# I am so frustrated that Im ready to SCREAM



## DFW_Rat_Luvr (Aug 29, 2007)

ok. Ive tried everything and NOTHING is working. And Im beyond disgusted.

We have many cages - and many rats in them. Im a clean freak so I frequently clean cages. 

HOWEVER...no matter HOW many times and/or HOW well I clean the 'big boys' cage (the FN) it smells of nasty musky urine. It turns my stomach. I have SCRUBBED it down and within 2 minutes of 'The Fantastic 5' returning, its pee-nasty again.

RAH!

The other boys' cages dont smell like that. Ever.

WHAT am I doing wrong. I can take alot - I cant take the aroma of musky strong urine any longer. RAH!!!!!!!!!


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

I'd like to know too. Do you even go so far as to scrub the sides?

I have girls but every time one of my roommates comes in he complains of the rat cage smell and I don't know what else I can do to clean it.

Is your cage on carpet? I've begun to wonder if some urine hasn't gotten into my carpet.


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## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

I take a huge bunch of paper wool and scatter it on all the levels of the boy's cages, and they tend to pee on that, and it absorbs! So every day I just take out the paper wool and put more in, then do a DEEEEEP clean every week.


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## jellybeanqueen (Sep 6, 2007)

maybe you clean the cages so often they feel as if they have to scent mark it as soon as they get back in so it smells like home again? =O
maybe you could try cleaning it no more than twice a week..see if that helps!
you could also try putting baking soda underneath their bedding, as it supposedly kills the ammonia or something like that. =)


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## chrisstrikeagain (Apr 10, 2007)

What beddin or floor do you use?


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I'm telling you, use fabric as bedding and sprinkle baking soda in the dryer.

I am never going back to bedding.


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## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

ive never had this problem with my boys and i "clean" them every 3 days and i do a deep clean every 5 days. for the 3 day clean i hover the towel (wich i use on the extra floors/ levels, and change the most pooey parts of the ground floor. and for the deep clean i wash the towels and completly change the bedding, and use a disinfectand/deodorant spray to clean the base and wipe down the bars.

so all in all towel seems to work well


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## Brad (Nov 6, 2007)

It might be the material the cage bottom is made out of, since it's a boy's cage try liners.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

What do you use in your FN? Flannel, fleece? What is in your litterpans? Have you scrubbed the walls around the cage? Do you have peeing hammock marinaters? YOu may have to put down wash cloths in the hammies and change them every day.


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## Spider (Mar 19, 2007)

I have 2 adult Males and its pretty stinky, even after 1 nite. I think its just the Rats natural scent, as soon as I let them free roam they're dribbling everywhere. It may be a sign of Healthy Strong Males , I don't know. All I know is its something I've learned to live with, My Muskrats!
I cut dozens of flannel strips to clip down on their ledges, and I change them frequently and wipe down the ledges with babywipes. And change the hammocks alot, its about all you can do.
My guys free roam most of the time, sleep in my bed, you've really missed out until you wake up in the middle of the night with your hand in a cold puddle of Rat Piss. I do alot a laundry, shower alot all cause I hate to see sad eyes staring from a locked cage.
Just a thought, it might be some kind of urinary infection, or something you're feeding them, but I doubt it.


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## Berks (May 15, 2007)

Ive always thought of my girls being pretty clean. There is rarely poops out of the litter box, so for the most part I consider them potty trained but what I did notice one day was in the back of my FN down towards the wheels that lock was pee build up. So of course the more I looked, it went all the way up. You could barely see it. Here anytime the litterbox wasnt against the cage wall in the corner they were still going in the corner, hence the reason I found pee drips all the way down. Than I also noticed it on my hardwood floors right under where the back wheels are. Fixable, but it took me forever to figure out why after I cleaned everything I was still smelling pee.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

identical problem as berks here. the girls like to pee in the corners, and it dribbles all the way down the sides of the cage and onto the surface the cage is sitting on. fabulous. i deep clean about once a week and flip towels over every few days.


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## DFW_Rat_Luvr (Aug 29, 2007)

Spider said:


> you've really missed out until you wake up in the middle of the night with your hand in a cold puddle of Rat Piss.


ROFLMAO

I just SPIT hot tea all OVER my monitor.
Seriously. I did. 

:lol: 

too **** funny


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## Berks (May 15, 2007)

Onlyono, I think I have fixed the problem. I found that the girls leave the fleece tray lining alone. No one has ripped it off the tray or chewed it up anywhere. And I bought two new litter boxes that have those clasps you attatch on the outside of the FN. Plus I used electrical tape on the bottom of the FN tray to hold the edges of the fleece blanket down. Im sure that helped too lol Since than I have not seen any pee drips down the back sides and I havent seen anything on the hardwood floors below the FN.


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## Star (Jun 4, 2006)

I've heard of people using vanilla extract mixed with water in a spray bottle to spray every once and a while in the cage. Or you could just use "fabreze" fabric refreshener.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Star said:


> I've heard of people using vanilla extract mixed with water in a spray bottle to spray every once and a while in the cage. Or you could just use "fabreze" fabric refreshener.


 Vanilla maybe. Febreze makes ME choke, can't imagine what it would do to their tender noses.


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## mirror (Jul 29, 2007)

i personally like tap-a-drop for keeping smells at bay (just put a drop in a bucket of water, or some on a tissue near the cage.. i do both )

are you also wiping the bars down? that was always an issue for me 

also make sure you clean whatever is behind the cage, and the floor underneath for at least a meter around the cage, its surprising how far they can fling pee lol  ( i find dilute bleach good for getting rid of pee smell on wood floors & laminate, not sure what to do about carpet tho) cos that one caught me out for ages!


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## KAYLASMOM (Oct 19, 2007)

We have te same problem with two of our girls. I dont know why they smell so bad. Amlost like mothballs! Gross. My First girls dont smell nearly as bad. You can smell them as soon as you come in to the bedroom. Its embarassing. I dont know what else to do. Is it the bedding in the bottom or towels and blankets in the top floors? Shoud I start using fleece in the bottom tray area instead? Maybe I will litter train these little girls.


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## lostbutnotforgot (Apr 19, 2007)

What are you feeding them? Diet could alter how they smell. Though I'm guessing that you feed all of you rats the same thing, and since they don't all smell it's probably not diet (but it might be worth looking into). 

Also, if the suggestions other people have left you don't work, and if your boys aren't neutered, neutering them would probably greatly help lessen the smell.


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

Does the cage smell good after ur done cleaning?? if it smells bad after u clean it or u cant get the smell out then throw everything smelly away that u dont NEED. Then replace all the smelly items with new clean fresh items. if this isnt the case then. ur boys must be very territorial with there cage. this means they will marinate and pee over everything wich can present a smelly cage. I think ull have to just experiment with what works best we all have been in ur shoes and if anyone hasnt then they prly dont own boys hehe... if u need more help take a pic of ur smelly situation u might be making a mistake thats visable to a more experienced person.


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