# I love them, but they STINK.



## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Okay guys, here is my problem:

I have three females and a neutered male in a cage that (according to the calculator) can hold up to 10. They are about 90% litter box trained (we're still working on it :lol: ) and I have the wire shelves covered with fleece...

I am at the point right now where I take the whole cage apart and do a DEEP CLEANING about *EVERY OTHER DAY.* I cannot live this way! I end up cleaning the cage so often that I lose out on time with my rats!

*Is it unreasonable to expect it not to smell like rats? Is it possible? *

Tips? Please?


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## Matt (Jun 14, 2007)

I have the same problem, I am always throwing fleece in the wash.


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I know, I hate it. Luckily, I have enough fleece that I can switch it out without having to wash it right away - I can let a full load accumulate - I just bought a new house and really do not want it to smell like PEE!

Tips?


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

possibly youre cleaning it too well? If they think the cage doesn't smell enough like them they sometimes go over board in re-scenting


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

That could be true...

I just can't have a house that smells like pets. I have some mild obsessive compulsive behaviors... and smell is one of them.


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

maybe you could cover the top levels w/fleece and the bottom could be full of bedding and the litter box like my cage, then keep the rest of the cage cleaner than the bottom. id love to see pics of this cage


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

I don't know if you have an FN, or what kind of cage, but when I was using fleece, it was pretty smelly, and I was cleaning it out a couple times a day (I have a much smaller cage, though only two little girls). I switched to bedding, and the smell practically disappeared. And their sneezing. Maybe that would work? Plus, it absorbs the waste, so I found I do'nt have to wipe the pan down all the time to soak up pee.


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

my rat cage only stinks if its not cleaned for a week (bad mommy!) its usually cleaned every 3-5 days though


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Haha, I know they have this stuff at the pet stores you can put under bedding (like carefresh) that's supposed to help eliminate smell, but I would imagine fleece soaks up pee pretty good.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Some questions for you...

Exactly what kind of cage do you have?
What bedding(s) are you using?
What do you use to clean the cage?
What are you feeding the rats?
Do you clean the wall(s) and floor around/under the cage?

I have 13 rats in my bedroom, and 6 female mice, and it honestly never smells - and I also have a very sensitive nose and HATE when things smell unfresh. It's more than likely something small that you have to change in order to fix the problem


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Thank you for all of the responses!

I think that the part that ends up stinking the most is the solid plastic pan on the bottom of the cage. The shelves have the fleece on them, but the bottom is just solid plastic...

I don't have a FN, but it is similar in style. 

I would put bedding in it, except that the tray is only an inch or so deep - the bedding would end up all over the floor. I thought about using baking soda as an odor eliminator ...

I wonder if rigging up a way to line the bottom tray with fleece would work?


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Night said:


> Exactly what kind of cage do you have?


I'm not sure, I bought it on craigslist... I think it is by Marshall... I am going to take a picture tomorrow and post it.  



Night said:


> What bedding(s) are you using?


Fleece on the wire shelves and yesterday's news in the litter box.



Night said:


> What do you use to clean the cage?


I found this online a couple years ago and have been following it to the letter. (There is a copy of it on my fridge. :lol: )

_Step one
Scrape, rinse, or otherwise remove all loose particulate matter.

Step two
Wash the item in the first bucket using a detergent solution and the hottest water you can stand. A bottle brush, nylon scrubber, and vegetable brush are good tools to have. Replace the detergent solution when suds are gone or water is dirty.

Step three
Rinse the items by immersion in a second bucket of clean water or spraying. Use the hottest water you can stand. This should remove all traces of detergent. Replace water in bucket when it gets dirty.

Step four 
Immerse the items in a third sink full of sanitizing solution. For this use Â½ tablespoon of bleach for each gallon of cold water. Do not use hot water, it lessens the effectiveness of the bleach. Allow items to remain in solution for 30 seconds.

Step five
Remove items and allow to air dry. _



Night said:


> What are you feeding the rats?


Daily - Nutro Light Adult Small Bites and Suebee's
Bi-weekly - Cooked whole wheat pasta and mixed veggies with olive oil



Night said:


> Do you clean the wall(s) and floor around/under the cage?


I do, but not every other day like I do everything else. I could definitely try doing it more often...



Night said:


> and I also have a very sensitive nose and HATE when things smell unfresh.


Me too. You understand! :wink: 



Night said:


> It's more than likely something small that you have to change in order to fix the problem


I hope so... 8O


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I am still welcoming any tips and responses...

But I found this online and I thought it was very helpful.  

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/odor.htm


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

Wow, that's quite a cleaning process! I don't clean my rats' cage that well, and it doesn't smell bad until a week after last cleaning. I usually end up cleaning it every 5 days or so, but if they're being good about using the litter boxes and I clean those out, I can go a week to a week and a half with no smell issue at all. I use towels on the shelves and pans, with Carefresh in the litter boxes (although I hate Carefresh, stick with YN! ^_^ ) 

When I clean, I remove everything fabric and throw it in the wash. Everything cardboard gets thrown out (pop boxes, shoeboxes, etc). I wipe down everything else with a mild bleach solution, wipe that off, let it air out while the girls are out playing. The litter boxes I clean a little better because they're smellier, they get actual soap and water, then some orange cleaner which works better than the bleach for the smell in there.

After I get the cage set up again, I mist everything with a mix of vanilla extract and water. I read somewhere that vanilla helps with the smell, and it really does.

Night, how do you keep your mice from not smelling? I have one male mouse and his cage has a strong smell the day after I clean it. Nothing has worked to stop that, so let me know what your secret is!


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Mana said:


> After I get the cage set up again, I mist everything with a mix of vanilla extract and water. I read somewhere that vanilla helps with the smell, and it really does.


Mana, you're a genius! I am definitely going to try that. 

After reading the responses, I think that part of the problem is that the bottom tray of their cage is bare plastic. It doesn't have any fabric or anything, so the urine probably pools and stinks more than it would otherwise...

I wonder if I should use fleece down there, too? How do you guys attach it? Velcro?


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

<---- Yay! I'm a skritch lover!


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I'd cover the bottom pan. Plastic seems to absorb odor really well, that's why I have to clean the litter boxes more thoroughly than everywhere else. I use full-sized towels, which are perfect for the FN. I tuck the ends under the pan, and that seems to be enough to keep the rats from going under there. Coconut loves burrowing under fabric, but she'll only go under in the FN if I have to use two smaller pieces of fabric instead of one big one, so she can get in easily from the middle.


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

That is a good idea. :mrgreen: You rock!

I was doing more reading, and has anyone tried throwing some baking soda in the dryer when when washing rat laundry? There was a website that recommended it... 

I will try it tomorrow and report back. 8) 

Any more suggestions?


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Vinegar is my suggestion. Your cleaning process is... absolutely insane. Even with 11 rats in one cage, nothing warrants that kind of cleaning - ever. I use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. I spray everything down, let it sit for a couple minutes, then wipe it dry. Vinegar is amazing when it comes to cleaning, sanitizing, and deoderizing.


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## sonoma (May 26, 2007)

Mana said:


> After I get the cage set up again, I mist everything with a mix of vanilla extract and water. I read somewhere that vanilla helps with the smell, and it really does.


That's a great idea, Mana! I'm definitely going to try it.  

The main problem I have is the girls marking their toys and peeing out the bars of their cage. Arg. :roll:


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## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

trying using some of those stick on linoleum tile thingies to cover the bottom pan, and then lay some fabric over it and try weighting the corners down with rocks, toys, litter boxes, etc. or just leave it loose for them to burrow in 

i am going to modify my cage with the stick on tiles ASAP since they would be very easy to wipe down when cleaning


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Night said:


> Your cleaning process is... absolutely insane. Even with 11 rats in one cage, nothing warrants that kind of cleaning - ever.


I will try the vinegar ... That is how I clean everything. :? My house, my car, my pet's homes ... I am particular to say the least, and I clean everything like surgical equipment. 

Today, I did all of my normal cleaning but put baking soda in the dryer with their laundry, covered the bottom tray with a towel, and tried Mana's vanilla trick...

