Is it safe to put an Odor Buster in terrarium?

[BrdedDrgon]

While I diligently clean my beardie’s terrarium, I’ve come to accept the fact that his enclosure will not smell great. Is it safe to put one of those Arm & Hammer Odor Busters in there to hopefully make it smell better? I would hang it up high where he wouldn’t be able to mess with it, but would some chemical in the odor buster be unhealthy?

 

[Claudiusx]

I would recommend against it. While the terrarium will likely always have "A" smell, it shouldn't be smelling to the point that you can smell it while just in the room.

I can't really find the ingredients for what you linked, but the product description lists baking soda and "scent" as two ingredients. Lizards in general have very under-evolved lungs when compared to humans, and as such they are much more sensitive to chemicals and particulates in the air. It's possible placing something scented into the small confined enclosure will have a negative impact. Not to mention, baking soda is relatively coarse on a microscopic level, and that could lead to risks of your dragon inhaling some of it as it got bumped and moved around by you when working in the enclosure.

-Brandon

 

[ChileanTaco]

I agree with Clausiusx. And: They have a good sense of smell. Thinking about this as a person who is very sensitive to all kinds of odors: I wouldn't want somebody putting some kind of odor, scent in my room "to make it smell better" without me having control over it (and I dislike it so much when it's still done, like in a hotel) - and so I wouldn't do this to my dragon.
Usually, an enclosure shouldn't smell bad if kept clean.
The enclosure of my Taco smells like nature (plants, stones, sand, wood), I can smell the veggies/greens I feed him (fresh, there shouldn't be any rotten smell), and any poop smell is gone after cleaning the poop away. I think it shouldn't be more than this. In total, there isn't more smell from the enclosure than from a potted house plant.
Btw: Poop smelling horribly can be a sign of parasites.

 

[Chris.]

Yes, but if you want, you can put some fresh, organic herbs into the tank. Like lavender or rosemary.
That's what I do for my feeders

 

[ChileanTaco]

@Chris.
I also use herbs, but with the purpose for my dragon to eat them.
My dragon prefers his greens to "look like a plant", being a plant in the best case or at least to look like one. So I grow herbs outside of the tank, put them in in their pot, and once he has nibbled them down to about only half of the green parts still being there, I switch them out and let them regrow on the balcony.
To be on the safe side regarding any kind of parasites, salmonella: there are "his herbs" and "our (humans) herbs", means, I won't use any potted herbs that have ever been in the enclosure for the kitchen.
In general, I think live, edible plants in the enclosure are a great thing - look nice, might smell nice, always something fresh to nibble.

 

[Chris.]

@Chris.
I also use herbs, but with the purpose for my dragon to eat them.
My dragon prefers his greens to "look like a plant", being a plant in the best case or at least to look like one. So I grow herbs outside of the tank, put them in in their pot, and once he has nibbled them down to about only half of the green parts still being there, I switch them out and let them regrow on the balcony.
To be on the safe side regarding any kind of parasites, salmonella: there are "his herbs" and "our (humans) herbs", means, I won't use any potted herbs that have ever been in the enclosure for the kitchen.
In general, I think live, edible plants in the enclosure are a great thing - look nice, might smell nice, always something fresh to nibble.

My boy doesn't really like it but you can also unse mint for this. It grows like crazy, has good smell and it is anti bacterial by nature.

 

[ChileanTaco]

I use the herbs only as food (nothing needed against some odor).
Regarding eating herbs: My Taco sometimes eats some mint, but dislikes all plants having some amount of hair on their leaves (such as catnip). I did so far: rosemary, basil (didn't succeed in growing lavender here), mint (I cut off some, and I'm quite happy he doesn't like it much because it's not growing well here - no joke, the first place where mint doesn't survive on the balcony), catnip (he doesn't like it), lemon balm (he ate it, but this plant isn't surviving here regardless of what I tried).
Another plant he eats: golliwog (sometimes also sold as "turtle weed"), it's a succulent and can technically be grown in the enclosure, he's just eating it up so fast I've three plants, always one in the enclosure so I can switch them out and let them regrow.

 

[Xjrosie]

I don't know if this will help, I use them in my cat litter box.

It's not in stock right now. I know it seems gimmicky, but it really does keep the smell down. It doesn't have any scent or chemicals that would be harmful, I don't think. But I would try something like this.