My last post got deleted before I could post it. Agh!
So the quick question is how do you all clean elaborate viv's?
I've seen some pretty nice ones through youtube that were made with these fancy walls, lots of climbing logs, hammocks, other fun hiding places for the dragons, etc. Ours right now is pretty basic since we have two babies. We want to create one of those really nice larger vivariums in the future but I'm a bit worried over how we'll clean it so I was just wondering what everyone else does?
Also, separate question - do you ever worry about fire hazards with the lights? I'm so afraid of having heat lamps on... I mean so far, so good, but the thought of a fire always scares me since they're on 10 hours a day and we are gone a lot running errands on weekends.
I try to keep mine simple while still providing hides and climbs. I have a nice background to add a bit of character. For the tile substrate I pull that out and spray it with vinegar/water and scrub it. Then I rinse it and bake it in the oven on low (250) for 45min or so to sanitize it. Same with the wooden pieces. The plastic/ceramic type of things I clean off with vinegar/scrubbing and then sanitize by spraying with F10SC or steam cleaner. I do the same with the glass in the tank. If you train your dragon to poop outside of the tank you don't need to do this as often.
As far as the lights go, I worry a bit but I've taken reasonable precautions. I use fixtures that are rated higher than the bulbs. The basking light fixtures have ceramic bases to handle the heat. I have the lighting hooked up to a computer server UPS/battery backup and surge protector but a standard surge protector will do. The lights hang from an adjustable lamp stand and aren't in contact with anything. Taking reasonable precautions like that is all that can be expected.