How often do you clean the enclosure POLL

When do you clean? (You can select more than one!)

  • Right after it feeds and drop the feeders bolus.

    Votes: 16 17.0%
  • When the little white mites are noticable on the deceased feeders.

    Votes: 10 10.6%
  • Whenever in the critter room.

    Votes: 4 4.3%
  • Hardly ever.

    Votes: 41 43.6%
  • Continously!

    Votes: 5 5.3%
  • Once a week on average.

    Votes: 14 14.9%
  • Every two weeks on average.

    Votes: 11 11.7%
  • Always make sure water bowl is topped off.

    Votes: 43 45.7%

  • Total voters
    94
  • Poll closed .

ChrisNCT

ChrisinTennessee
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
1,601
Easy one!

How often do you clean your critters cage(s)?
 

Cooper

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 22, 2003
Messages
962
Nevermind lol, I see it now.
 
Last edited:

Nick_schembri

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 1, 2005
Messages
485
It depends on the food I'm feeding. A half eaten pinkie can really stink, then I have to clean up immediately. But, if I were feeding crix or mealworms, I usually clean the tanks once a week
 

BlkCat

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 13, 2004
Messages
1,100
I am gonna have to say that it depends on which species i have. My avics have to be cleaned up after more often. They are poop masters.
A problem is, that when a huge webber has uneaten food in the web or the bottom of the enclosure, I cant get to it. Therefore when i smell something funny, I just take the T out and clean the whole cage. I throw all the plastic plants away and put new in.
 

David_F

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
1,764
I voted hardly ever but, like Nick, if I've fed a mouse or large roach to a T I try to remove any remains pretty quickly. Other than that, it's pretty much when the T grows out of the container.
 

ilovebugs

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Messages
443
I just hate to disturb that beautiful webbing haha.
therefore hardly ever. I mean, very rarely. although I do occasionally throw out a dried cricket meatball.
 

aaronrefalo

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
616
i clean it often......sometimes even twice a week....it depends...for me its part of the weekly maintanace...

Aaron
 

king7

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2005
Messages
343
i only ever clean it if its a MUST eg.mites,smelly half eaten mice. :)
 

rgfx

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Messages
156
I only spot-clean as is needed: if mould starts to grow on the base of the branches or poo on the glass, sometimes my avic leaves the bolus hanging by a thread from the branch he was eating it on, but usually i can't see the bolus on the substrate. I got a few woodlice to deal with that.

TIP... stab a swan filter (small filters for hand-rolled ciggies) on the end of a bamboo skewer and bend back the point to stop the filter coming off. These make great disposable swabs for getting avic poo off the glass. ;)
 

Code Monkey

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Messages
3,783
The poll doesn't really address a typical real world scenario for a keeper with a lot of different types/sizes of Ts. For instance, small slings (<1") I keep slightly moist, cleaning within a couple of days of a feeding is a necessity or the whole vial will be overtaken with mold. Conversely, my larger specimens are kept dry with a water dish, in their case I only clean immediately if they dump the bolus in the water dish, otherwise it's whenever I happen to get around to it.

As for the water dishes, they get watered once a week; I don't worry if they dump, fill or otherwise empty the water between waterings. Dishes are swapped out as needed.
 

Windchaser

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 13, 2004
Messages
2,996
Code Monkey said:
The poll doesn't really address a typical real world scenario for a keeper with a lot of different types/sizes of Ts. For instance, small slings (<1") I keep slightly moist, cleaning within a couple of days of a feeding is a necessity or the whole vial will be overtaken with mold. Conversely, my larger specimens are kept dry with a water dish, in their case I only clean immediately if they dump the bolus in the water dish, otherwise it's whenever I happen to get around to it.

As for the water dishes, they get watered once a week; I don't worry if they dump, fill or otherwise empty the water between waterings. Dishes are swapped out as needed.
This is pretty much the same thing I do.
 

usumbaraboy

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 27, 2004
Messages
439
yeah i barly clean mine unless i have to. i hate recking the whole set up that one of my tarantulas has spent days on. and the water dishes get filled when ever i get the chance. but normally my bigger tarantulas dont usually get a lot of water.
 

galeogirl

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
1,197
I clean enclosures whenever I have a few spare minutes. A few of my spiders are nice enough to ball up webbing with food and other bits in one corner, that makes it simple.

I may not get to it every day, but several times a week definitely.
 

Catherine

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 8, 2004
Messages
76
I remove uneaten remains as soon as I spot them and keep the water bowl topped up.
I'll give the adult and sub adult tanks a thorough clean after they moult. Aside from that, when i see mould or mites.
 

Kid Dragon

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
1,123
I haven't cleaned the vials my A. versicolor slings are in since they were hatched, one year, 3 months. I just add crickets and water.
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2002
Messages
3,952
hardly ever....
Unless something is uneaten and dies, I don't really clean until it gets transferred to a larger enclosure. Never had mites, as I keep everyone on the dry side.
 

Gesticulator

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
954
I check on each T everyday. If I notice a bolus within reach, I take it out. If The avics slopped up the sides of the tanks, I wipe it off with a damp paper towel. If substrate has pieces of crickets I take them out. Not really on a schedule, bot on an as needed basis. I do dump the substrate and wash the tank if it is infested with baby crickets. Water dishes are topped off.
 

cryptly

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
Messages
512
I'm not sure how to respond, since I clean on an "if needed" basis. Top off water if needed. Pick out cricket parts if needed. Wipe poo off enclosure walls if needed. Mist vials if needed. The only thing I do daily is check the enclosures.
 

bagheera

ArachnoTiger
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 21, 2005
Messages
477
I will pull out anything apt to attract ants when I see it, but really clean? Naw!

Did I mention ants? I *HATE* ants more than I hate crickets!!
 

Charlie

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
367
At the present I only have two T's that are kept pretty dry so I clean the cages about once every couple of weeks or so.

-Charlie
 
Top