do most people have multiple containers they keep various bugs in that just sit in the cabinet?

Yes, crickets definitely smell worse than other feeders. On hand at the moment I have crickets and mealworms and will be ordering more superworms and bsfl. So yes, in my case, I have multiple containers that I keep on a shelf under one of my beardies.

Crickets are straight up nasty! We got some when we very first got Sir Henry. Once they were gone we never bought them again. I like to think of them as fast food, gross and not that good for you.

We have 2, 30 quart Rubbermaid tubs for dubia roaches. We usually buy roaches 1000 at a time. Once a week they get moved from one tub to the other so the tub can be cleaned. We also have a flat rectangular tub we use for meal-worms. Those we buy 1000 at a time as well, but they are treats, not staple feeders, so the 1000 last quite a long time. They get sifted into a bowl once a week so the container can be cleaned and bedding replaced. There is no smell from either. The stand to our enclosure is a set of 2 regular kitchen cabinets. The bins live in one side with no extra heat/lights.

We just started buying BSFL, so they don't have their own set up yet. Those we keep on a shelf in the basement for cooler storage temperatures.

As for the poo, we clean it up right away so the only smell from that is very short lived and is gone within a couple minutes of clean up.

Thanks for the feedback!

Glad to hear we can stay away from those nasty crickets, or perhaps bring a few here and there for special (fast food) treat.

We keep an above average clean kitchen, but last year we had a couple roaches. My wife freaked. I think we must have accidentally brought them in with us from an outside box, or something...(?)

Are the Dubia Roaches not as nasty as the roaches we had in our kitchen that one time? I'm trying to determine how to deliver the news to my wife that we are INTENTIONALLY bringing roaches into the house :lol:

What happens when those BFSL turn into flies? Don't they...FLY...away?

I feel your wife's pain on the roaches! I had them in my kitchen back in the 90's when I was in college the first time. Just NOPE! It took me a lot of research to be comfortable bringing the dubias in. They are completely different beasts from my experience. They don't jump, and can't climb up smooth surfaces. We've never had one escape.

As for the BSFL, I'm not sure. The rate Sir Henry goes through them, they don't make it to the fly stage. He averages eating about 20 per feeding twice a day, mixed in with equal amounts of dubias. We ordered them in a smaller quantity though, after testing out containers of 25 from Petco to see if he even liked them. We got 400 this last Friday, and 100 are gone already.

Usually we buy a size smaller for any bug, in larger quantities, which gives us more time to feed them out before they morph into whatever they turn into later. I am going to guess we will order the BSFL more frequently than our other bugs.