First week with Spike, how do I clean his stuff???

[marcijean5]

This will be our first week with Spike, and I am amazed at how attached we have become in one week!! I need to clean his glass terrarium? He has droppings on his/her basking log, reptile carpet and his log cave. We plan on letting him bathe while we are cleaning up his home.

What do we clean with?
Is it safe to clean in our sink or bathtub?
I have a basin that has not been used lying in the garage, do I need to sterilize it before we bathe him?
We have a digital probe to make sure his water temp is correct, but what if he gets cold when he gets out?
Do we leave the basking light somewhere to put him under after he gets out?
Should we put him on a towel and put the light on him while his home is drying?

Obviously, I am nervous about doing this and getting our baby sick? He is only 3.5 inches from his head to his back legs. I can't figure out how old he/she is. We got Spike at PetCo and they couldn't really give us a very good answer.

 

[BEARDIESandCOFFEE]

HI! and welcome to the forum! :wave:
Im not going to go into to much detail about tank cleaning and all because there are TONS of pages that you can read up about that on here. Its going to vary depending on the floor of the tank and what decors you have in there. spot cleaning poop on tile is simple. Just soap and water. ( i use dial gold soap, as its safe for babies and open wounds so it should be safe for beardies :wink: ) as far as the decor, i soak them in a hot bath tub and scrub it all down with the dial soap as well. Just make sure you try to keep everything sanitary with all of the cleaning processes. When you give him a bath, just make sure he can stand up in the water comfortably without "puffing up" so it doesn't stress him out. you can leave him in there for 10-15minutes to soak up and hydrate. :mrgreen: after he's done with his bath, I wrap my little guy up in a towel and put him down on the couch. 75% of the time, he will fall asleep. lol i can imagine it being like just getting out of the spa and being SUPER relaxed. he will be fine there while you continue to clean his home. since he is so little though, i would put him in something ( deep box) that he can't escape out of. if your house has a decent ambient temperature and doesn't sit below 60' then he should be plenty fine for the short time after his bath. hope this helps!

 

[Taterbug]

Spot cleaning is important. Wiping up after each poop will make it much easier on the deep cleaning days. Your dragon will appreciate not being trapped with his poops as well. A vinegar solution can be used after you wipe up to help kill bacteria at the site.

I use vinegar, bleach(do not mix with vinegar or ammonia), steam, and a veterinary disinfectant depending on the situation.