# Can I put Vinegar in their Water?



## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

My dad is always complaining about my rat's smell, he found a website that says putting a drop or two of vinegar in their water helps. I'm not so convinced. Has anyone tried this? Should I?


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## Millie & Daisy (Mar 7, 2015)

Yes, I've done this for my rats. Don't put a lot or else they may refuse their water. Just one or two drops will do depending on the size of their bottle. Rats usually don't drink from water they can taste or smell as contaminated with something, which is one of the reasons why giving medicine to rats via their water bottle (a commonly used method for birds) isn't the best idea unless you have no other options. 

And make sure you use apple cider vinegar! White vinegar can be harsher depending on the acidity level. I know that when I'm cleaning it's better on my hands when I use ACV as opposed to white vinegar, so I imagine that white vinegar wouldn't be the best for rattie stomachs, either. 

This actually worked for my girls, though I don't use it anymore. Their smell is mainly from their waste now, and as long as that's cleaned regularly they smell fairly nice. Female rats have a naturally sweet smell, so as long as you're keeping their cage clean it shouldn't be a huge issue. Also, don't use bedding like care fresh. It makes the cage have a farmy smell and isn't good for their lungs. Aspen works to control smell, but my vet advises against it. She says the best thing you can do is keep them on a solid floor (like in a critter nation) that is kept bare except for blankets in their playhouses. 

They will tend to pee on the floor less if you have it set up this way, which = less smell. My best guess is that they don't like walking through their own puddles, so they keep to their designated potty areas (unless we're talking about my rats, who have been going everywhere because they have health issues). I have a fleece on the top level of mine that the girls burrow into. Sometimes I give them a small washcloth in each of the little castles or bins on the lower levels. The fleece/towel has to be cleaned regularly, otherwise the stink becomes unbearable. Trust me on that one.


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## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

Thanks for the advice Millie & Daisy, I have been using carefresh . Which bedding should I use instead?


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## Millie & Daisy (Mar 7, 2015)

I wouldn't use any bedding, unless you have fleece scraps that you can wash a couple of times a week. That's better for them overall. The pans can be left bare as long as they're not wire covered. Then you'll need something soft to cover it with, like the fleece. It's a lot cleaner to leave the shelves bare and wipe up messes, and have a few blankets that they can burrow in and cuddle with. It also encourages them not to potty around the cage.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I would not put anything in their water. It can often make rats not want to drink or drink less for one. Drink a glass of water with vinegar in it yourself.... yum? I think not. If for some reason you do..always give them a second bottle of just water at the least. But I really do not recommend it.
It can also cause a ton of very icky stuff to grow inside the water bottle. Just recently in a group I am in this was discussed and lots of people said they tried it but it was just gross and the benefits did not in anyway outweigh the issues with it. People showed pics, it was disgusting.



> I wouldn't use any bedding, unless you have fleece scraps that you can wash a couple of times a week. That's better for them overall. The pans can be left bare as long as they're not wire covered. Then you'll need something soft to cover it with, like the fleece. It's a lot cleaner to leave the shelves bare and wipe up messes, and have a few blankets that they can burrow in and cuddle with. It also encourages them not to potty around the cage.


I strongly respectfully disagree with this. Bare floors are never a good idea. Bare floors actually have the highest chance of causing bumblefoot. It means there is NOTHING to protect their feet from messes. Unless your rats are 100% fully litterboxed trained they will pee everywhere, it will puddle and they will walk through it nonstop. Which is also just gross. This is really bad for their feet and can lead to infections & bumblefoot. Even if you try to wipe it up right away you will not be there all the time. It also means there is nothing to protect them or neutralize the ammonia smell.

Paper bedding like carefresh is actually not that great at neutralizing odors. Neither is fleece. I wouldn't suggest using either unless your rats are litter trained. The best is wood chips like aspen. You can google it, there are studies that show. You want an absorbent bedding that neutralizes ammonia (and odor). Corn cob is another favorite as well as paper pellets.


Other things to help with smell is to make sure you have a large enough cage that is not overly crowded. You should be cleaning it before it smells ideally. 
Wood items in the cage often can absorb urine smells.
A deep cage cleaning making sure to get in corners and nooks is helpful too.


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## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

I know Millie & Daisy, but for their litter box?


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## Tabitha&Tobermori (Mar 14, 2016)

I have fleece liners on the bottom, and CareFresh in the litterbox. What should I use in the litterbox?


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Tabitha&Tobermori said:


> I have fleece liners on the bottom, and CareFresh in the litterbox. What should I use in the litterbox?


Personally I would go with aspen. I use it and love it. But you could try other things like I suggested corn or pellets. 

If they are not 100% litter trained switching out the fleece liners for complete bedding will likely help a ton with the smell.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

If you are concerned about rat smells, forget about fleece liners, they are the worst. I tried them, I even tried fleece liners with Uhaul pads underneath them- it was slightly better, but still bad. Then I tried many bedding: carefresh, FreshNews, Eco bedding, Kaytee cozy, and finally drsfostersmith Aspen! Thank you drsfostersmith, lol. No more smell at all. I have another brand of Aspen bedding I haven't use yet, I believe it is Kaytee. I have two DCN cages.


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