# tips for keeping odour under control?



## twindads (Jun 8, 2017)

my boys cage smelled like poo basically the day after i got them, & its been less than a week & theyre already stinking out my whole room & outside my door ( because their cage is right next to my bed & kept in my (small) bedroom, i NEED ways to keep the smell down

i use back 2 nature recycled paper bedding/litter, and feed them with selective 'balanced diet for rat' biscuit things
as far as the cage goes, some bars are uncoated & a tad rusty where its old. im planning to buy a new cage asap tho

but until then, does anyone have any tips to keep the smell down or gone? ive heard of people placing baking soda next to the cage, putting cider vinegar in the water, and using essential oils when cleaning. does anyone have any experience with this, does it work??


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## charlypie (May 15, 2017)

I would not recommend using essential oils near or for pets without doing a lot of research (look for things other than just anecdotal stories too, or check with a vet, they would almost definitely answer a question like that over the phone) they can be dangerous. I use white vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle to clean which is safe and works well, it has that vinegar smell while it's wet but it goes away when it dries. I heard of putting stuff in their water, but never that it actually helped. It's not uncommon for rats to have extra soft or smelly poops when you bring them home though, especially if they're adjusting to a new food, so it might get better if you give it some time. Aspen bedding is supposed to do more for oder and ammonia control than paper bedding, I switched from newspapers to aspen recently and even though I still use paper on the shelves it definitely cut down the smell. You could also try litter training them so you could empty out their litter box periodically to keep the smell down. Baking soda near the cage can help too, I keep a box open near my cats litter box.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Daily spot-cleanings and good bedding seem to be what really keep odor down. I've found that most paper beddings are terrible at controlling ammonia, so you may want to switch to something like aspen bedding and see if the odor decreases. 

Diet can also greatly impact a rats smell, and if your rats are relatively new, you may want to cut out all treats for a few days and see if they smell less when just eating lab blocks. After that, you can try gradually introducing treats back into the diet. 

It's also true that rats often smell more for their first week or two in their new home, simply because it's a new environment and the animals themselves are nervous. Make sure not to clean the cage too much, as this will stress out your ratties, and cause them to mark more.

And if possible, leaving the door open to yor room and opening the window will also reduce odor (as it promotes air circulation).

My favorite product that I use to help control odor is I natures miracle spray for small animals (https://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/...ll Pet,utm_campaign:PLA-GSC - PLA - Specialty) for my daily spot cleanings (and during my weekly cage cleaning). I find that this spray really helps reduce odor, and dries odorless within 10 minutes (just make sure to not spray it on the rats food or water).

And as stated above, it can also help to have an air purifier or to leave baking soda beside the cage (to absorb the odor).

I would stay away from essential oils, as these could do more harm than good. If you really want to use odor eaters/scents, I've found that glades odor absorbent beads (the apple cinnamon ones) works pretty well at controlling odor without causing any respiratory problems in my rats.

You can also add pure vanilla extract (I'm not sure where you heard about cider vinegar?) or small animal odor control (it's a gell-like additive) to your rats water. But honestly, these make little difference (I've tried them both), and it gets tedious adding them to the water daily. Plus, some rats hate the taste of these things, and you chance having your rats stop drinking water due to the taste. If you do add something to the water, be sure to have an extra water bottle with regular water at first, in case your rats dislike the taste of your additive (though this has never been an issue with my rats).

Finally, a new cage will probably drastically help with the odor. Before I got my girls a CN, they were living in an old gunea pig cage. The greater size and coated bars of the CN has definitely helped reduce my rats odor, and now you can't really smell them till a day or so before cleaning.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

You'll see monumental difference when you get your new cage with powder-coated bars. I don't find that I've ever had to do anything special to keep smell down, just my weekly cleaning has been enough, except for one detail. The hammocks stink pretty quick, and if I smell anything I toss them in the wash, usually every 3 to 4 days, and that takes care of the odor. So if you have hammocks in the cage be sure to wash them often. I also empty my litter boxes frequently because they will get stinky quick. I also wash my fleece liners and hammocks with a bit of vinegar to help take care of lingering odor. You might even go ahead and wipe down the cage with some water and vinegar mixture when things are getting a little grimy, I do that now and then when I feel the need.


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## ray (Nov 4, 2015)

I agree wood shavings is much better for odor/ammonia control. Also, for pellet litter blue buffalo walnut based non clumping cat litter is much more effective than paper based but you can only get it at petco.
I've heard having a bowl with cut lemons in the room is effective but I don't know for sure that it works as I haven't personally tried it. I have tried baking soda near the cage. It did nothing.
I use baby wipes (non-scented hypoallergenic) to wipe away any standing pee on a daily basis. This helps prevent ammonia build up.
Also the bigger the cage the less they'll smell.
And keep in mind that these are probably fear poops, since they're new, and fear poops smell way worse than normal poop.


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## rottengirl (Mar 16, 2016)

cleaning the cage thoroughly, getting every square inch of space cleaned with watered down vinegar, and make sure you get the floor and wall(s) near the cage. less frequent cleanings of the cage can actually help them smell less, especially if they're litter trained. They will want to mark a 'freshly cleaned' cage more often with urine.


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## Ratlettes (Mar 29, 2016)

I have the same smell situation and keeping a window open or a air conditioner on helps tons with circulation, also always, always, always clean up poops and very soiled things every single day, it does wonders for your room since the poop won't decomposate right next to you! Also don't clean every piece of fleece they have since over cleaning makes them scent mark more resulting in a stinkier cage, just clean the nastiest stuff first and wait a few days to clean the other fleece! Good luck, sometimes I even get down bc of the nasty smells my rats make but what's a rat owner to do besides love them unconditionally


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