Bi carb/Baking soda

[Tasha]

I watched a video on YouTube recently where the guy recommnded mixing a bit of bi carb in with the substrate. Is this safe to do? I was thinking to help stop some of the smell when my Tegu poops, I do try to clean it out straight away but sometimes it can sit for hours and stink the house out while I'm at work.

 

[dpjm]

I don't think it will help that much in terms of taking care of the smell of the feces between the time that it is deposited and the time you remove it. It might help control smells left over in the substrate, but that is not necessarily a good thing. Stinkiness in substrate is a good indicator that it needs to be changed. As bacteria develops it generally produces acids, which are the odor. The odor itself is not really the problem, the bacteria producing the odor are the problem. Baking soda will create an alkaline environment and odors get neutralized but the odor-causing bacteria are still there. So while you might think that your substrate is clean because it does not smell, it really has loads of bacteria. That's why I wouldn't use it.

 

[Walter1]

I don't think it will help that much in terms of taking care of the smell of the feces between the time that it is deposited and the time you remove it. It might help control smells left over in the substrate, but that is not necessarily a good thing. Stinkiness in substrate is a good indicator that it needs to be changed. As bacteria develops it generally produces acids, which are the odor. The odor itself is not really the problem, the bacteria producing the odor are the problem. Baking soda will create an alkaline environment and odors get neutralized but the odor-causing bacteria are still there. So while you might think that your substrate is clean because it does not smell, it really has loads of bacteria. That's why I wouldn't use it.

Thanks, dpjm. Helpful advice as usual.

 

[Tasha]

I don't think it will help that much in terms of taking care of the smell of the feces between the time that it is deposited and the time you remove it. It might help control smells left over in the substrate, but that is not necessarily a good thing. Stinkiness in substrate is a good indicator that it needs to be changed. As bacteria develops it generally produces acids, which are the odor. The odor itself is not really the problem, the bacteria producing the odor are the problem. Baking soda will create an alkaline environment and odors get neutralized but the odor-causing bacteria are still there. So while you might think that your substrate is clean because it does not smell, it really has loads of bacteria. That's why I wouldn't use it.

That's a good point. Thank you for the advise dpjm.