# Fleece smells



## pantera989 (Sep 14, 2008)

So untill about 3 weeks ago i have been lining my rat's cage with newspaper (non toxic ink) and cleaned them out every 3 days with no problems.

I saw alot of people on here where using fleece in there cages so picked up enough fleece to amke 3 sets for my cage for $3 froma scrap bin.
Since using the fleece after just 1-2 days my rat cage always stinks. anyone have simalar problems?


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## mishasmom (Jul 21, 2008)

Do you have male or female rats? Males quite often have stronger smell and even some females urine can smell stronger. My suggestion is to change the bedding everyday if you can.


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## Brizzle (Mar 26, 2008)

I had the same problem when using fleece. I changed it at night, went to bed, by morning the cage stunk. I stopped using fleece pretty fast. Now I have tiles down which I wipe down 1-2 times a day and it doesn't smell.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I'm not a fan of fleece either. After I tried it, I puzzled over why it's so popular. Usually now I either use towels, which are much more absorbent (of course), or nothing at all to cover the plastic base of my FN. If I'm not using towels, I wipe off the plastic at least once a day because it will hold smell, plus I don't want the rats to walk around in puddles.


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## MadCatter (Aug 12, 2008)

Try sprinkling some baking soda onto the fleece and rubbing it in before putting it in the cage. I also sprinkle some in their litter box. It's AMAZING how well it works to eliminate odors.


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## courtuhknee (Jun 18, 2008)

I think everything has negatives, and you just have to sort of test all of your options and choose which negatives you prefer.  I use fleece and towels, actually. Towels on the big levels and fleece on the little ones.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Hmmm I've heard mixed opinions on fleece too. I was going to try it. What does everyone find the best bedding to be?


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## tiffrobbins (Sep 5, 2008)

We use fleece, but we use it in conjunction with other bedding like Yesterday's News or Aspen chips. The kids will usually just pull the fleece into their nest. Then every couple days when I do laundry I pull it out and replace it with a clean one. I'll cycle them until they are so chewed up that there's no point and then they get tossed. The only time I use fleece only is in my baby cages. There's really no point other than I love spoiling my little babies and can't imagine those little pink bellies on anything that isn't soft.


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## Dexy (Aug 11, 2008)

I am only a recent convert to fleece but I only use it on their very top shelf (the 'bedroom' area) and to make hammocks out of - on all the main floors of the cage I use newspaper.

I think fleece is just lovely and soft and warm for ratties to sleep on but I don't think it's practical for the whole cage.

I haven't noticed any worse smells but I don't have a very good sense of smell so it doesn't bother me too much ;D

Dexy


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## Drakkie (Apr 8, 2008)

Yeah I just stopped using fleece covers like 2 weeks ago, the fleece made my guys smell so bad!!! I still use fleece for hammocks of course.


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## RattyJessica (Aug 22, 2008)

Fleece....I'm getting ready to go off it, it smells terrible, and it will make your rats smell as well.

But for hammocks it is great, or smaller sections of a cage, but honestly, I am not using it as a base cover anymore, too smelly, and I change it once a day, and it sitll smells....


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## Schmea (Sep 21, 2007)

What are you washing the fleece in? One of the problems with synthetic fabrics is that over time, they absorb smells even between washings, so each time it takes less and less "dirtying" to bring it back to the state of funkness that it was at previously. I've found with the fleece in my girls' cage, that it has to be washed regularly in something chosen specifically for the fleece... in my case, I find a full load of fleece washed in the washing machine with vinager keeps it pretty clean smelling.

That said, we also have Yesterday's News in two litter boxes, and the girls' are almost all litter box trained, so they don't #2 on the fleece all that often, but of course they go where they please when it comes to peeing... and it's been pretty good, and purchasing enough fleece for 3-4 full cage sets, and air tight little garbage can to keep dirty stuff in next to their cage and a vinegar wash in the washing machine in my apartments laundry room still saves me a tonne over purchasing bedding every month, once you get it all set up.

As for the fabric gaining smells, it's not just a rat thing, it's a fabric thing: I have backpacking shirts that I wore for years that will smell clean as a spring day in the drawer, but if you put it on you'll smell like you just hiked for two weeks with no shower an hour later. Synthetics are nasty with smells.

Actually... why haven't I thrown out those shirts?


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## Nicomuse (Sep 25, 2008)

I've always used old bath towels and those never smelled nearly as bad as when I switched to fleece. After a couple weeks of fleece, I switched right back to the towels.


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## furbaby (Jul 14, 2008)

Someone mentioned using tiles... can you use tiles? Won't the rats hate it from the tile being slippery?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Nope they don't mind slippery tiles, they are very adaptable. You have to be prepared to wipe those tiles though, once a day as they pee and it puddles.

IF you use stick down tile use one without a really distinct pattern, so that when you cut little bits they don't look funny. If you are using a big sheet, that's different.

I used stickdown in my RUUD.

I use fleece in all 3 of my FN's now since I handwash rat laundry and fleece washes best, and dries fastest, plus not as heavy to wring out as a sodden towel :

I use Free Detergent and vinegar and mine come out smelling lovely  I change it out every 3 days and its not too bad at all. ;D


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

I use a mixture of towels and fleece. I don't really notice a smell change, maybe I'm used to it? I wash the rat laundry in hot water in the machine. Seems to work well for me.


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## furbaby (Jul 14, 2008)

The ones who experience problems with smelling: are your rats potty trained? If rats are potty trained won't it not smell because they go to the bathroom in their box?


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## asile neerg (Dec 9, 2008)

I'm actually between rats right now, but I thinking about using those puppy pads that people use to train puppies with...has anyone ever tried that, and if so, does it work? it seems like a good idea, and i'm excited to try it.
Another problem I had with fleece when i tried it was that its not very absorbent, and I don't like my rats walking through puddles of their own pee.


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## MadCatter (Aug 12, 2008)

asile neerg said:


> I'm actually between rats right now, but I thinking about using those puppy pads that people use to train puppies with...has anyone ever tried that, and if so, does it work? it seems like a good idea, and i'm excited to try it.
> Another problem I had with fleece when i tried it was that its not very absorbent, and I don't like my rats walking through puddles of their own pee.


You would honestly probably get better luck potty training by just watching where they go most frequently, and putting a large enough litter box there - they're likely to just shred the pads and use them as nesting material. It could maybe help absorb extra pee if put under fleece, but I don't think it would be a great idea for them to have easy access to it.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Puppy pads have a layer of plastic and I don't know if that is safe for the chewing critters. Most are treated with an attractant for puppies. 
Mine would probably use the pads for building a nest .


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

begoodtoanimals said:


> Puppy pads have a layer of plastic and I don't know if that is safe for the chewing critters. Most are treated with an attractant for puppies.
> Mine would probably use the pads for building a nest .


I know a breeder who uses puppy pads for old rats with bumblefoot


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