Cleaning leopard geckos tank

[leopard]

Last night I did the big every six months cleaning day for spot ( leopard gecko) Heres what I did. I hope this will help a beginner

1. Get leopard gecko out of aquarium
2. Remove all hides, water bowls, heat pads and such
3. get a plastic bag and have sombody hold it for you
4. Dump the sand in the plastic bag. Tie the bag and throw it away
5. Vacuum out the sand that remains
6. mix alcohol, white vinegar, and water together
7. Put the liquid into a spray bottle and spray the glass inside and out.
8. Wipe down the aquarium and dry it out
9. install heatpad again
10. Pour new sand back in aquarium
11. Put leopard gecko back in
12. Run caves and other furnishings in dish washer ( turn dishwasher on)
13. When dish washer is done put hides back in.

And thats it.

 

[frankh]

Last night I did the big every six months cleaning day for spot ( leopard gecko) Heres what I did. I hope this will help a beginner

1. Get leopard gecko out of aquarium
2. Remove all hides, water bowls, heat pads and such
3. get a plastic bag and have sombody hold it for you
4. Dump the sand in the plastic bag. Tie the bag and throw it away
5. Vacuum out the sand that remains
6. mix alcohol, white vinegar, and water together
7. Put the liquid into a spray bottle and spray the glass inside and out.
8. Wipe down the aquarium and dry it out
9. install heatpad again
10. Pour new sand back in aquarium
11. Put leopard gecko back in
12. Run caves and other furnishings in dish washer ( turn dishwasher on)
13. When dish washer is done put hides back in.

And thats it.

very helpful list. i imagine this list would be the same for crested geckos????by the way what kind of alcohol do you use--ordinary beer????

 

[leopard]

I used rubbing alcohol.

 

[Chewbecca]

Big cleaning projects are easier for me because, for one thing, I use tubs for my geckos, not big aquariums.
And for another, I don't use sand.

I do the following:
1. remove gecko(s) from enclosure and place in a box with lid
2. bring cage/tub/enclosure upstairs and remove all the stuff inside of it
3. soak all soakable items in hot soapy water
4. rinse out enclosure
5. wash out enclosure with soap
6. rinse enclsoure
7. dry enclosure thoroughly with towel
8. spray chlorhexidine through the entire enclosure and let it soak for 20 minutes or so (though, that's probably over-doing it).
9. rinse enclosure thoroughly
10. dry enclosure thoroughly.
11. do steps 5-10 for enclosure items/accessories.

SOMETIMES, I'll use a bleach solution if I'm out of chlorhexidine. But most times I don't. I find as long as you use hot soapy water, that's thorough enough.
I don't normally allow my animals' cages to get too nasty anyway.

 

[leopard]

That is a good plan to for people with your needs.

 

[Chewbecca]

Thanks!

You can order Chlorhexidine from various places on the net. It's pretty cheap, too.
AND it's a VERY effective way to clean cages. It's harmless to reptiles, cleans well, and it's what vets use to irrigate wounds during surgical procedures.

I use Chlorhexidine shampoo and spray for my dog.
It's a great anti-fungal/anti-bacterial cleanser.
And it beats having to mix three different things to make a cleaner.:biggrin:

 

[Allee Toler]

Every 6 months? I do this weekly... Lol.

My cleaning solution is just 1 part vinegar to 3 parts hot water. Daily I take out the slate, and clean it. I also clean the bowls every day. Hides and decor are sprayed with vinegar solution every other day then wiped clean with a hot wash cloth, and ran through the dishwasher every week. I have a bucket of "gecko cleaning supplies" and towels that are color coded just so I know what's been used and what hasn't (I.E. I used a green towel for my shower today, green towel in the kitchen, green towel as a hand towel, and a green towel to wipe their tank. OCD, maybe, effective? Yes.). By the end of the day I wash all the towels. The next day's new color is pulled out by bed time.

For my syringes used for force feeding Gi (the one who never eats, I also use a color coded wash cloth to wipe her face when she makes messes), I use peroxide to kill any sick bacteria, then run vinegar through it, then hot water. It's cleaned after every feeding (every other day/every 3 days).

Here's a handy tip (off topic, not about gecko cleaning): If you have the calcium build up in your shower or in your sink, pour hydrogen peroxide on it and let it soak, then rub it roughly with a wash cloth. It comes right off. ;]

Back to geckos.
I think their tanks need to be cleaned weekly (I'd clean it every day if I could, but it stays pretty clean this way). Every 6 months is horrible. If I left my tank for 6 months (with daily spot cleaning of course) the sides would probably be covered in a film, and the hides would probably stink.
But then again, I'm a germaphobe. I give my geckos an herbal green tea and lavender extract bath every week to clean them and have them smell good. It's organic, and nontoxic. The vet was shocked at how good they smelt. When I told him what I wash them with, he thought it was a great way to give Gi antioxidants (the one who gets sick, because of her condition).
Maybe I'm just spoiling them too much by keeping their tank clean. I know I clean my house every three days or so, with daily kitchen and bathroom cleanings, so why wouldn't I do the same for my geckos? Lol.
My geckos also don't mind being out of their tank. They're very well adapted to their routine.

Call me crazzzyyy. :lol: I embrace it.

 

[Chewbecca]

Allee,
Come clean my house and my gecko cages, k?

