# How to keep rat cage smell down, should I switch to fleece?



## diinytt (Jun 15, 2014)

I have tried just about everything except fleece at this point. 

I used cardboard at one point and would change it when it became to soiled. I did the same for newspaper and even with draw liners. I even used a furry type of fabric at one point too. I am currently using vinyl tiles the imitate the look of wooden floors and it smells really bad after only a day. 

I do spot clean everyday and I do a complete wipe down every week and a through cleaning every month. I know that excessive cleaning an lead to more scent marking so I try not to over clean their cage. So far the cardboard seams to kept the smell down the most and the vinyl flooring keeps it down the least. 

No matter what I have used the smell always seems to be an issue. I have yet to try to fleece because I thought I would have to wash it to frequently and it would be a hassle but the flooring I currently use is also a hassle. I know that the smell will never just completely disappear but it definitely need an improvement. 

I have been thinking about switching to fleece recently but my only problem is that I have the Feisty Ferret cage and I have yet to see a fleece set available for this cage. I was thinking I could just buy fleece and make one myself but i'm not sure how I would get it to stick to the floor. I guess I could keep the vinyl tiles and then put the fleece on top of that and add some Velcro to help it stay in place. 

so my questions are:
Does the my fleece idea sound good?
How do you deal with the smell issue?
What flooring/bedding do you use?
Do you know of any fleece set available for the Feisty Ferret cage?

Please and thank you!


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Mine mostly use their litter boxes. My girls do mark a bit, my boys seem to only mark their pee rock which is in their litter box. I put a thin layer of baking soda in the box and then cover with the wood pellets. I use fleece for hammocks and sleep sacks but I don't cover everything in it. 

I spot clean and will empty litter boxes as needed. I do a full clean up every two weeks.

They put toys and fleece in the litter boxes sometimes as well. I just wash those things and clean off the pee rocks as needed as well.

I use large ferret hiback litter pans and make sure there is at least one if not two pans for each level.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

Fleece wasn't the answer, at least for me... It smelled far worse and far faster than other methods. 
What I do now, is use shredded aspen with a thin layer of either paper cat litter pellets (like yesterday's news) or pine horse stall pellets (can get them for $5 for a 50lb bag at TSC). This seems to keep the litter mostly odor free for a week. My biggest issue is smell from litter boxes and from their fleece things (hammocks, etc.) and hard surfaced things that they pee on (wheels, etc.). I do a complete litter change once a week, and wipe down objects as needed. I change out litter boxes 1-2 times per week too and wipe down cage bars with baby wipes.


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## diinytt (Jun 15, 2014)

I have been thinking of using either bath mats or floor mats. Bath mats have the rubber on the bottom that I though might help with pee absorption, but I'm not entirely sure.At this pint i'm leaning more towards bath mats than fleece. I'm going to go have a look at some YouTube videos on how to manage smell and try some of the methods that have worked for others. Wish me luck! I will update when I find a solution that works for me.


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

The fastest/easiest way to eliminate/reduce odor is to get some Marshall Goodbye Odor. Just put a couple of pumps in an 8 oz water bottle. Then in a few days, the odor is greatly reduced or eliminated completely. 

You can get it at Petco, Petsmart, or on Ebay. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marshall-Pe...ink-Control-/252058476370?hash=item3aafdb1f52


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## dguizzy (Jun 9, 2014)

I've been using fleece for the past year, and although I'm not really a fan of it I feel as though it's the cheapest option for me. I goto my local Joann's and only buy fleece remnants since they're an extra 50% off. My girls are terrible fleece chewers so I don't even bother trying to clip them down to the pans. They've recently been balling up the fleece on the lower level to try and put it into their little orbs they sleep in. (But want nothing to do with pieces I cut up specifically for that)

Fleece does smell a bit, my girls are potty trained though and are starting to pee in their litter boxes. I don't rewash the fleece which most people will do, but i'm weird and my parents give me a hard enough time using the washers to clean their hammocks. But being able to rewash is one plus about it since it's cost efficient. I'd say go ahead and try it if you want! If it doesn't work then look at another alternative.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Well I am going to be honest, the options u have used so far are god awful. Newspaper & cardboard both get absolutely disgusting so easy and have nothing to help with the smell. I am not a van of just using tiles as then the urine just sits there in puddles, the rats walk through it and that is just bumblefoot waiting to happen.

Why haven't u tried more common forms of bedding like aspen, carefresh types?

Fleece is great but it needs to be used properly for the best results. You need something underneath it to absorb the urine. The amazing thing about fleece and the reason so many use it, is because it wicks away the urine and pulls it to an absorbant layer underneath. Keeping the top where the rats live clean and dry. You also need to make sure u never wash it with fabric softner or dryer sheets as that will cause it to lose its wicking ability.

I use fleece and love it. I use dish drying mats under the fleece. The mats stay in place very well. The fleece on top may get shifted and moved around but it isnt a huge deal for me. I clean most of my cages twice a week except for my larger cage where everyone is fairly well litter trained they get cleaned once a week. I have multiple sets of fleece and just switch it out and wash the old to use next time. 
I don't use any special custom made liners, I just fold the fleece and or cut it. 

Bad smell though can be from alot of other factors as well. I would work on trying to litter train your rats if u haven't. It might never be 100% but it can cut down alot of the mess.
How large is your cage and how many rats are in it? If the cage is too crowded it is going to be alot worse.
How often do u clean your cage. The ideal method would be to clean before it gets a chance to smell.

Dguizzy do you buy new fleece every week then? When I was out of a washer for a bit, I hand washed all my fleece in the bathtub. Your parents may let u just use the dryer on them? 

Also I am very much against putting anything in their water. i do not feel it is safe and may discourage them from drinking as much as they should. If you do choose to do this, please atleast have a second pure water bottle as well.


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## Mikiz (Jul 17, 2015)

I use fleece and litter trays, for the most part I THINK they use the litter trays, but still loads of poop out on the fleece. I clean it when it starts to smell slightly, so maybe once a week, and change shredded paper in the trays and wash the pee rocks.


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## diinytt (Jun 15, 2014)

The cage I have right now is the Feisty Ferret cage, which is the reason why I don't use a bedding like Aspen, or Carefresh. There are no pans in the Feisty Ferret cage except on the very bottom underneath the grate. I would love to use a bedding like that but i'm not how to do it with the cage that I have. 

I only have two boys in the cage and they do poop in their litter boxes but they pee just about wherever they want to. Although I would like to switch my litter to Yesterdays News, I have read great reviews about that one. 

I do spot clean everyday and I do a complete wipe down every week(the bars, toys, etc.) and a through cleaning every month ( take everything out, give it a soak, wash the cage etc.).

I am currently using bath mats, they have been keeping the smell down and I plan to wash them weekly and then throw them out and get new ones every month since they only cost $2.00.


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