Rack System Stinks!

I was just wondering if anyone else that uses a rack system has the problem of walking by and the rack just stinks...i clean mine out once a week and once a month i wash out the tubs thuroughly. Just anyone else have this prolem with smell?

Bryan:

I've only had my rack for about a month, and I did notice an odor. Not when walking by, but when opening the tubs. I remedied this by putting more ventilation in the tubs so the ammonia fumes (which are harmful in lethal doses) out.

I use an old, beat-up soldering iron to burn a few holes in the upper back of each tub for ventilation.

I deffinatly have enough ventalation i have 2 rows of holes froma soldering iron all the way around each side...the smell is just from their feces does anyone have a "secret" to get rid of this ive been putting a drier sheet on each shelf and it seems to work pretty well but dies out quickly...

Tea Tree, Green Tea or Lavander essential oils are good at masking ammoniaish odors. you can get this stuff at drug stores or fancy places like The Body shop http://www.thebodyshop.com/web/tbsgl
Just smear it on inconspicious places (it can stain some surfaces) or use a burner. I know its not the most "manly" answer to your problem....but it works! I would go for the ventelation as well though....

or every other day to keep the feces from accumulating and causing the smell. I have 1 male who really stinks & I have to clean his tub out every day / every other day or the smell is just rank. He has tested clean and is otherwise healthy but he sure can make an odor. Also keep in mind plastic can absorb a bit of the smell, I have found that vanilla extract can reabsorb some of the smell out of the plastic (also works in refrigerators).

I dont have my rack yet, but I will be getting it by friday, or monday of next week latest.
Maybe I will just request the rack maker to drill some ventilation holes around the front.
Attack the problem before it starts I guess.

Originally posted by hill4803
(also works in refrigerators).

Ok, Heres my idea! Get some low thread count fabric, and cut two 5" by 5" squares out of it, then pin them togther and sew 3 sides, fill with baking soda. just a thin layer! then sew the 4th side to close it all off. kind of like a pillow with backing soda as the fluff inside! then take it and push pin it on the "roof" (or the bottom of the shelf for the above leo) of the smelly geckos box! make sure it is secure so it dosent fall on your gecko, and it should absorbe smell, just like when you put a box of baking soda in the fridge! (or get those carbon filled pouches that side onto the vent of my kittle litter box!) you could probbaly try carbon too! its just an idea, and it could make it difficult to fully remove the box if its not thin enough or your set up is really tight! anyways, its just the product of my creative mind....take it or leave it!

If you really want to fix the problem, wash your tubs out every week or every other week. It makes a huge difference. I do this because I keep my racks in my room and if I let the smell build up I don't sleep good..... I don't even wash them, I just rinse them out with hot water.........after I'm done the smell is gone.

Matt

I agree with Ro! some geckos just plain stink! I don't know why? (their on the same diet) they just do. If you have to, find out which ones smell more and at least clean there enclosures more often. The other thing is, you say you drilled lots of holes in your tubs? I did too, I doubled the amount ! And it still seemed like it didn't help. So I thought about it and drilled holes in the back of the rack! No matter how many holes I had in the tub, the air still had to get out and there was no flow thru....so now it is much better. I still have some stinky geckos.....anybody need a new gecko?