You know, I was just talking to one of my leo breeders today about cleaning cages (because I thought I was obsessive compulsive about it until I just read your post), and he actually told me that by me cleaning their cages as much as I do, I'm probably causing them unneeded stress because geckos use their sense of smell and taste to relate to their environment.
Everytime we clean, it's almost like we're putting them into a new environment.
He said that changing paper towels whenever is ok, but to thoroughly clean them so often is more stressful to the gecko and is unnecessary.

 

[Allee Toler]

I don't see stress on them. When my littlest one is stressed, she'll squeal (otherwise I don't hear a single protest, ever). If Gi is stressed, she bites. When I put my hand in their tank, they crawl onto me, when I go to put them back once it's all clean, they go back into their hides where they were before I got them.

I put everything back exactly how it was. And by me cleaning it every day, I don't see how they're not used to the scent of the cleaned tank. They've never acted odd when put in a clean tank except when I used a bleach solution instead of lavender and vinegar. Lavender for the scent, vinegar for cleaning. They walked around all like. Chickens without their heads. They tried to get out. So I went to the store and got more vinegar. Then they were fine. I think it only applies to unfamiliar scents. I know when I move each time they wig out. Not the car ride, they're used to that, but when I settle them in their new spot. They stand up against the glass and look around all panicked and don't want out of their tank.

Input?

 

[leopard]

No I clean weekly I don't get new sand and wipe down the glass and send all the caves through the dishwasher every week though. Lol

 

[Chewbecca]

No I clean weekly I don't get new sand and wipe down the glass and send all the caves through the dishwasher every week though. Lol

And you don't have to.
I'm SURE your gecko is fine.

Allee has already admitted to having a slight disorder when it comes to her geckos.

 

[Holly123]

Good lists there guys! :biggrin: Different people have different routines, doesn't mean one's right and one's wrong I tend to take out any crap every evening, quickly wiping down the slate which takes about five seconds, clean the water bowl every evening too. Then every 3/4 weeks I'll do a full clean, I have to admit I don't always disinfect *slaps wrist* but I do most of the time....

 

[Allee Toler]

Allee has already admitted to having a slight disorder when it comes to her geckos.

And I refuse to be medicated for OCD. Why stop something that doesn't disrupt my life? Lol. Silly psychologists! It's only a "problem" when it's a problem.

I wasn't telling you that you needed to deep clean weekly. I do it because I feel it needs to be done. If something isn't cleaned weekly, I feel like it's covered in bacteria. Like how people wear the same pants days in a row. HOW do they do it?!? It grosses me out thinking about all the harbored bacteria between the legs. Girls alone shouldn't wear jeans over and over for "feminine" hygiene.

Anyways, for me, if I can't eat off it, it ain't clean. You could pour ketchup on my toilet seat, eat it with fries, and not get sick.

I feel better knowing that if my gecko licks the side of the tank, they won't be ingesting 3 month old poo bacteria that touched the glass way back when. I have one gecko who is constantly fighting Fatty Liver Disease, and just got over a huge 8 month battle with Salmonella infections. I don't need her ingesting something that I could prevent. Along with that, I'm not over sheltering her. I take her out. She gets exposed to bacteria in small doses to build her immune system. I keep her tank clean so she has a "safe" place to be. That's why I keep my house so clean. I have tons of allergies. Grass, dust, pollen, mold, oak, maple, etc. I'm allergic to the outside world. And I have asthma, and a few other health problems. After being outside for three hours today, my body is shot. I'm itchy, my eyes are watery, and I need to relax. Where would I be able to relax? In a nice clean home that's allergen free. =D So I don't see it as a disorder. If it's a disorder, then why am I IN order? (lololololololol cheesy)

Now I'm rambling.

YAY GECKOS!!! =D

I know your gecko's fine. He must have a great immune system because of it. I, personally, just can't do it because of my personal immune system, and knowing that Gi's body reacts with salmonella. I don't want to get salmonella again. Lol. It was hell.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I don't want to get salmonella again. Lol. It was hell.

In that case you might want to consider not eating fries off of your toilet seat any more!

 

[Allee Toler]

The cleaner adds to the flavor. ;]

 

[Chewbecca]

oh, I only said the disorder part because you were saying you are obsessive compulsive and obsessive/compulsive is a disorder.

I'm not diagnosing you.

Whatever works for you.
You probably have the cleanest geckos in the world.

 

[Allee Toler]

Lol. I wasn't offended, I wasn't even responding to you mentioning it as a disorder. And I am diagnosed.

but the crack head also said I had anxiety, depression, and a bunch of other horse hockey. The only thing I believed was the OCD. Just because I was born 10 weeks early doesn't mean I'm a total nut case! Lol. Though some will disagree there.

I have ONE of the cleanest geckos in the world. My little rebel, Lucie, she'll get a bath, then go lay in her poo corner, and then lay in her water, then lay in her calcium. And look at me like "Ain't so clean now, eh mama!" So she rarely gets cleaned. Haha. She seems to stay clean when I don't clean her.

 

[Bristar]

How often do you guys suggest changing the sand in the tank?
Furthermore, what do you guys suggest cleaning the enclosure/accessories with? Like when you wash the water dish every night, what should I be washing it with? I can't imagine dish soap would be good.