# my husband wants me to get rid of my rats because of the smell...HELP!



## Neville (Feb 10, 2009)

ok...so I've been reading through a bunch of posts on here and it seems everyone has a different opinion on whether fleece, tiles, towels, carefresh, yesterday's news, etc. is the best option. My problem is this: I have three male rats living together in a multi-level powder coated wire cage that looks just like the on in this link (except the powder coating means mine is black) http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/r-690.jpg Currently, I am using carefresh on the floor of the cage and have placed little donut shaped fleece cat beds on two of the shelves as well as hide away huts and igloos. I can clean my cage one day and the very next day, the room the cage is in will smell so strongly, my husband won't even go in it and he complains constantly about how much my rats smell and how he wants me to get rid of them. I think part of the problem is that my rats will pee in their fleece beds and then just lay in it but I also think that they will go up on the higher levels of the cage and pee, letting the urine fall down and get all over the wires on the lower levels of the cage, as well as on their huts and igloos below. Because of this, everything becomes covered in urine and is sticky and smelly! Would I be better off covering the floor of each level of the cage with something so that the urine can't drip down from on level to the next, and if so, what should I cover it with? Also, I love to give my rats a comfy, soft place to snuggle up and stay warm, but with the way they soil their fleece beds, it is impossible to keep the beds or the rats from stinking. Any advice on this? I guess trial and error is the only way to know for sure, but if anyone could tell me about your personal experiences with these kinds of things, I would appreciate it so much. I love my rats very, very much and don't want to get rid of them. I just need some sort of solution to help with the odor. Thank you in advance for any help!

Laura


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## Oddball (Feb 11, 2009)

If it's wood, you could use a mineral cleaner. Or even bleach. But bleach works best if you soak it. For wire, bleach and scrub. That's what has worked for me. Soak all your huts and wheels and ropes and everything. Make sure that the room is well aired out. Keeping the room closed up will make the smells worse.

Good luck.

Oddball


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## MadCatter (Aug 12, 2008)

Having a bowl a baking soda nearby (where the rats can't reach it) can dramatically reduce smells. I mix it into my rats' litter box, which helps a LOT. You can also purchase an air purifier to sit near the rat's cage. 

Good luck!


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

I used fleece before and had the same problem. With towels it works much better. Also my husband has learned to stay out of the rat room. former den/office. Everything he needs out of that room is now moved to anoter area of the house so it's just me and the rats in there.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Oh and try to get some hammocks. It's the only area my females don't pee in. Ventilate the room real good, that helps me a lot too.
Good luck, hope you ll keep your husband


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hmmm...

I would use hammocks changed every 2nd day (those beds reek in about 24 hours I have found). I would take them off the Carefresh and use Yesterday's news in the base and in any litter pans you have.

If you can, use stick down tiles on floors and shelves...and wipe morning and night with vinegar and water...

Get a air purififer.


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## virgo2882 (Jan 24, 2008)

I had that problem somewhat before I decided what worked best for me. I have 5 rats... 4 girls and 1 boy in a 3 level FN.
I have 6 litter pans.... one on each level/base and one on each shelf..... i put yestedays news small animal litter in it. I use fleece or quilt blankets that are supposed to be used for cribs that I buy at the thrift store for a dollar - so they are thicker than fleece and dont smell as bad and are the perfect size for the FN.... and I line the cages with that so its soft and they sleep on it..
The litter has changed the smelll A LOT........ i change the litter and blankets 2 times a week.

For my rabbit I use the small animal natural waste deodorizer that you put in the water and then when it gets into their system will reduce the spell of their urine and feces. This can be used on rats as well, but since i use the litter they dont need that.

I hope this helps!!!
Good luck


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## Corrie (Feb 4, 2009)

I don't really have much advice about what to use on the bottom of the cage- carefresh has always worked well for me but in terms of hammocks I make them out of flannels so it's not expensive to change them daily- I have about ten flannel hammocks (flammocks) that I just rotate in the wash so they never get too smelly, and if the rats chew them to shreds I'm not too fussed as the price of replacing a flannel is pittance!


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## mrstwinker (Oct 3, 2008)

I use the Febreeze plug in with the pet odor neutralizer refill near the cage. I also have them near a window and I air the room out from time to time. I heard neutering can help with the smell too.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Are they litter trained? If not that probally would help. Also are they neutered becasue that could also help.


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## calvo88 (Feb 3, 2008)

get rid of the husband


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## BronzeRat (Dec 14, 2008)

A long while ago, I tried Carefresh and found I didn't like the odor of it right out of the container! I switched to shredded aspen.

I recently tried a sack of Oxbow rat food (the little ones in the cute heart-shaped pieces that have to be picked out of the mesh floor one at a time because my rats are digging through them to get to the lab block) and found I also didn't like the smell of that!

You might try to get Hubby involved in narrowing down just what objects smell the worst to him and then attacking them -- Like, if it's used fleece, switch to some thing else.

I have a multi-level cage on a table with one end against a shelving unit and the back to the wall -- I noticed that there is spray on both surfaces, so I will have to hang something there that can be easily wiped down with a sponge and cleaner.

Lots of good odor control suggestions in this thread.


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## Nezumi113 (Feb 27, 2009)

calvo88 said:


> get rid of the husband



;D That was my first thought, hahahaha.

Anyways, I would definitely recommend switching from Carefresh. I used to use it and found that I didn't much care for the smell anyways, and then I found that I was cleaning CONSTANTLY.

I switched to Yesterday's News and found that the odor absorption is much better (also cheaper!!!). Give it a shot! I don't clean nearly as much and I don't smell it either. Pretty good stuff in my opinion. Good luck!

Dorothy


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## Neville (Feb 10, 2009)

Thank you all SO much for the wonderful suggestions and ideas!!! I've decided to keep both my husband and the rats but have made some adjustments that were suggested. Instead of the fleece beds, I've started using towels which I change out every night. I mixed up the vinegar and water solution and now use that to clean all surfaces with. Getting an air purifier sounds like a smart option...how much are they usually? I'm hoping they're not TOO expensive. I still have quite a bit of carefresh left to use up, but once it's gone, I will give the yesterday's news a try...it sounds like most people prefer it. Today, I am also going to look into getting some stick down tiles that I can put on the wire floors to make them easier to wipe down daily.
I may give the bowl of baking soda or the febreeze plug in a shot as well. Every idea on here sounded like it would be worth a try (except for getting rid of my husband ) 

Corrie...you mentioned making hammocks out of flannel. What do you use to hang the hammock from the cage? The store bought hammocks have the nifty little straps with clips on the ends but I'm afraid I'm not that handy. Could you maybe post a picture of one of your hammocks?? I'd really appreciate it! 

I'll keep you updated as to how my odor control techniques work. In the meantime, I just want to thank you for being so helpful!


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