# Cage cleaners?



## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

So I was just curious what everyone else uses to clean their cage with. I've been using a bleach solution spray, that I will spray down on the cage, then hose it off outside. But since I'm going to be getting a FN in the future and have no desire to wheel a 100lb cage outside every week. 

So what do you use? If its something you buy, what is it called, and what brand? Or just whatever your cage cleaning method is, I'd love to hear it all.


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## SamAnthrax (Jan 5, 2008)

I usually will wash all the hammocks, and then while thats out of the cage just take some hot water and a sponge and wipe everything down. I think I will need to be doing more cleaning than that tomorrow though because they smelled a bit stinky today. Oh and then change the bottom tray of bedding.


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## sharlee (Apr 19, 2008)

I do what SamAnthrax does as well. A warm pail of water to wash it down after the poop is removed. I don't use bedding so for me it doesn't take long. Once a week I will take out the trays and use dish soap and then hose them down. I change the hammocks every day and clean the toys ect weekly. A tooth brush gets all the poop and junk that fall between the cage and the trays. I take the ladders off and wash them daily as I have 12 stinkers.Thats about it.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

sharlee said:


> I take the ladders off and wash them daily as I have 12 stinkers.Thats about it.


I can imagine it gets quite dirty with 12 rats!


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## SamAnthrax (Jan 5, 2008)

Yeah I only have three so I only do it once a week. I'm going to redo the whole cage tomorrow probably.


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## sharlee (Apr 19, 2008)

Every morning it smells "BARNY" in here when I open the door so I clean it every day with poop checks every so often as well. I wash the walls and the floor once a week because they go exploring every night. I can't wait for the babies to grow bigger. I think the boys even pee down the walls or is it the girls? Slobs all of them :roll:


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## Kathleen (Jul 1, 2008)

I modified my cage with tiling so I don't use bedding (except for the aspen in the litter pan, which manages to get spread out a bit). I wipe it down with baby wipes whenever I need to, which is every 3-5 days. Or more often. Depending on how OCD I'm being.


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

I only have err.. a few mice... so i don't expect anyone to take my
suggestion too seriously as its not qualified with bulk rat experience.


But ive been using a product called "F10" it was given to me with the
snakes im looking after - its a high grade disinfectant used by VETS
and other such facilities aswell as private keepers and Zoos.

It comes in a concentrated form that dilutes down to a ratio of 1:125 at
its strongest mix... depending on what application (what nasty) you using
it for and desired contact time dictates what ratio you mix at - if you just
wanted to destroy molds and the like for example you would only need
to mix at a ratio of 1:500 .. i like to eliminate viral threats so i use the max
ratio of 1:25 with a decent contact time.

I hear you mutter "but something so strong may hurt my ratties" well have
no fear - this stuff wont harm your rat **** it wont even harm the mites on
them (not suggesting you all have mites on your ratto's )...

This is the be all and end all of disinfectants for animal husbandry!!!





> F10SC is a total spectrum disinfectant that, unlike other strong disinfectants on the market, has no adverse side effects on people, animals, or on equipment and surfaces. It is ecologically friendly and biodegradable, and carries a wide range of registrations and approvals from around the world.
> 
> In Australia, F10SC is registered by the APVMA for use in animal production and housing facilities, approved by AQIS for use in food export processing as a non-rinse disinfectant, and is also listed by the TGA as a Hospital Grade Disinfectant.
> 
> ...


http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/product.php?productid=17043&cat=390&bestseller




Thanks me later -


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## SamAnthrax (Jan 5, 2008)

Hmmm... *is tempted to get it*


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

You will still need to wheel that big cage outside for cleaning

sorry but that part can't be skipped

you may be able to put it off & not do it but twice a month but it will still need to be done


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## Meliss (Sep 1, 2007)

I only have three rats right now. Every night I wipe down the floors with water and get all the food stuck on the shelves off and then vaccuum the bottom- we have fleece down on the bottom. Then every weekend either Sat or Sun morning- everything comes out and I wash the shelves in soap and water, change the hammocks, and fleece on the bottom, wash all their toys and their house of course, and then every third weekend I take it to the car wash or carry it up to the bathtub and wash the cage really well with dove soap and water.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I clean it with DAWN mixed with water. Used to use bleach but it made my ratties sneeze  I put it in the shower to clean it [have a Martin's Rat Tower]


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

Well thank you everyone for the ideas and advice, sorry it took me so long to write back. I've been pretty busy lately. But I really do appreciate it.


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## mishasmom (Jul 21, 2008)

With over 20 rats at my house, cleaning can be an issue. I used to use a disinfectant called Quat that can be diluted. It works really well, although I can no longer get it. Currently I use white vinegar and water diluted each week to clean the floors of the cages. At least every 10-14 days while the weather is good, I will roll the Ferret nation and the Fiesty Ferret cage outside and hose it down and let them dry in the sunshine. My smaller cages are cleaned in the bathtub. I am going to be ordering some galvanized pans (will need to be painted) made to fit the FN and FFN cage which should help with all the stuff that ends up on the floor.


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## junior_j (Jan 24, 2008)

I have 18 rats

My cage with 3 girls in - Its a two story cage. Once every 4-7 days , i take the cage apart and put the girls out for free range in the other tank , i then empty the litter or what ever into the bin bag and then get warm soapy water and scrub it all including toys ignloo hammocks everythink , then rinse well put back together..
The other cages have the same clean but more often because they have more rats or bigger rats
I also use bob martins cage mate 1 99 from wall mart
Jess x


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## abbycrazed (Mar 7, 2008)

The cage I got, I forgot to measure it before I got it. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit through the bathroom door like I planned. So every week to every other week (weather permitting HA! what a joke!) I get my neighbor or my boyfriend to help me carry it down two flights of stairs and outside (down even more stairs) to the yard where I can hose it off. Being able to hose it down has been a luxury these summer months. Winter will not be fun. (I live in the state of Washington, AKA the rainiest state in the U.S. Seriously. It rains 10/12 months of the year!!!! 0.o) I'm hoping, nay, pleading that my newbie Zoey will be too large to fit through the 1 inch bar spacing so I can take off the hardware cloth and just take the whole thing apart to clean it. (Really easy to take apart and put together). 

With that hardware cloth though, I got the kind that absorbs the pee (because there wasn't any other kind and I hadn't planned on getting a second rat). I mixed a ton of dish soap in HOT water bucket and literally scrubbed the cage from top to bottom, inside and outside yesterday. You know what I smelled when I got it back to my room? NOTHING! I was so totally pleased with myself =D

I either use dish soap, white vinegar solution, or bleach solution, depending on how bad the cage is.


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

I take out all hammocks and leave them soak in water and white vinegar for an hour or so, I wash all those with free and clear detergent to get the smell out. As for the cage, I typically take it outside and spray it with Method all purpose cleaner (found at Target, and if you don't know it yet Method brand products are awesome!!!! Best cleaning stuff EVER!) and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The Method cleaner doesn't just break up the grime and stuff it actually dissolves it. I take actually a toilet bowl brush (small one you can get at any dollar store) and rub it against all the surfaces including the sides. It takes about 5 minutes to do so not a big deal, then I rinse several times with water and leave it outside to dry. If it's a bad weather day I rinse it and wash it outside and bring it in my sun porch to dry or to use a towel to dry it (in th winter). 

As for the non coated hardware cloth, if you can take it off you can spray it down with 100% vinegar and let it sit for about 10 minutes (basically until you can't smell it anymore) then rinse. It seems to get the stink out of it really well!


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