# Do male rats really smell?



## foxx (Sep 13, 2007)

be honest


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## Barbiie (Sep 8, 2007)

Mine dont but ive only had them a few days!


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Depends on how often you clean their cage. They have a slight musky aroma to them naturally (some of them, anyway, some smell like corn chips or whatever). Neutered boys lose that, I've heard. My boys only smell right after they decide to sleep in the litter box. Silly boys.


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

When I had my dudes I never noticed anything.


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## foxx (Sep 13, 2007)

Where can you fix them because i don't think the normal vet can.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Call the vet and ask them if they neuter rats and if they've done it before.

Some 'normal' vets will do it. Some vets that specialize in exotics will do it.

I don't think the difference is that great. The smell you'd smell most is urine and poo and that just involves cage cleaning. And you can bathe the rats, if necessary.


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## baebeetigress (Sep 6, 2007)

My boys never smell. I clean them out often though.


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

My boys never smell


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## Lesath (Jul 14, 2007)

I have 4 boys, no odor issues. I use Yesterdays News in their litterboxes and towels on the flooring. I change towels daily and do an entire cage cleaning once a week.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

My girls smell really nice and fruity, but my male never did. He didn't smell bad, really, but he didn't smell good either. When he lived separately from my girls, his cage always smelled better than theirs, probably because he was litter trained and they weren't.


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## Pomperella (Jun 4, 2007)

my boy is super clean whereas the girls are messy and smelly. my boy has a lovely smell. sort of musty but i really like it. the girls themselves don't smell but 5 of them make a lot of poo and wee so i am always cleaning!


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## Squeak (Sep 4, 2007)

I keep my males in my room and their always clean. But once I moved them out to the Living Room in summer because it was cooler there. Then next time I greeted them THEY SMELT REAL BAD. I have a little careless brother (he can't get into the cage though!) who always smells like farts and sweat (man, I dislike him). I think that his smell somehow got onto the rats, so I moved them back to my room and they were fine! 

So I guess it's a matter of what sort of environment they are in. Or maybe it was just because of my stinkin little brother. lol


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## panther (Sep 13, 2007)

i have 4 boys, and apparently they reek, but i cant smell a thing. best thing is to clean them out often, keep a window open if its hot and bath your rats when they need it! lol


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I wouldn't neuter a male rat just for smell issues. If they become hormonally aggressive or you plan on housing them with females then thats different, but just because you might not like their slightly musky smell? No.


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## MagicalLobster (Jun 30, 2007)

My boys don't smell at all, not that I've noticed anyway...but they do a great job of making their cage smell horrible all the time.. :/


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## JadeAmber (Jul 30, 2007)

I think the issue with males smelling comes from buck grease. Its usually more of a problem for the older guys though.


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## lostbutnotforgot (Apr 19, 2007)

lilspaz68 said:


> I wouldn't neuter a male rat just for smell issues. If they become hormonally aggressive or you plan on housing them with females then thats different, but just because you might not like their slightly musky smell? No.


Can male rats get testicular cancer? If they do, that would be a good reason to advocate it with healthy rats if the owner is financially capable and has a vet that is experienced. Plus it's not nearly as invasive as a spay would be.


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## DFW_Rat_Luvr (Aug 29, 2007)

my male rats always smell really good believe it or not - that is unless theyve been marinating (which isnt often thank goodness).


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

there certainly is a difference in texture of the coat and the general smell of a neutered male vs an unaltered one. the 2 males i have i had neutered for a couple reasons, 1) i'm allregic to the smell of the buck greese (so for me getting them not to smell was important) and 2) because i wanted them to go in with my girls. 

now, do they stick one way or the other greatly depends on what they get into and how lazy they are. on hot days no one really wants to move much so the litter training goes out and the window and they'll pee whereever theywant and lay in it. mind you the females do that too and it doesn't always depend on the temperature but i have noticed they do it more when its hot out. 

because of the buck grease they do have a stronger general aroma then females but it doesn't smell that bad. just kinda like the air in a stuffy attic or closed chest, old and a bit musty. its not a bad smell, just a different one. 

and there are health benefits to be had with a neutered male. not nearly as many as a spayed female but there are benefits there none the less. it does reduce risk of certain cancers (not as many as females though) but it can also prolong the life expectancy by 1-7nish months. without those hormones causing havic with them mentally and making them big all that physically their body tends to have an easier time of dealing with aging. more resources can be directed to other things. 

also, there is a general temperment difference to be expected even in rats that were not aggressive to begin with. i was actually surprised by this myself. when i had stewart neutered i was not expecting any change in his personaility as he was past 1.5 years old and he was a pretty laid bakc little man as it was. but after the neuter he's acting like a little fuzzlet. he's hand wrestling with me (something he NEVER did or showed even the remotest interest in doing). and he's even more of cuddlier then before. i had had him for a while before the neuter so i can't claim that he just got more used to me, he had already accepted me. but now he's vying for position of the biggest sook right alongside sookie and violet. and its a close call, i'm not sure which will win out in the end.


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