# Smell advice :) (crested geckos)



## Lambretta (Dec 2, 2010)

Hi guys, I recently bought a 45x45x60 exo terra with background for crested geckos. There was no substrate in there, just paper, some plants and a background.
However, I can't get rid of the horrible smell coming from it. I took everything out, washed the exo terra from the inside, put substrate etc and it still smells of....wee... 
I don't know what to do! :bash:
Any cresty keepers have the same problem?


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## Calceto (Jan 19, 2012)

I must admit my geckos have a slight smell ,i always put it down to the musty smell you get from misting water and the evaporation that happens + my spare room prob isnt getting the air circulation as i cant open the window as its so chilly outside roll on the summer . Ive noticed crickets have a funny smell as well 
Hope this is of help Andy


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## Lambretta (Dec 2, 2010)

Thank you for the reply Andy. I've heard that crickets smell when they die but not sure this is the case here :/ The thing is I am not really sure how frequently the enclosure has been cleaned before so it's almost as if it's soaked with the smell. 
It is pretty horrible though as the viv is right next to my bed so I can smell it all the time now and it is extremely annoying. Never had that problem with the enclosures of my little cresties though so I wasn't sure if this is normal or not :lol2:


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## heatherjhenshaw (Jan 30, 2010)

This might or might not help, but if the vivs empty.... Onion is good at getting rid of smells, of course that could be cos it stinks to high heaven itself ! But seriously, at one of our buildings at work there was an odour issue due to leaking drains, even after the drains were fixed, someone put halved onions everywhere in the room and after a week, no more smell

Mind you I'll never eat onions again :lol2:


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

I've got 3 enclosures and the only smell I get from it is the damp/humid smell, which gets worse after a few months when it's due for a substrate change.

You could try using a different livefood, such as roaches, and putting them into the the exo in a little tub. This way you can remove the dead livefood and ensure it's not coming from that.

What do you use to clean the exo with? Did you get the exo brand new?


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## Calceto (Jan 19, 2012)

Im sure ive seen a bottle of viv disinfectant in my local pet store that might help


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## Lambretta (Dec 2, 2010)

Thank you for the reply guys. I might try with some onions :2thumb:
Not sure the smell is coming from dead crickets as I took everything out, then cleaned it and it still smells of wee :/ I guess the poo/wee smell in general gets worse when sprayed with water and humidity levels are up? Maybe the background is ...kinda soaked with the smell?

I've never actually fed the cresties with roaches. What size roaches would be suitable for a sub-adult/adult 30+ grams cresty? I may try and see how it goes.

The exo terra was used. I bought two adult cresties with it...Well I bought 2 cresties and the exo terra came with them 
I used hot water with a little bit of washing up liquid at first to remove the water marks and dirt off the glass, then wiped it. Then I used glass cleaner and sprayed with F10 lol ... 
Would you guys recommend any easier methods to clean exo terras or any special product that removes the water marks easily?


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## zoezakella (May 1, 2011)

Lambretta said:


> Thank you for the reply guys. I might try with some onions :2thumb:
> Not sure the smell is coming from dead crickets as I took everything out, then cleaned it and it still smells of wee :/ I guess the poo/wee smell in general gets worse when sprayed with water and humidity levels are up? Maybe the background is ...kinda soaked with the smell?
> 
> I've never actually fed the cresties with roaches. What size roaches would be suitable for a sub-adult/adult 30+ grams cresty? I may try and see how it goes.
> ...


I feed my juvie crestie dubia roaches and cant get enough of them! He is 9cm's head to tail and weighs only 3grams and I am gobsmacked how quickly and how many he can eat! They are easy to keep and do not smell:2thumb:


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

Lambretta said:


> Thank you for the reply guys. I might try with some onions :2thumb:
> Not sure the smell is coming from dead crickets as I took everything out, then cleaned it and it still smells of wee :/ I guess the poo/wee smell in general gets worse when sprayed with water and humidity levels are up? Maybe the background is ...kinda soaked with the smell?
> 
> I've never actually fed the cresties with roaches. What size roaches would be suitable for a sub-adult/adult 30+ grams cresty? I may try and see how it goes.
> ...


Medium roaches will probably be a good size. When I first started buying them I found the smalls were too small.

Seems weird that the smells sticking even with the F10, not sure what else you could do :|

Is there any wood, cork bark ect in there that might be holding onto the smell? If there is it might be worth giving them a good soak over night.

I've seem someone on here mention that the silicone on the exo can hold onto the smell, so it might be worth giving all the corners an extra scrub next time you clean them out.

As for the water marks, I find one of the non scratch rough washing up sponges work well, and then dry it all down with jay cloths


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