Lingering Lizard smell?

[brenleigh]

So I now have turned into a monster and in the course of a year have collected three rescued dragons. Everyone seems to be doing well, eating well and varied diets, and is under normal conditions, and with exception to the one guy who doesn't like to eat much and isn't extremely active (he hasn't been since I got him but the vet says he's in normal health, just stubborn) but despite my active cleaning of cages, there is a lingering "lizard smell" in the room where I keep them.

Everyone has slate tiles in their cages which are spot cleaned (taken out and cleaned and sterilized when dirtied or pooped on), and I spend a whole day doing a deep clean with reptile-safe glass and enclosure cleaner once every 2 weeks on all cages and feeder cages.

I think a lot of the issue lies in the fact that my room is usually pretty warm, and with the added heat from the lights on the enclosures, the smell travels and permeates everything when they do poop.

Can anyone recommend a cleaner or a odor absorber for the enclosures? I am going to try a scent-free odor absorber for the room, but if there is something I can do inside the cages that would also be helpful. Obviously something non chemical -- maybe a baking soda hack or a type of plant/stone that helps with odor?

 

[CooperDragon]

I found that my cleaning routine does well for removing smell. I spot clean with vinegar and water mixture. For tiles I'll scrub them with vinegar and bake them in the oven at 250 for about 45 min to sanitize them. I rinse and bake wood as well.

I spray the tank with the vinegar mixture and wipe it clean to get all the stuck bits off then I spray it down with F10SC along with the plastic and other furniture. I give it about 15 min and then wipe it down with a wet towel and rinse the furniture under warm water. Once everything is dry I put it all back together and haven't had issues with smell.

 

[brenleigh]

Thank you! The vinegar sounds like a good plan -- I use a reptile safe brand of cleaner that is supposed to eliminate the smell but it's tricky with so many enclosure in one room, and I'm sure the odor-removing properties are not as strong as vinegar!

 

[CooperDragon]

Try the vinegar first. That helps get the stuck bits free. Then once the surfaces are smooth go over it with your reptile safe sanitizer and see if that helps.

 

[SDragons]

For the room, try baking soda (not baking powder). You can be as simple as a small plate with baking soda poured on it. Or for something that looks a bit nicer you can pour baking powder onto cheese cloth or thin mesh and tie closed and hang with ribbon or twine.

I keep baking powder on a plate under our garbage can and also in my onion storage area. It works great to keep smells down.