Cleaning After Your Pets
15 January 2014
If you’re a pet owner I’m sure you, along with many others are extremely fond of your pet. The best way to keep them healthy is to provide a good living condition for them. Cleaning after your pet on a weekly basis not only provides a safe environment for them to live in but it also stops any odours from building up and stinking your home out.
• Reptile tanks. Reptiles are cold blooded creatures and because of this most reptile cages have a heat source. Before you clean the cage, you should make sure this is turned off and given a chance to cool down. When going to clean your tank you should keep your pet in either a different tank or part of the house. Any accessories should be taken out and cleaned with suitable cleaner and any gravel or sand in the bottom of the tank removed and replaced. Only cleaning solutions approved for reptile tanks should be used as some solutions may have a negative effect on them. Scrub the inside walls and floor of the tank before replacing everything again. Turn the heat back on and return your pet to its home.
• Bird cages. Bird cages are very simple to clean. Remove the bird and everything in the cage. Any accessories should be cleaned and any gravel at the bottom should be replaced. Use pre-approved cleaning solutions and don’t forget to refill any water or food.
• Aquariums. To clean an aquarium, you don’t actually need to remove your fish. Fish are dramatically affected by too much environmental change so when cleaning an aquarium, you shouldn’t use cleaning products as it changes the balance of the water and the fish react badly to it. Any ornaments should be cleaned of algae either by removing them and washing by hand or by using a siphon. Any algae on the walls of the tank should be removed by using a sponge and any floating debris should be then picked up using a water skimmer. Typically, between 10-20% of the water should be changed on a weekly basis and can be done very quick and simply using a siphon. Not only can this be used for removing water, but it can also be used as a gravel vacuum so you can clean the gravel at the bottom without having to remove it. Once everything has been cleaned and the water has been removed, you then have to replace the same amount that you’ve taken out. If you have a water filter, you should check this regularly to see if it too needs cleaning. The last thing that you can do is to clean the outer glass of the tank to make it have a finishing shine.
• Small animal cages. Small animals that live in cages such as hamsters and rats need to be cleaned out very regularly as they very quickly begin to smell bad. Firstly take out your pet and keep them somewhere safe where they can’t escape. Any accessories, water bottle and food bowls should be removed and cleaned with approved solution and make sure everything is dry. Remove any bedding and using the same approved cleaner, wipe down the inside of the cage including the bars etc. Put new bedding down and replace all of the cleaned items (refilling any food and water). Return your pet back to its cage and dispose of anything you used.
After you’ve cleaned out your pet, you should always remember to put your pet back inside, dispose of any used items and then always wash your hands. Getting into a regular routine and cleaning on a set day stops you from forgetting a step or forgetting to clean them altogether.