Now we just have to see how long it holds up.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

Oh yeah, vinegar will work well to get rid of odors. I never use it to clean the cage itself because I've never needed to, but I add it to every load of rat laundry, and it works wonders ^_^


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

for all you obsessive compulsive cleaners, you would absolutely die of shock if you came to my place... my sink is chockablock full of dirty dishes (i wasnt home all day and it looks like beckoned used everything she could lay her hands on, but thats another story...)

but back to the rat cage... my big cage has a wire bottom level with the rest of the levels being hard plastic. the levels are just as i bought the cage, no fleece lining, no tiles, just wire and plastic. in the tray right at the bottom, i layer newspaper and then put our equivalent of yesterdays news on that. there is no rat smell at all... the paper gets cleaned out once a week. 

the small cage (which is where the little girls are until they're big enough for the big cage) only has wire levels. i do the same with this tray as with the big tray. because there are only wire levels, i do put fleece squares down, but dont attach them so the girls can move them wherever they want.

for bedding i use tissues, fleece squares and fleece blankies, with some newspaper strips thrown in for good measure. the tissues and paper get renewed every day, same with the fleece. to wash the fleece, i just throw it in with whatever needs washing (whether it be clothing, sheets, towels, whatever). the sleeping boxes (usually tissue or cereal boxes) get changed every three to six days, depending on whether or not they've used them to stash or just sleep in).

the shelves get cleaned with the vinegar/hydrogen peroxide method every 3 or 4 days, and takes no longer than 30 mins to do both cages.

and another thing... for those of you who can, try hanging your rattie fleece on a clothes line to dry... the sunlight will kill any little nasties, deodorise at the same time, and there is nothing quite like the smell of laundry that has been hanging on a clothesline. dryers just dont cut it!!!

so far the girls havent complained about any of this...


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## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

> because there are only wire levels, i do put fleece squares down, but dont attach them so the girls can move them wherever they want.


oh good - i was worried about your ratties' feet when you mentioned the wire shelves!


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## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

if your cleaning it so frequently you rats might be producing more odour than if you only cleaned it every 5 days because you are completely getting rid of "their" odour.


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## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

YAY IM A ZOOMING FUZLET...


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## lina (May 28, 2007)

I know what you mean. I have to clean my cage out every 4-5 days coz of the smell. I find if I give the cage a good clean in the bath they scent mark it more so it smells of them again so I only do this once a month. I tryed using fleece but I find it holds the smell and I need to change it more often. I use paper now and that seems to help.


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

BlueSkyy said:


> > because there are only wire levels, i do put fleece squares down, but dont attach them so the girls can move them wherever they want.
> 
> 
> oh good - i was worried about your ratties' feet when you mentioned the wire shelves!


if you're worried about bumblefoot, dont be. ratties are more likely to get bumblefoot by walking on solid shelves that arent cleaned of their urine and then walking on wire shelves than if they walk on wire shelves alone.

i spot clean the solid shelves almost every time i walk past the cage, because 5 girls sure pee a lot... and it will be worse when the littlies are big enough to move in.


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

What item is smelling so bad. If a certain item is soaking up the smell worse then everything else remove it. 

Does the smell completely go away when u clean the cage. If not then u may need to buy a new cage. (the smell could be the cage). 

iF UR LITTER simply isn't locking in the smell then try different types of litter ull find one that may work better against your rats. 

If all else fails stop cleaning the cage the way u r doing it. 

This is my simple cleaning procedure.

I remove litter pan. Dump litter in garbage.

Rinse out pan with warm water. Spray all soiled areas with ("Fresh Results" cage cleaning and deodorizing spray,for birds and small animals.

After u spray the soiled areas wipe away with paper towels or cloth towels.

clean and remove stinky items in cage. 


If u have a Wal-Mart store in ur area thats where i found the deodorizing spray it works great and isnt that expensive. Its brand name is "FRESH RESULTS" 

GOOD LUCK HOPE I HELPED!


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Ok, update - 

This last cleaning held up much better than what I was doing before. I think the biggest thing that stunk was the plastic tray on the bottom of the cage. I covered it with a towel and it was SO MUCH BETTER.


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