Time to clean enclosure

[Fawah54]

Hello everyone,

I might be overthinking this, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. I’ve been feeding him all his live food (and some veggies) by hand—something I never imagined I’d do, especially gently picking up and holding a cockroach!

Now, he’s willingly crawling onto my hand to eat and even staying there while he does. He also lets me pet him when he’s lounging in his enclosure without running away.

Here’s the dilemma: I need to catch him, put him in a strange box, and clean his enclosure thoroughly (as we all know this has to be done). I do spot-clean when he uses the facilities, but it’s been almost a week, and I feel it’s time for a deeper clean.

Do you have any tips on how to do this without ruining the trust we’ve built?

 

[xp29]

Hello everyone,

I might be overthinking this, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. I’ve been feeding him all his live food (and some veggies) by hand—something I never imagined I’d do, especially gently picking up and holding a cockroach!

Now, he’s willingly crawling onto my hand to eat and even staying there while he does. He also lets me pet him when he’s lounging in his enclosure without running away.

Here’s the dilemma: I need to catch him, put him in a strange box, and clean his enclosure thoroughly (as we all know this has to be done). I do spot-clean when he uses the facilities, but it’s been almost a week, and I feel it’s time for a deeper clean.

Do you have any tips on how to do this without ruining the trust we’ve built?

If you can, leave the basking decor and clean around it. Then scoot it out of the way and clean that spot. If your lucky he will stay perched on the decor. That's how I cleaned Stumpy's until he learned being out was fun. If the basking decor needs to be cleaned, do that first and then put it back. Stumpy never got stressed at all doing it this way, he just watched with curiosity.

 

[AHBD]

Hello everyone,

I might be overthinking this, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. I’ve been feeding him all his live food (and some veggies) by hand—something I never imagined I’d do, especially gently picking up and holding a cockroach!

Now, he’s willingly crawling onto my hand to eat and even staying there while he does. He also lets me pet him when he’s lounging in his enclosure without running away.

Here’s the dilemma: I need to catch him, put him in a strange box, and clean his enclosure thoroughly (as we all know this has to be done). I do spot-clean when he uses the facilities, but it’s been almost a week, and I feel it’s time for a deeper clean.

Do you have any tips on how to do this without ruining the trust we’ve built?

Sounds like you're making good progress. Just want to add that there's no need to do a deep clean after 1 week, especially for a baby . I've never done that more than every 1-3 months depending on if the dragon has made a bit of a mess , usually a bigger dragon making a mess with their poo.

Also just an FYI, the greenery always looks so nice in the enclosure but watch out because many dragons will end up trying to eat it and you don't want that potentially hazardous event with your growing dragon as he develops more appetite for greens and doesn't realize fake is not the same as what you give him.
And when the time comes when you let him roam outside his tank , on the floor, they will eat almost anything they can fit in their mouth. Things like coins, rubber bands, rings and other small objects. One beardie owner here posted that hers ate a sandwich bag, and a short time later posted the pic [ very gross ] after it had passed through. So just a little tip to be sure your new friend doesn't inflict that type of problem on his curious beardie self.

 

[xp29]

Sounds like you're making good progress. Just want to add that there's no need to do a deep clean after 1 week, especially for a baby . I've never done that more than every 1-3 months depending on if the dragon has made a bit of a mess , usually a bigger dragon making a mess with their poo.

Also just an FYI, the greenery always looks so nice in the enclosure but watch out because many dragons will end up trying to eat it and you don't want that potentially hazardous event with your growing dragon as he develops more appetite for greens and doesn't realize fake is not the same as what you give him.
And when the time comes when you let him roam outside his tank , on the floor, they will eat almost anything they can fit in their mouth. Things like coins, rubber bands, rings and other small objects. One beardie owner here posted that hers ate a sandwich bag, and a short time later posted the pic [ very gross ] after it had passed through. So just a little tip to be sure your new friend doesn't inflict that type of problem on his curious beardie self.

There was one here that ate a shoe string also. That one was pretty gross also. Very good advice for sure

 

[Fawah54]

Sounds like you're making good progress. Just want to add that there's no need to do a deep clean after 1 week, especially for a baby . I've never done that more than every 1-3 months depending on if the dragon has made a bit of a mess , usually a bigger dragon making a mess with their poo.

Also just an FYI, the greenery always looks so nice in the enclosure but watch out because many dragons will end up trying to eat it and you don't want that potentially hazardous event with your growing dragon as he develops more appetite for greens and doesn't realize fake is not the same as what you give him.
And when the time comes when you let him roam outside his tank , on the floor, they will eat almost anything they can fit in their mouth. Things like coins, rubber bands, rings and other small objects. One beardie owner here posted that hers ate a sandwich bag, and a short time later posted the pic [ very gross ] after it had passed through. So just a little tip to be sure your new friend doesn't inflict that type of problem on his curious beardie self.

Oh wow, thanks for the heads up about eating everything and cleaning. I did the clean by leaving him in there the whole time. He didn't care . Next time I'll take him out though, would have been a lot easier.

 

[AHBD]

Sounds like he's a laid back little guy, you'll enjoy the little scaly friend.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures