# The Stench of Carefresh



## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but it's come to my attention that it's not rodents that stink, it's their bedding (and, ok, the pee. The pee smells bad). I had a giant bag of carefresh that I used to use for my girls before I just started using paper towels in their litter box (it has a grate on top and I change it every day, so I figured why not?) and I noticed a huge change in the smell of their cage but I thought maybe they were just being better about using the litter box.

Well, I've been using carefresh for the mice that I've been fostering and my goodness the stench is painful. It's seriously hard for me to be in the same room as them sometimes, and I clean the cages every day. After one got his new home this morning I just shredded up some newspaper and put it in there with them instead of replacing the carefresh, and my fiance just texted me that they're smelling fine now and the air in our den is actually breathable. 

So I think it's the carefresh. Has anyone else noticed this?


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

Can't say I've ever used it before myself, I read reviews about it being smelly and still a bit dusty for rats. You could try an alternative called Megazorb if they have it in the US, or alternatively go for one called FinaCARD or an equivalent (it's shredded cardboard which has been refined for low dust levels). I use FinaCARD and smells don't seem to be too bad.


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

I use Aspen and use it for both cages. The girls stink, the boy doesnt. 
Hubby thinks its because the boy is alone in the cage. The girls are 6 deep. 
Well, boys cage is about 1/5 of girls cage. Good for 2 rats. 
The girls cage is good for 7-8 depending on calculator.
They eat the same food. 
The boy is clean, he poops in the corner and keep hammock clean.
The girls poop everywhere, pee everywhere and the hammock is gross.

I can stick my face in the boys cage and breathe deep.....it barely smells and it is 6 days old.
The girls cage smells just setting 5 feet from it, no way am I sticking face in to smell! YUCK!LOL
I havent used Carefresh so have no clue.... but I am on the hunt for something to smell better.


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

Yes I feel like it smells too! Well i guess it soaks up the urine and then it just sits there getting nasty. I used it when I had gerbils and it was so dusty and smelly I just couldn't take it. I ended up using the bedding that was in little balls... I cant think of the name. It was still dusty but didnt smell as much.


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## Kaliloca (Jan 24, 2013)

Mice have "VERY SMELLY URINE"!! 
However you can train them to use a litter pan......, sort of. 

I had to baby sit a mouse that had babies. At first the smell wasn't an issue. As the babies got older they urinated a "LOT" more. The smell got worse. 

What I ended up doing was making them a "litter pan". It was just a bowl with some aspen shavings in it. It was the small 16oz bowl, about 5 inches across. I also put bits of veggies and bread in the bowl, on top of the shavings. As the mice ate the treats on top the urine went into the bowl and soaked into the shavings. There was a "LOT" of urine. Twice a day I had to empty the bowl. Each day the shavings were "DRIPPING WITH URINE"!!! BTW Using food as a bait was the only way I was able to get them to use the litter pan. Even with changing it twice daily the smell was pretty bad. There was 1 mom and 16 babies. The smell was HORRIBLE!! 

BTW I had to give the mice a "separate" bowl for their regular food. It had to be small enough that they weren't able to sit in it. I ended up having to use 4 smaller bowls, about 2 inches across, to have enough for all of them. I think I used caps for PVC pipes for their bowls. Mice will urinate on their food. It's pretty gross, but you can use that to make them use a litter pan.... at least for the urine part. 

I'll NEVER baby sit mice again.


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## Jokerfest (Sep 25, 2012)

I switched from carefresh to yesterdays news and my boys smell went to almost nothing. So yes I've noticed it.


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

@Rumy - I used carefresh (it's tumblefresh here, I think) initially when I got the girls but always found it to smell disgusting. My partner didn't get it at all but for me it was a little like a wet dog. I switched to hemp.


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

So interesting! I used carefresh for years with gerbils and never had stink issues. Gerbils do by nature have very little odor to their urine though (since they are desert critters), whereas I have heard that mouse urine is veeery stinky. There are lots of other paper beddings out there though, but shredded newspaper works perfectly fine too (that's what I used with my guinea pigs).


