# Cage Cleaning: Biggest Pet Peeves



## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I know everyone out there has an least some sort of pet peeve or something that bothers them, if even just a little when cleaning their rat's cage. In order to give new rat owners or potential rat owners or even existing rat owners some truth behind our rats an our cages I figured it would be a good idea to make a thread about it. It's pretty simple. All you do is post the type of cage you have, and one or more of the slight pet peeves that bother you when cleaning. Who knows, maybe some of these problems will find solutions on here, and a few can be quite funny. =P

Cage Type: Rat Manor

Pet Peeve/s: 
- Finding out that most of the grocery bags I use as trash bags have holes in them, and taking a good ten minutes to find an unholy on. 
- The shelves of the cage falling while cleaning. 
- Molly's water lust. She jumps in the wash bucket while I'm cleaning. (I now put all my rats in a carrier when cleaning instead of letting them free roam.)
- Molly and Pastoolio's need to bath themselves in the trash bag. (I now put them in a carrier when cleaning.)


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## Laura (Apr 13, 2013)

my rats chase the broom when I'm sweeping the poops out of their cage.... that drives me up the wall, but they get a kick out of it!


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## Ruka (Dec 20, 2012)

I use a ware clean living large cage (for ferrets)

Pet peeve #1 the shelves break!!!
Seriously, it came with five Shelves and now it only has three, two need to be held up with DIY. They are snap off but they don't come off easy, and are really easy to break.

Pet peeve #2 they have this unending desire to scent mark everywhere. Haha, silly boys


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Ruka said:


> I use a ware clean living large cage (for ferrets)
> 
> Pet peeve #1 the shelves break!!!
> Seriously, it came with five Shelves and now it only has three, two need to be held up with DIY. They are snap off but they don't come off easy, and are really easy to break.
> ...


For the shelves what you can try is drilling holes in them and using zip ties. I did this with an old birdcage once.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I've now used three types of cages.

Bin cage Peeves:
-Bedding is easily shifted aside revealing the bottom plastic, making the amount you need to put in more than necessary.
-Poop smashes in corner D:
-Build up smell really easy

All Living Things Guinea Pig Cage
-The top comes off too easy when carrying it around
-the top will not go back on easily enough >:\

Feisty Ferret:
-Shelves come off when you don't want them to, won't when you do.
-ramps detach even when I don't want them to which is always.

General peeves:
-Gloves smash poo, making it easier just to forego gloves.
-Water + bedding = the worst bloody smell in the entire world
-Poo can stick to walls - who knew? Not me.
-Rats love to "help" -- cute, unless you are in a hurry and really need to put the bedding in and where the heck did the blankets and toys go (little rat thieves!)


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## Ruka (Dec 20, 2012)

Ruka said:


> I use a ware clean living large cage (for ferrets)
> 
> Pet peeve #1 the shelves break!!!
> Seriously, it came with five Shelves and now it only has three, two need to be held up with DIY. They are snap off but they don't come off easy, and are really easy to break.
> ...


I will be doing that but I only have the three selves left. They got lost in the move


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## Mball77 (Jul 3, 2013)

Rat Manor so everything Phantom said...why do the ratties want to play in the trash!?

1Shelves come off when you don't want them too, don't when you do.
2The panic that my boys go through when you take their home apart.
3The corner they picked as the poo corner is right next to the wheel, sometimes they poop on the wheel then run, flinging poo in strange places. Yes nanashi7, I too learned poo can stick to walls. 
4 Yesterdays news is awesome but the only down side (which is worth the smell sponge power it has) is finding stray rat raisins in it... need a flashlight.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Mball77 said:


> Rat Manor so everything Phantom said...why do the ratties want to play in the trash!?
> 
> 1Shelves come off when you don't want them too, don't when you do.
> 2The panic that my boys go through when you take their home apart.
> ...


I have no idea why my rats love trash so much. The most amazing trash can, according to Molly, sits in my bathroom, and if I forget to close the door I'll find her sitting in the trash can in less than two minutes during free range time. Lol. 

nanashi7 - My rat, Mimi, back when I had her loved to steal the paper towels I was cleaning with right under my nose. So I'd be cleaning, taking something out, and I'd reach for the paper towel I just put down and come to find out she stashed it under my bed. Lol.


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## JBird (May 23, 2013)

My biggest pet peeve is that grimy feeling my hands get when I'm done... my girls coat everything in their cage (including themselves) in a fine layer of urine which makes EVERYTHING unpleasant to touch. It's sticky and smelly and dirty; there's no getting around it. I don't mind cleaning, it's just the lingering nastiness! 
Second biggest pet peeve is trying to reach my arms through the itty bitty doors and around all the crap in my Rat Manor... I HATE those tiny doors!! They almost always instantly frustrate me! Getting a big cage with big doors was way worth the money, lol.


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## Jesi (Jun 10, 2013)

Lazy bones 3 storey

Taking the wire mesh top off the bottom it's about half the size of me and has clips that are frustratingly hard to undo. Without doing this bedding is wedged between the mesh and the bottom.

Leaving my girls in the carrier rather than roaming around on the bed. I can't keep an eye on them because we have two cats. I would shut the door but its a plank of wood with hinges on it that doesn't meet the door frame. Although its fun to see the cats come in, realise there's rats in the carrier on the bed and run away

I love cleaning them out gives me a satisfied feeling and I'm a bit of a clean freak so this happens every 2-3 days


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## kyzer (Apr 28, 2013)

*Critter Nation
*
Taking the big shelf out. This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that my room is awkwardly small, and I have to manoeuvre the cage around so that I can open both doors really wide to get the shelf out. Not easy to do with three mischievous ratties running around at your feet 

I'm currently litter training my youngest girl silver and she keeps pooping in the corners. All of the poop gets mushy and stuck in little grooves of the cage, not very pleasant haha


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I wish I could litter train my rats, but I don't have the space for a litter box. Lol. The litter boxes at pet stores are either too big for my cage or too small for rats. My rat, Molly, was litter box trained for some time though before I switched cages.


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## scarletbegonias (Oct 24, 2012)

my boys like to take big huge stinky poos and then walk over them and literally MUSHHH them into everything, including the food dish. its so gross


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## EJW323 (Jun 18, 2013)

I have a critter nation and it is almost impossible to get the big shelf in and out. Also my girls pee everywhere so it smells awful all the time.


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## fisherr6 (Jul 26, 2013)

I have the All Living Things Luxury Pet Home and cleaning the bottom pan is a PAIN. Other than that, the boys decide that anytime my hand is in the cage it's playtime and they start running up towards my shoulder.


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## Risika (Jun 22, 2013)

For the litter box size issue - I agree! They don't make a medium sized litter box! I ended up taking an old square Tupperware that was shallower and used that. I recommend it!!


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