# does anyone not use liners in their cage?



## linda888 (Jan 9, 2011)

I have 5 boys in a very large ferret cage. The floors/levels are that thick plastic. I've been lining them with a towel and then fleece over that. However, I am laundering them every other day because the urine smell comes on pretty quick. I am using nonscented hypoallergenic laundry detergent. I am washing all of their toys, wheels and hidey homes in the bathtub every other day also.

Would it work to not line the floors with anything, and just wipe them down daily? The laundering of the fleece and the placing of the fleece in the cage is taking a lot of time. Of course I would provide fleece for them to build their nests inside of their igloos.

Any advice? That urine smell is not nice.

Thanks!

Linda


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Unfortunately, with solid levels you kinda have to line them. If you don't, urine pools up so they walk through nasty bacteria, which can put them at risk for bumble foot.

That sucks that it gets nasty so quickly . I'm wondering if you are over cleaning, as they will mark more if their cage is too clean. I wouldn't leave smelly liners in there, but maybe not wash all their toys daily so some of it still smells like them.

You might like a martins cage, as they don't need to be lined, since they are made of rat safe mesh floors, and the pee can't pool up.


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

I've never used liners on my shelves, and I've always had solid shelves. I've never had a rat with bumble foot. I just wipe the shelves down every day to keep them fairly clean.


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## killybutt (Nov 22, 2010)

I have a bookshelf cage with waterproof floors, and don't use a liner. I wipe down the cage once a day and keep a cat litter pan full of litter on the bottom floor. The boys tend to just use one corner of each level so it stays manageable. If I didn't wipe it down daily it would be an issue but the way I see it, wiping it down is easier than doing laundry every day


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## Kimberloy (Feb 2, 2011)

I just line with carefresh, and pull out soiled spots daily!


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## sonoma (May 26, 2007)

No liners here. I used them with my old girls, but my youngsters pull them up and destroy them. Even though I don’t use liners but I still use litter boxes and the rats are pretty good about using them. Between the litter boxes and wiping down the shelves daily with unscented baby wipes I don’t have a problem with urine pooling up on the shelves.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I don't really.. I use newspaper through the whole thing, and lay it over the shelves. I have to weight it down with dishes and stuff, and they destroy it quickly, but it's easy to change regularly.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

I purchased a huge, cheap box of fabric from a flea-market and used safe wash to clean the material before using it in their cages. I line a layer or two on the plastic base of my current cage and scatter bedding and shredded cloth on top of that. 

I too always lined opened shelves with cloth to prevent foot problems as Snippet stated.


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## Lil_Rattie (Mar 13, 2011)

Snippet said:


> I've never used liners on my shelves, and I've always had solid shelves. I've never had a rat with bumble foot. I just wipe the shelves down every day to keep them fairly clean.


I have been doing that too. Wiping them.


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## shooper (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm another non-liner owner. I wipe my shelves off when I notice pee, but they usually use the litter box!


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