# Peeing over the side of the cage +More



## Sketchy (Jul 10, 2009)

Okay. This is getting a little ridiculous.
My rats have taking a liking to peeing on EVERYTHING except their litter tray.
They did fine in the aquarium, but when I moved them into the cage they insist on propping up against the bars, on the platforms, and peeing.
Not only that, but they pee all over the platforms as well.
I have to clean the "lip" of the cage bottom, as well as the platforms, more than once a day.
The platforms end up COVERED in urine...
I've tried putting them in their litter tray whenever I see them go, or start to go, but that hasn't helped.
Is there ANYTHING I can do?
I cannot keep cleaning this thing every day.
It is annoying to take apart (the clips are really tight, hurt myself every time. xD)


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## Jerry (Jul 18, 2009)

what about putting newspaper down to absorb some of the pee. :-\
Unfortunately thats what they do.


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## Sketchy (Jul 10, 2009)

I think I might have to quadruple wrap it with paper. Dx
Haha...

But if I put paper up the sides of the corners as well, they will just rip those down right away... wont they? :S


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## Jerry (Jul 18, 2009)

yeah, they might pull the corners apart to nest. How big is your cage..?
maybe you can attach a bit of perspex or something to the edges so you can wipe it before it leaks into the lip. ???
What a shame they don't sell ratty nappys aye ;D


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## Sketchy (Jul 10, 2009)

I have the Living World Rat Resort.
25" x 16" x 23.75"
It has 2 platforms









Doing some remodeling though.. I am going to make the platforms around the same level (one slightly higher) and then hanging hammocks and tubes and ropes across...

I was thinking of trying to find a couple small animal corner litter trays, filing the edge down to fit through the bars, securing it somehow and then I can just remove, dump, rinse, replace. However, that means I'd have to get 4 of them, and make sure they fit. xD


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## Jerry (Jul 18, 2009)

Cute ratties, is that one hairless ???
I'm not sure about the pee now, maybe it wouldn't be as noticeable in a bigger cage.. I guess you could just use babywipes to mop up every now and then..Sorry I wish I could help but I'm stumped. :


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## Sketchy (Jul 10, 2009)

Yes she is! 

That's alright. Thank you anyways.


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## hellomagpie (Jul 16, 2009)

Cute rats! I love the hairless. 

I'm having this same problem (see my thread "Trust Training vs. Discipline)...it seems like it's pretty common for them to figure out that they can pee out the cage. I've put a shower curtain down to stop it from getting into my carpet, and I've added a second litter box in an area that they particularly like to pee in. 

As for peeing all over everything IN the cage, there's not much you can do about that (especially if you have male rats, who want to scent mark everything...even though I have females, they seem to want to do this too). I use thick cardboard for my shelf liners---it soaks up the pee pretty well and then I just change the cardboard sheets when I clean the whole cage (sometimes more often if it's gotten really icky). 

I'm seeing a lot of pictures on here of people using fleece as shelf liner, which seems like it would be nice for the ratties and very reusable---you'd just make two sets so that you can put one out when one's in the wash. That'd soak up the urine pretty well too---you just don't want it splashing all over the place. 

Best of luck!


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

Idea #1: You can buy cheap plastic containers at walmart or the dollar stores. If you can find something the right length (16" or a little less) and 2 or 3 inches deep, you could attach them to the sides either sitting on, or in place of the shelves. Then you could put some litter or bedding in them and let them pee away in them. Hopefully the depth will also keep them from peeing out the side of the cage from there.

Idea #2: Put a strip of plastic on the sides at the shelf level, inside the bars, as a "pee guard".  with or without using idea #1.


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## Sketchy (Jul 10, 2009)

Thank you all for the ideas!


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## this_wallflower (Apr 19, 2009)

My older boy thinks that his shelf is his own personal pee-potty too (just one half of it...the other half is his snoozing area, but he's getting chubby, so now he's starting to smell like urine).

I wipe it off pretty thoroughly every other day, but I realized that the more I wipe OFF the urine, the more he was peeing there. Almost like he was like "AHH SHE TOOK AWAY MY CLAIM TO THE SHELF" and he doesn't have any other rats in the room yet (can't wait to put three boys in the same cage...*cough*). So I deal with it being kinda sticky, and the smelliest part of the cage, to be honest.

But he's only one rat, and he doesn't pee over the sides (his cage DOES have a splash guard for which I am infinitely thankful--it's an old chinchilla cage so not super high, and thus, it'd be hard for him to pee completely out of the cage). I imagine this is a little different...


Won't stop them from peeing over the sides, and I think it might make them pee a little MORE, but if the odor on everything is getting to you, try Bi-Odor...it's this liquid you put in their water, and it works insanely well.


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## lunamoon (May 20, 2009)

My girls did that too. I took used toilet paper cardboard rolls, made a cut & placed them on the bars under where they were peeing. Got lucky & they stopped peeing there. Sure, they pee on the shelves. But no more placing newspapers all around the cage.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

with mine when moved to a new cage they peed everywhere too. I stayed consistent with cleaning up the soaked newspaper and cleaning up the pee with napkins and putting it in the litter pan. They eventaully started remembering where to go.


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## Sketchy (Jul 10, 2009)

Those are all very good ideas as well..
They've been peeing less on the shelves, but I am going to try a few ideas that were posted (covering the shelves, attaching cardboard around the side, etc.)

Thank you all for your help!


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