# How often do you wash their hammocks, etc?



## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

Just wondering if you guys pull them out weekly and wash? 
The girls seem to be smellier than Remy. Though there are 6 of them in the cage and 1 of him in his cage......

I think we need to start wiping them every few days with a sensitive skin baby wipe because I do not enjoy holding them when they smell like urine.

And I think part is their hammock that smells.....


I am thinking of making spares, so I can pull out and wash and have fresh ones to replace right away with.

What does everyone else do?


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## Jackie (Jan 31, 2013)

Definitely make plenty of hammocks. You can wash them less often than fleece liners (if you have them). I am going to wash ones that are on their 3rd week of being in the cage. It all depends of whether or not they dirty with food or smelly, etc. So basically it's all up to you but I'm going to wash hammocks every 3 weeks (if they keep them generally clean).


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## JLSaufl (Jan 20, 2013)

I change everything out of the cage every week, I have a 30x15x34in cage with 3 boys. I have sets of hammocks/liners that all match so I can change them out on a weekly basis. Every other week, I wipe everything down with a mix of vinegar and alcohol. At that time I wipe the boys down with wet wipes.


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

Thanks! I pride myself on having pets(lizards, indoor cat, dogs and now rats) but house doesn't smell like it and right now....you can tell we have rats. GRRRRR
Just moved girls cage to new spot and despite changing litter in bottom and wiping shelves...you smell the cage when you walk into room. I am thinking that tomorrow, girls will get free range time and cage will get hauled outside and hosed down and dry in the sunshine(if we have some!LOL). I have more grommets on my list of errands today, so I can make extras tomorrow.
JLSaufl, is it a 50/50 mix of vinegar and alcohol or what?


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

I depends on the rat... My older girl pees on everything that she sleeps in so I wash that weekly. However my younger girl sleeps in the same hammock alone and it doesn't smell at all. I have had it a month and have yet to wash it!


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

Yep, our boy is sweet and clean and smells nice. He is alone until neutering and then he can rejoin Mom and sisters.
The girls aka Mom and sisters....UGH!


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## Kaliloca (Jan 24, 2013)

I have a DCN with 3 rats in it. There's 1 on top and 2 on the bottom.

I wash the cage accessories once a week. I change/wash the liners daily. I change the litter pans every other day. I wipe down the entire cage daily. This includes wiping the bars and such. I even wipe the lower storage area and wheels daily. I wipe down the wall behind the cage. I wipe down the 3' by 4' rubber mat that's under the cage daily. A few times a week I use a black to see if I've missed any places. It takes me about 20 minutes a day to keep my rats clean. 

I can't smell..... Really, my nose doesn't work. If a skunk sprayed in the house, I wouldn't be able to smell it. So, I'm a bit overboard on the cleaning. 

My friends tell me my rats don't stink, so I must be cleaning them enough.

I just got my zilla liners yesterday. I'll start using them tomorrow and see if they make it any easier. I need to cut/sew them to the proper size first.


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## Misfitdolly (Feb 16, 2013)

I made several of everything and it starts to stink after about 3-4 days so I change them out then. I might not wash everything that day, I will wait until I have 2 sets of stuff to wash.


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## dr.zapp (Dec 24, 2012)

I have 2 sets of everything, and 2 boys, and change the hammocks/bedding out every 3 days, completely hose down the cage/toys in the shower every week.


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## Jokerfest (Sep 25, 2012)

I change liners every other day and wash the hammocks whenever they start to smell or look dirty.
Do you have liners on your shelves? I noticed when I had my smaller cage if I didn't put liners on the shelves they smelled worse than when I used liners and changed them daily along with wiping down the shelves underneath.
Yesterdays news is also AMAZING at controlling odors I don't know what litter you are currently using but I've tried many and it works the best.


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## the_muppet_boys (Aug 16, 2012)

My boys are so messy that sometimes I have to change their hammocks more than once weekly


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## Oncegoneinsane (Mar 7, 2013)

Once a week when I change their litter and towels that protects their feet I have the petco rat manor


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

Thanks! I think we will have to be changing the girls twice a week on bedding and hammocks. I also am going to modify the hammocks because they all lay in the giant one and all poop in it...it is filled with poop which they are laying on.....GROSS. I want to add a loose mesh fabric to the center in a small strip to allow poop to fall thru.....have to play with it.
Remy, our boy. He is clean, doesnt smell. His cage is immaculate. He poops in 1 corner. 
The girls, who are in a large cage.....blech. By day 6 which is today....yucko. I cannot do it alone though as cage is huge and I am short!LOL So have to enlist my boys to help me. That is what teens are for right?!LOL

But, I am thinking Wed. and Sat. cleaning schedule for them starting this weekend. Normally it is Sat. for overall cleaning.....but....


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## Oncegoneinsane (Mar 7, 2013)

Weekly 



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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

My girls, I like to change the shelf liners and bottom fleece twice a week. If it has stuck on food, it gets changed when I first see it. If it's just crumbly bits of food, I try to remove as much as possible, but put the fleece back. I wipe down the ledges with a baby wipe daily.
Their hammocks get a "sniff" test. If they don't stink then it's once a week. If it is stinky, it gets replaced.
My girls are pretty clean. They use the litter box very well and really don't make a mess besides the occasional fresh food bits.

My boy... whew. I know that cleaning the cage a lot is supposed to make him more stinky but he is such a messy, lazy butt. Food smears and half-eaten stuff everywhere. I still find poop on the ledges and in the hammocks. He gets a full change every 1-2 days. I've managed to cut down on his smell but geeze. He is really a slob.


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## SeaMama (Feb 5, 2013)

I change liners about once every 4 days (although I'm thinking of making more liners and changing this to every other day). I wash the hammocks when they start to smell. Usually this is about once a week.


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