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## ratchet (Sep 27, 2012)

Mice STINK! 

I switched my rats from care fresh to aspen and whew I noticed a HUGE difference. I initially switched from care fresh to YN because my one rat sneezed often (not URI related) and when YN didn't do anything I went to aspen as a last resort -- both rats are cleaner and happier and there's very little dust or smell!


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## iHayleyNorris (Jul 28, 2012)

Carefresh bedding itself smells, fresh out of the package. If you've ever been to a landfill or orange juice plant, that's what Carefresh smells like because it is the recycled, heavily processed paper. I do prefer Carefresh for my little babies cuz it's softer, but once my rats become sexually mature and start to smell more around 8 weeks or so, I switch them to Aspen.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Carefresh does smell, but it seems to hold in odors well. I mix carefresh with aspen for my mice. However, since you have male mice, no matter what you do, they will always smell. I know many people on the mouse forums keep their males outside, so if you have a shed or somewhere to keep them that could be an option for you.


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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

I was using Carefresh for my girls, but they took so fast to the litter pan that now all I need is some fleece on the bottom of the cage. I use a little bit of Carefresh in a small box, in the bottom level, because Aeryn likes to "bury" her treats in it. I don't notice that box being used for a litter pan and it is Aeryn's Box. She won't let Kaylee in it. I'm thinking of switching up the Carefresh to shredded paper once the big bag I have runs out.
My girls are neat and don't smell very much at all. Can usually go 4-5 days on spot cleaning before I notice a faint odor and that is with my head in the door of the cage. I guess they just aren't that stinky. I never noticed an odor with the Carefresh either.

My new boy is on Carefresh and stinks like mad. He won't use his litter pan with the Yesterday's News at ALL. (I'm actually thinking of swapping the YN to the bottom of the cage and putting the Carefresh in the litter pan. lol) I think his previous poor diet and lack of cleaning contributed to a build up of stench, but I'm wondering if the Carefresh is hurting, more than helping, the situation.

I'm going to superclean the Boy's cage tomorrow, swap the carefresh for YN and will let you know if it changes anything.

Also, I had mice once. I loved the two boys I had but they were little stinkpots. I think those boys were probably the stinkiest pet I ever owned. They were on Aspen though, not Carefresh.


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## PeachPeach (Jun 22, 2012)

Winona, that was my plan. The litter pan mainly gets poops, not urine, so I need the odor control on the floor of the cage vs. in the pan. Good use for care fresh


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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

Update on the CareFresh.

I swapped out the CareFresh for ExquisiCat (like Yesterday's News) in the bottom of my Boy's cage. I put the CareFresh in the litter pan. I just checked the litter pan and apparently he likes to poop on the CareFresh. \0/ *confetti*
Also the smell has been reduced to an extent that is noticeable. He is sitting in my lap now and doesn't stink so much. I didn't even need to buy the water additive that helps to eliminate odor.

Helo's verdict; CareFresh = poop.


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## Jokerfest (Sep 25, 2012)

AWESOME sooo glad that worked for you and you can keep your boy!


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## RattieLove* (May 1, 2013)

Just a side note, mice tend to be MUCH smellier than rats, especially their urine.


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## Limouri (Apr 19, 2013)

I use carefresh, i honestly do like it, also it doesn't smell that bad, i use it in their litter box only. I have this spray that deodorizes and i spray that all in the cage, and it actually works. So in between cage cleanings ill just spray that and all is good again. I never really notice the smell to begin with (their cage is right beside me) But that's because im always with them in my room, so im use to it. I use towels for the flooring too, and i never hardly notice a smell unless i get up right on and sniff!


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## RosesRufflesandRats (Apr 25, 2013)

PeachPeach said:


> Winona, that was my plan. The litter pan mainly gets poops, not urine, so I need the odor control on the floor of the cage vs. in the pan. Good use for care fresh


This is really random, but I've always been curious about this. With three PEWs (they are so cute in your siggy by the way!!!) how do you tell them apart?


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