# Washing Hammocks



## Misbehavior (May 29, 2011)

My boys are surprisingly well litter trained after a just week, but being boys, they still disobey the law of the acceptable urinating places. Their favorite place is one of their hammocks, leaving me to wash it every. single. day. Three rats + all day+ one hammock = a smell so putrid it will knock you out. So - two questions: What's the best way to wash it to get the smell out, and is there any way I can stop them from peeing in there (apart from putting things they peed on in the litter boxes)? It's not like it's too far for their fat little butts - if they crawl out of the hammock, the box is a mere 4 inches away. :


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

vinegar is great to get the smell out 

what i do with hammocks usually, though, is put a few scraps of fleece and stuff in the hammock for them to pee all over. that way you can just swap out the scraps every few days and replace them. easier than removing and re-hanging a new hammock all the time lol.


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## Misbehavior (May 29, 2011)

Ohmygod that fleece idea will save lives (... or energy bills.) I'll give that a try next time I'll drive by a Walmart or craft store. Gotta save the parents' gas money. ._. I've got like 10 bottles of vinegar back from when I was 14 and an aspiring Iron Chef (lol who am I kidding I'm sixteen and it's still the same). They're going to need a new hammock anyway; not only did they ventilate this hammock the most, but also they somehow chewed and peed on my favorite blanket I [carelessly] left draped over the cage last night. :-X ...whatever. Sigh and throw it in the wash.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

aha, my favorite blanket got fatally wounded the other night as well, cause i was also careless and left it against the edge of the cage lol x_x; let me know how it works out for you though!


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## mhaymond (Mar 21, 2011)

They are ridiculously fast at grabbing things that are near the cage. I accidentally left mine too close to a laundry hamper once and they pulled an entire pair of yoga pants into the cage. They had it shredd in less than 15 minutes. : Oh the joys of owning rats.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Mine try to get entire pillows in the cage! Goofy things.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

It may SOUND silly, but washing ti daily is not the best thing. If you wash it daily, then the rats are MORE likely to pee in it, as they may scent it. if they are used to the scent on it they are less likely to mess it up. Which is why when i do rat laundry, If some hammocks are still clean or only a little dirty I leave them in. It helps reduce scenting.

And I can vouch for the putting scraps in the hammocks, I do it and it helps a LOT. I also find my rats are much more likely to poo in flat hammocks.....maybe thats just my rats though LOL


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