# Reducing Rat Smell



## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

Okay so I know I've posted something about this before, but I'm still having a real hard time. 

I deep clean their cage once a week, meaning I soak the ENTIRE cage in hot water and soap, then scrub it between every nook and cranny. Everything is washed thoroughly per week and even though I wash it like that, the cage still smells... 

They're the first thing you smell when you walk through the entrance door, and even smellier than my ferrets. Then again, my ferrets don't smell much because they're fed a raw diet. I have never had a complaint about my ferrets, but Ive had two people already complain about the rat smell. 

The cage has a plastic tub for the bottom and it's filled with Clean and Cozy bedding. The bedding itself doesn't smell. The shelves are metal and I wipe down the shelves every other day because they pee on it. I can't tell if the shelves just got tainted with the smell as I bought it used from a backyard breeder? Cage wasn't taken care of and even though it's been a year and thorough cleaning, it still smells. 

Really lost now and I don't know what to do? I love my rats!


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## Rosie13Xoxo (Apr 10, 2017)

Do you have wooden, paper or cardboard accessories? Try buying some odour reducing candles I have also heard you can add a couple drops of vinegar or pure vanilla to there water they can't taste it and it reduces the smell in here pee but I don't know how much I trust it. Also I know it sounds wired but try cleaning less because every time you clean they pee more to make it smell like them (males mostly do that but some females do too.) 
Sorry for the grammar and spelling I hope this helped.


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## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

I don't have anything wooden, paper, or cardboard... I mean, their bedding is paper-based but like I said, it doesn't smell? 

So far I've had to burn a couple candles to control the smell, but I worry it will affect their respiratory system. 

I'm also aware of not cleaning too often... Unfortunately all 4 of them pee on the shelves and it just dries up (It's metal).


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

If the cage is metal or has metal shelves that are not coated that is a major issue. Metal cages need to be powdercoated or such. If not that metal will just soak up the urine smell and you can't get rid of it. If you have a metal cage you can paint it yourself with safe paint... it should cure (sit without the rats in it or near it) for up to a month though. But it is too late now if the urine is already been absorbed.

You will need to get a new cage 

Pics of the cage?

There are several things that cause an odor problem in a cage:

Too small cage/over crowding. 
How big is your cage? How many rats are in it?

Not appropriate bedding.
The bedding you are using is not good at all. Paper is really bad and unhealthy. In tests on ammonia levels paper had to be removed from the study early because of how high the levels were. 
Many breeders I know refuse to sell to people who use paper even because of how bad it is.
The best bedding is wood. It has been shown to control odor the best and neutralize ammonia.
Get aspen, sani chips, or kiln dried pine. That will all make an insane difference right there.

Bad items in the cage that soak up pee. 
Such as metal, wood. Solid shelves with nothing on them so the pee just sits there.


When you deep clean the cage using vinegar will help. It breaks down the urine and will remove the smell. Just rinse it very well. and dry right away.


Do not use candles in the same room as your rats ever IMO. I actually make candles. Wicks are often very toxic. I would never suggest using candles in the same room as your rats ever. You could try using soy wax melts but never near the cage and only in an open well ventilated room. But that would just cover the smell not help it.

I also highly suggest not adding anything to their water. If you do choose to, always have another water bottle with just plain water for them.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

It sounds like you're saying that the metal itself smells bad. Is this correct?

If your cage is a dull gray/silver natural metal color, it's probably un-coated galvanized steel. Like moonkissed said, bare galvanized steel absorbs smells that become impossible to to get out (no matter how much you clean). Are the metal shelves mesh or solid? If puddles of pee are collecting on an open flat surface, this can smell pretty bad. 

You could try to coat the bare metal by spray painting it but if the odor has permeated the metal, this might only help a little. Spray paint isn't the best way to coat a cage because it's not very durable. Powder coating is harder and bonds with the metal better. It's also more expensive. It might not be worth the money to powder coat the cage if the smell might remain anyway.

Perhaps your best bet would be to get a different cage, one that has powder coated metal bars (no exposed metal unless it's stainless steel).


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## Rosie13Xoxo (Apr 10, 2017)

Like moon kissed said having uncoated metal shelves is a huge issue. Also if you buy animal ofor candles it gets rid of the smell but is good for animals. If you want try adding a few drops of vinegar or pure vanilla to their water but I don't personally do this since I don't know how much I trust it but apparently it is not harmless it's up to you.


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## Rosie13Xoxo (Apr 10, 2017)

Personally I agree with moonkissed if your metal is uncoated you should consider a new cage if that doesn't work try the other options.


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## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

Thank you everyone for the advice! 

The metal is blue so I assume it has been coated? There are certain spots that are getting white... I thought maybe since the cage isn't new nor was it treated well, the coating is coming off?

I used to use Aspen bedding for the longest time, but one of my rats (Not a hairless) got very irritated by it. He had scabs all over his body. It was kiln-dried and used for laboratory research so it wasn't very dusty or anything. Once I switched to Clean and Cozy, his scabs have healed. It's interesting MoonKissed mentions that it's a bad bedding... All my rat friends and some rat fanatics (Ex. RatGirl44 from YouTube) recommended Clean and Cozy. Would Carefresh be better then? 

When they do pee, it does just sit there and dry up... Hence why I wipe it down every other day (Didn't want to do every day in case the boys over-marked). Didnt put any bedding on there since it would just fly out of the cage haha. 

My breeder did tell me my cage was small for 4 rats, so I will definitely look into upgrading either way! I believe the metal and size of the cage is probably to blame for all this uncontrollable smell...


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## Arrowroot (Apr 9, 2017)

I also used to own a cage with grey-ish bars and it didn't smell really nice when I got it secondhand from another rat owner. Rubbing it with bleach, letting that dry on a hot summer day in the sun and then using a hose with a strong water jet worked very well for me, to get rid of the initial smell. It might not have smelled as bad as yours and not work for you, but at least it's worth a try. Make sure to wash all the bleach of though, I can't imagine it being very healthy for the rats.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Paper bedding is just really really bad. Carefresh would be just as bad (if not worse) Alot of people do use it sadly. I think they just don't know any better, good marketing or they think it will be soft?
But like the very most important thing with bedding is ammonia control. And paper just does not do well.
As I said there are studies using paper and the ammonia levels were so high they had to remove carefresh from the study early because the levels were dangerously high.
IMO paper bedding is dangerous to their health.

I use aspen with all my rats. I breed and have 40+ rats at any given time and never have odor or any issues.
Your boy who got scabs may have gotten mites. It is easily treatable or you can use like Diatomaceous earth in the bedding. 
Sani-chips is even better and is super highly recommended. It is alittle bit pricier but probably around the same cost as what you are using. You can only get it on pet360.com

I actually really hate shelves in cages. I much prefer to remove them whenever possible and add baskets, hammocks, or tubs instead. If possible to remove them I would. 

I highly recommend critternation cages or martins. They are my two favorite cages if you are going to upgrade.


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## LilysPets (Jul 1, 2016)

I actually have a ferret nation cage for my ferrets and there's an amazing deal on amazon for the critter nation. Unfortunately I just don't have the space for it and my home is already cramped, lol. Will be moving into a new house next year so hopefully I can fit another one! 

I am looking into getting a brand new cage that won't break the bank. Most of the ones I'm interested only seem to have them online.


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