# Does anyone else actually enjoy cleaning their rats cage?



## avalouise (Jun 8, 2013)

Today was their first major clean (It's day 4 of having them and it was already a bit stinky - hmm) and it's safe to say I actually enjoyed it. I like wiping things down and shaking out fleece and washing things and replacing toys and such. It was like this when I had ferrets too - I just enjoy having a pretty looking cage  Do you like cleaning your rats cage or do you dread when that time comes?


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

It depends- if I'm just wiping down, replacing bedding, and rearranging then I like it. But deep cleaning is dreaded 


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

I have to say I am looking forward to the first cage cleaning just because it will smell nice and I can rearrange stuff in their cage.


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## evander (Jun 30, 2013)

I agree if I am doing a wipe down or even changing of all the pans in the DFN - I am happy when I know it is nice and clean.

BUT when it is time to haul that sucker down the stairs and hose it down - about every 8 weeks - then it is a big dread.

But I love all my girls and keeping them healthy & happy and my DH happy are important too!


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Lol, I only have a rat manor so I guess I'm whining about nothing


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

i enjoy cleaning it and moving things around in the cage and very much enjoy shaking all the fleece out my window haha 
but i think i am the same as everyone with the deep cleaning and dread it. haha


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

You will learn to hate the full clean within a few months, believe me haha. I do a full clean every 2 weeks and it takes me an hour minimum, and my cage is the size of a single critter nation! It depends on what stuff you have in there, and if any fabric needs washing.


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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

I like mine to some degree. My first cage I hated cleaning it was the all living things luxury rat home (maybe thats what its called) then I upgraded to a slightly easier to clean cage and it was better for awhile I didn't mind cleaning it but I didn't like it. Then I figured out some little tricks to making it easier to clean and started cleaning in phases... I never do a full clean out. Now I enjoy it. It's relaxing I know ky fiancé won't bother me for 45 minutes to an hour because he knows I will ask him to help. It also gives me a chance to play with my rats 

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## JBird (May 23, 2013)

I love a clean cage... it's the pee soaked stuff that I hate! I mean, don't get me wrong, clean fleece fresh out the dryer and on the cage is a glorious thing, but when I'm taking stuff out & my hands get grimy so quickly from urine... I ain't stoked, haha. My girls have gotten so good about their litter box though that this is barely an issue anymore. Hate to say it, but I barely clean their cage anymore lol. I wipe down their levels & spot clean, but otherwise they are happy and the smell is hardly there! 
Now my kitchen & room on the other hand... cleaning is like drugs for me. I literally reward myself with a horrendously messy house after a tough week and get so happy and relaxed when I clean. It's such a rewarding feeling!!


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

I don't actually enjoy cleaning the cage, but I don't dread it either. I do love it when the cage is clean, so I make sure it's very clean. 

I clean the cage daily and take it outside once a week to hose it down. The daily cleaning only takes 20 minutes. The hose down takes a couple of hours, when you add in drying time. It's a lot of work, but my girl loves a clean cage too.


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## steeve (Jul 9, 2013)

I love love love squeaky clean plastic! And since I never touch the 'wild' bottom level covered in boxes, I get to dig around and find all the dry food and toys they've stashed. And rearranging is fun too!

The best part is letting the rats back in and seeing them explore the new cage.


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## tillyouise (Apr 9, 2013)

i enjoy putting the clean hammocks in and making or trying to make things for the rat cage lol, ive got two boy ratties and there super messy i wrap treats in kitchen towl and twist them through the bars so it needs a taidy all the time, i have a pull out tray in mine so its a case of pull it out spray and wipe job done .


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## CrystalW (Jul 20, 2013)

I actually feel like cleaning my rat's cage is some what a calm and meditative practice for me.... (same as my aquarium)... I love the idea of making them happy so much, that it is some what a calming ritual for me. I actually look forward to cleaning days, and have to try not to do it too much


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## JLSaufl (Jan 20, 2013)

I enjoy all aspects of rat owning, including the cage cleaning. They're really good about using their box for peeing, pooping and kicking the poop and urine soaked litter everywhere. So in the morning I scoop up the kicked out litter and place it in their box. If its starting to stink, ill replace half of it. Once every couple weeks I take their fleece and hammies out to wash them. They're pretty clean and low maintenance for boys. 

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## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

I don't really like dealing with the old bedding and getting their platforms in and out of the cage so I can wipe them down is a huge pain. But I love rearranging everything and putting new toys and stuff in there. Having a clean cage is such a good feeling!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I like to clean the cage and redecorate weekly. My male rat makes it the most fun; I clean the cage while I let them free roam, and he "helps" and likes to hop in and stir things up, so it becomes a game.
I make someone else do the hauling of things outside, so I guess that's where I have it easy.


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## SheWroteLove1 (Jan 18, 2013)

I find cleaning in all aspects fun, whether it's my home, my pond, my aquarium, or my rat's cage. It's weird, but I work at a petting zoo and find cleaning the stalls so relaxing- despite the poop. I guess knowing that I'm making the animal's (or my own) life a cleaner and happier place puts me in a trance ;D


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I actually like cleaning cages. When we had the rat manor I loved to clean it, especially since when it was super clean it was very shiny. I also loved making the cage look nice.

Now with the DCN, I didn't enjoy cleaning it since I'm allergic to rat urine, and for a while didn't clean it at all (my dad had to). Right now we're doing desensitization in hopes of helping my allergies, so I have to clean it out very often (right now it's every 48 hours), and I forgot how much I actually enjoy cleaning the cage. Liam especially loves when it's cage cleaning time, and tries to climb on the cleaning bottles and play with the rags (clean and dirty). He also loves to "help" me hang up hammocks.


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## ShameOnSnakeFood (Jul 25, 2013)

It depends on my mood  The other day I spent over an hour scrubbing my rats cage and I can say I enjoyed it. I also just like the feeling when it be cage is pretty and doesn't stink anymore.Other times I just throw the old bedding out and slop on new bedding. I have a very small breed of rat so his cage isn't much of a pain to clean and barely takes up any space. Yay


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

I hate doing deep cleans! I clean my cage about once a week, with a few spot cleans here and there (though I'm gonna start emptying the litter trays every couple of days from now on cause they smell). Yesterday, I had to do a maximum deep clean, as in 100% clean. This included disinfecting my laminate flooring in my room and the side room for the rats. Here's a list of what I had to do:

1) Sweep the floor of both rooms
2) Disinfect both rooms
3) Wash all the hammocks and fabric toys etc
4) Deep clean the cage (meaning, wash everything off with hot water, then let disinfectant soak in every little toy and part of the cage). Then let their ball pit (their play pit) soak with each individual ball washed with hot water and disinfectant, then throw away their hiding boxes in it - took 2 hours in total
5) Get out hammocks/fabrics and re-assemble the cage (took about half an hour altogether)
6) Put in hemp bedding and litter (both frozen for 3 days straight), then add Diatomaceous Earth to both
7) Give each of my 3 girls a wash over with water, then dry them
8 ) Rub a pinch of Diatomaceous Earth into their fur and then spray them over with a DE/water mix just to be sure
9) Sprinkle a bit in all the fabrics in their cage just to make sure
10) Fill up food bowl and both water bottles
11) Apply Tap-a-Drop to a piece of tissue in each room

This process took me near enough 4 hours to completion, which included a deep clean of both my rooms and their cage, all because of mites. I hope the scourge has now been eliminated! I am the kind of guy who won't stop until a task is finished when I'm engrossed. The feeling after knowing everything was clean was great though!


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