# Rat-safe odor neutralizers?



## bananadreamboat (Mar 20, 2013)

So I have a question about rats and their slight stink. You see, I have two males and I recently moved into an apartment with roommates. The slight male rat odor doesn't bother me, but I'm worried it will bother my roommates. I don't want to be the girl with the stinky bedroom. Right now I have a window fan going and it's reducing the smell to a pretty good degree, but once I turn it off the odor comes right back. I know sprays, perfumes, and probably even plug-ins are a no-no for their little respiratory systems, but is there anything to neutralize the odor that _won't_ irritate their noses? A big plus if it can make my room smell pretty! Thanks!

edit: also, would neutering them make them stink less? I've been considering it for other reasons, but I'm going to do a lot more research on the pros vs cons before I make a decision. I work for a great animal hospital so I already have a good vet I can work with.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Baking soda placed above the cage in a bowl. Also try to litter train them with a pee rock so you can get rid of their soiled bedding twice daily as it will reduce the smell greatly -- make sure to use a litter that has baking soda in it. I use fleece bedding so ferret descenting spray helps between washes, and also used it on paper bedding in betwenn cage cleanings. Make sure you are cleaning it once every 7 days and spot cleaning messes at least once in between. If it's been a while since a deep clean, the cage itself my be retaining stink or the toys/sleepers.

Neutering reduces marking but I found marking only occurred excessively if the rat's cage constantly was cleaned of his scent.


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## bananadreamboat (Mar 20, 2013)

It took me a bit to figure out what you meant by "pee rock." I thought you meant something advertised as a rock for rats to pee on, not that rats like peeing on rocks! Haha. What a convenient little quirk. Thanks! Would it also be safe to sprinkle baking soda throughout the rest of the cage?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Do you use fleece or bedding?


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## EnraAnon (Jul 24, 2013)

As far as cage cleaning goes... Nature's Miracle, Nature's Miracle, Nature's Miracle! I love the stuff. It's all natural and safe for my bird, rats and cat. They have a cage cleaning spray and cage wipes. I wipe down the cage with the (admittedly really unpleasant smelling) cage wipes everyday. Wipe the outside bars and the levels. Takes a few minutes, but well worth it. The nasty smell goes away pretty quickly and you're left with a cage that doesn't have pee gunk all over it. Weekly cleanings include wiping the cage down again and changing all the fleece bedding, litter boxes, etc. Then, clean the cage every 30 days with the cleaning spray and a scrub brush and rinse. I also leave something dirty in the cage so they don't feel they need to re-mark everything. Something like a hammock or one of their stuffed toys.

Other things that make cage cleaning easier is litter training. I have a rabbit/ferret litter box with a grate over it that my oldest male loves and uses it 100%. I'm still trying to find something the other 3 will use, but I'm looking at getting an open litter box with a "pee rock" in it that seems to be all the rage. Litter training just requires patience, commitment and experimentation. Then you can clean the litter box a few times a week and reduce male smells pretty well. But remember when you are litter training if you clean the litter box, save a few poops to put in the newly cleaned litter box so it still smells like bathroom.

Also, cleaning around the cage. I really don't do this unless I notice a distinct rat smell after cage cleaning. I use (again, I know) Nature's Miracle Oxy Formula. I use that to scrub the carpet under the cage and the walls around the cage.

... That's all I can think of.


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