# Keeping my rat cage 'fresher'?



## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

So both my rats have chronic RI which is a shame doesn't seem to bother them that much they eat and drink fine. I've taken them to the vets multiple times and there is nothing they can do. So I thought if I kept the cage as clean as possible it would help. Here is what I do each night:
Wipe down all levels
Wipe down sputniks (every other night) 
Top up litter tray half way though the week. 
Obviously they get a full clean every week and everything is cleaned and bedding changed. 
Is there anything I can do which would help. 
Also is there any disinfectant and smell deodoriser because I know the smell of urine can irritate their noses. At the moment I use water to wipe things down and mainly because it has no strong scent which also might irritate them. I heard something about vinegar can be used and is good but might of got that wrong! I used to have pet disenfactant but I didn't like it much as it did nothing for the odour and ran out really quick. I don't mind buying it as long as its not too expensive. Any suggestions welcome  many thanks 


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

I've heard good things about natures miracle...


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## JBird (May 23, 2013)

Vinegar works very well against ammonia, but leaves a vinegar smell that I'm not personally fond of- adding lemon juice to your water or vinegar mix can help clean & deodorize as well. Baby wipes are very helpful when wiping down the cage levels & sputnik to keep it fresh smelling longer, and removes residue better than just water. Nature's Miracle cage cleaner is BY FAR the best thing I've ever used. Love it, love it, love it! Squeaky clean in seconds, NO resp. problems from my rats. It smells sooo good, too!


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## Mouse (Aug 13, 2013)

Putting baking soda on top of the cage won't keep it cleaner, but it does reduce smell. I use hot water and vinegar to cage-clean- it gets rid of the rat smell, but leaves everything smelling like vinegar. I'll try the lemon trick to see how that works.


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

I use fleece in my cage, with folded layer of fleece underneath with baking soda sprinkled in the underlay. I have one boy who is having a horrendous time with scent marking EVERYTHING at the moment, and yet somehow, my cage stays fresh with this method, with fleece changes twice a week 


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Thanks I'll try the vinegar and lemon juice and water trick see it works. I'll try baby wipes and natures miracle. Is it English or American? Can it be bought in England? Also any type of vinegar or must it be specific type? Also how many parts vinegar to water to lemon juice? Thanksssss!!! 


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## coco&puff (Sep 4, 2013)

I sweep out any litter or crumbs that are on the floor. Then I do a wipe down with a vinegar water solution every 1-2 days, I also change all blankets out and clean all litter boxes. Then once a week I take everything out of the cage and wash then do a spray and wipe down of all surfaces.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

I use natures miracle Wipes. Its more expensive to use the wipes or to use natures miracle spray and paper towel...

Here's what I do...
I use paper towel/water to wipe the shelves daily, and one natures miracle wipe just to get rid of smell.

Once/twice per week I scoop out all the bedding, wipe everything down with paper towel and water , and then use about three of four wipes to wipe down the cage. 
They are about 22.8 cents per wipe, assuming you're paying 8 dollars a canister... 

So, doing it this way, that's... 2 or 3 dollars per week. Comes to 8 to 12 dollars per month.... If that's too expensive, go with the spray 
For disinfecting, just use a liberal amount of rubbing alcohol and a cloth once in a while and let it dry before u let the babies back in . Or hydrogen peroxide. Cheap, does the job, and does not affect respiratory tract. 


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Gannyaan said:


> I use natures miracle Wipes. Its more expensive to use the wipes or to use natures miracle spray and paper towel...
> 
> Here's what I do...
> I use paper towel/water to wipe the shelves daily, and one natures miracle wipe just to get rid of smell.
> ...


Thanks where can I buy rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide? Sounds good. I will also have a look for natures miracles wipes. Can u buy them in England? 
Thanks 



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## Hamsterific (Jan 14, 2013)

You can find rubbing alcohol/hydrogen peroxide at any drugstore.

I have a pet deodorizing spray specifically for small animal bedding that I use in their litterbox and fleece once or twice a week which cuts down on the smell a bit. I think it's called No-odor?

When mixing water with vinegar and/or lemon juice, there's no specific way to do it. I go with about 3/4 water and the rest vinegar, just do what smells fine to you.

If you don't already, make sure you regularly wipe down the outer parts of the cage often. My rats like to stick their butts out and pee over the edge of the cage so wiping down the exterior of the cage is important. Make sure to wipe down the areas around the cage, such as the wall and the table/floor. I have a sheet of plastic under their cage which collects pee and I wipe it down daily which helps a ton.

Also you can try putting an air purifier in your room. I find that the smell difference between it being on for a day or turned off for a day is HUGE.


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## cassieb (Aug 6, 2013)

Wipe all the levels dibs with baby wipes every morning!!! I cannot smell my cage at all!!! My ratties try to play tug of war with me lol


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Thanks for the help. I have actually used no odour but wasn't that impressed with it. :/ I will try the vinegar water and lemon juice mix regularly and rubbing alcahol every 2-3 weeks or so. Can you use surgical spirit? I have a lot lying around so may as well use that. Ifs ethanol and methanol if anyone wonders. 
Also will put plastic under cage - another good idea! 
Also air purifiers how much do they cost?
Link would be great. Do they also help rats with RI?
Many thanks x


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

just repeating if anybody knows if you can use surgical spirit as opposed to the other option cos I have loads at home. its ethanol and methanol, like I said!
Many thanks


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

Hey tufty, did you end up trying natures miracle?  they have them at dr foster mrs smith online store for 5$ a canister! I saw them at petco for 11$ in store... Like.... What? Lol 


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Sounds good 
Do they sell it in the UK? I live in Britain. 
Also I added a bit of vinegar to water and although it smells funny to start with once it is dry the cage smells much better. So that seems to work! 


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## Siringo (May 7, 2012)

I can't find Natures Miracle cage cleaner spray online but they do have the wipes on amazon.co.uk.

(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natures-Mir...&sr=8-2&keywords=natures+miracle+small+animal)


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## lulabelle (Oct 19, 2013)

I live in the UK and have two boys who can get smelly. I just use a keep it clean spray from the pet shop once a week on every surface (which I use quite a lot of ) and use carefresh bedding on top of a few layers of newspaper. And now they hardly smell at all!

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