Herpetologists and veterinarians alike recommend regular and thorough cleaning, sterilization and disinfection of your pet's enclosure to maintain disease-free living conditions.

If your reptile or amphibian (herp) lives in a land habitat, you must provide fresh water and clean out debris every day. More thorough cleaning, sterilization and disinfection should take place on a weekly basis, along with a change of substrate.

With a semi-aquatic enclosure, you must remove debris daily, change the substrate and make partial water changes every week, and provide a more complete water change once a month.

A fully aquatic habitat should have a filtration system, but regular partial water changes still need to be made. A complete water change must be made at least once a month.

The frequency of cleanings will vary, but the more complex the ecosystem, the less often you want to disturb the balance you've created. In other words, more complex environments require less frequent cleaning. If you have housed your giant day gecko or your tropical frog in a complex, highly automated system, you may be able to go for weeks with no cleaning except removal of obvious waste. By contrast, you can clean a snake cage whenever your pet defecates, then disinfect every 7 to 10 days. The same is true for lizard environments.

Your herp's species will influence your cleaning schedule. Some species are naturally dirtier than others, readily defecating in their water bowls. If your pet has this habit, you must change his water twice a day - once in the evening and once in the morning.

The size of your pet relative to enclosure size is also a factor in setting your cleaning schedule. The larger your herp is, the more obvious the need for cleaning. Especially in a small enclosure, a large herp can quickly generate an ammonia buildup that can make him very ill.

The number of herps in the enclosure can determine how often you clean as well. The greater the number of reptiles or amphibians in a space, the more quickly ammonia and debris become problematic. As you add pets to your vivarium, you will need to clean more frequently.