# How often do you do a full cage clean?



## Ratbag (Nov 30, 2013)

I mean change out all the fleeces, hammocks, wipe down the bars etc.?

I was doing it twice per week (although I spot clean poos and sputniks every day) but I'm wondering if I can push it to once per week.

What's everyone else's routine?


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I fully clean my cage once a week. I have a double ferret nation. I spot clean every day, and twice a week I empty out and re-fill the litter box. I also change out any paper towels or cuddly towels that seem dirty twice a week. This is my routine:

Friday: Clean full cage, change litter box, food, clean toys.... everything.
Saturday: Spot Clean/Change Water
Sunday: Spot Clean/Change Water
Monday: Spot Clean/Change Water/Empty Out and Re-Fill Litter Box/Change Soiled Blankets and Towels/Re-Fill Food Bowel
Tuesday: Spot Clean/Change Water
Wednesday: Spot Clean/Change Water/ Re-Fill Food Bowel if Needed
Thursday: Spot Clean/Change Water


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## Ratbag (Nov 30, 2013)

Phantom said:


> I fully clean my cage once a week. I have a double ferret nation. I spot clean every day, and twice a week I empty out and re-fill the litter box. I also change out any paper towels or cuddly towels that seem dirty twice a week. This is my routine:
> 
> Friday: Clean full cage, change litter box, food, clean toys.... everything.
> Saturday: Spot Clean/Change Water
> ...


Your routine is what I think I will try - it's pretty much what I do except with an extra full cage clean (Wednesdays and Sundays). It takes me AGES to do the full cage cleans as I have a double savic royal (usually around 1½ hours) and doing them twice per week is getting a bit much, especially as I have to do it on the rats' schedule (i.e. when all of them are awake) meaning it can be very late in the evening when I get through it all and end up going to bed waaaay too late for somebody who has to get up at 5:00 for work every day.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Thats funny , I am almost on the same routine schedule as phantom.  with the exception I have to refill food bowls every other day.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

Depends on how many rats you have. Your nose will tell you when it's time to clean.


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## ratswithfoxandbear (Feb 12, 2014)

I have four girls in a Double Critter Nation. My bedding is fleece, and my girls are pretty good with using the litter box.

Each morning I change the water and pick up excess droppings. I also rinse out their food dish and add new food. (The bowl is empty by the morning.) This takes 15 minutes at most.
Litter gets changed on Wednesday.** (Though sometimes I push it an extra because it doesn't look too bad. The litter I buy is expensive. >.>)
Full cage clean (toys, shelves, bars, hammocks, etc) happens on Sundays. It takes about two hours. Fleece, hammocks and fluffy beds gets put in wash.

I would LIKE to actually implement a "take apart cage and clean" every so many months. We are moving in June, so this will definitely be happening. I think every six months or so, this could be a good idea to get EVERY nook and cranny.


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

When I had my rat manor I cleaned 2x a week- Wednesday and Saturday. Now I have a DCN and clean 1x a week, though I really think I need to start doing it twice a week again because they pee all over :/ I have 2 boys.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

Depends on smell... That said, I use aspen, which is a lot less smelly than fleece IMO. I change hammocks 1-2 x a week depending on odor / dirtiness. I wipe bars every 1-2 days in the spots that get soiled the most. I change out bedding fleece / rags every day, and do a full change out on the aspen maybe every 1.5-2 weeks... I could actually probably go longer on the aspen as it's the hammocks, bars, and bedding pieces that tend to get smelly the fastest. Oddly enough, my girls stnky twice as much as my boys.


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## Antiquatemyheart (Mar 25, 2014)

I have a DCN and I do a full *deep* clean once a week on Sunday but, I spot clean during the week. I kind of think I should start changing the fleece on the top shelf twice a week because it gets dirty (treats, pee, ect...) and I think it just looks dingy. I use a cement mixing tray in the bottom with Vita-Kraft Eco Bedding and that's what I change completely once a week and just spot clean during the week (I go through almost a bag a week so it's pricey, maybe about $80 a month on bedding alone).


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

I have this cage but I don't have any of the green ramps and stuff http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_..._sku=SPM8651231432&sid=IDx20131030xMPPSxCPA21
It's really difficult to clean. The shelves lock in place and it takes some work to get them in and out. Instead of having the three shelves separate I've got two side by side so it makes another full level. It's a pain to deep clean so it gets that once a week. The other days I spot clean and vacuum the levels, minus the bottom pan because it holds litter. I'm switching that out soon and i'm going to replace it with fleece too just because it's less expensive and eaiser to clean. And it's dusty, I have yet to find loose bedding that's not completely dust free.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I have a DCN with 11 rats.

I use puppy pads on the shelves (double-layered, because Iris usually nests the first layer), and aspen in the litter box and in the base pan. I occassionally line hammocks in puppy pads if they've begun to use them as a potty.

Here's my biggest surprise...I don't spot clean. My rats are litter trained, so any mess they make usually is not something that's disgusting. The biggest problem is deciding the aspen belongs everywhere in existence or, like last night, berry juice staining the puppy pads. I will fold puppy pads back in place and put aspen where it needs to be, but I usually don't do much. Here's an example of a typical messy cage day: http://i.imgur.com/A3iDwVJ.jpg food everywhere, scattered aspen, trying to unfold my puppy pads...http://i.imgur.com/rC5KhVw.jpg shredded boxes, ripped up puppy pads...I don't think my cage is especially disgusting without this. 

Twice daily they're given food, every other day or so fresh water. If they have a potty hammock (only occasionally are they butts), I change that puppy pad out every three days.

Once a week I pull out all the puppy pads, wipe under and around them to clean the mess up, and replace them. I also change the litter box/clean the pee rock and usually alter the layout or toy selection at this time. I usually stir the aspen to determine if it needs changed. Usually about 20 minutes tops, only because I also have to fight the rats who have their own ideas on where things go and who insist this is the best time to check my teeth and hair for grooming. I also make sure to move the cage out and vacuum at least once a week.

Once every week and a half, two weeks I completely change out the aspen and clean around the pan and such down there. This takes 20 minutes by itself, since I usually can't carry the pan alone nor does it fit perfect in garbage bag. I have to scoop the litter out handful by handful.

Since it's a huge cage and a huge mischief, sometimes I clean the top half down on say Tuesday and the bottom on Friday. Cleaning once a week usually involved a vinegar spray bottle, but I recently got Nature's Miracle wipes again so have been using them.

Once a month I do a "DEEP" clean. I have Nature's Miracle Deep Clean spray, my vinegar spray, and I scrub the pans/bars to get everything spiffy. This can take me an hour or two depending -- I really hate the smell of vinegar, so usually take breaks to gag. I usually get my handy-hand vac out at this time to ensure nothing escapes.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> I have to scoop the litter out handful by handful.


I've found that a dustpan or a old large plastic cup, McDonalds large cups work well too, to scoop the litter/loose bedding makes life easier. Just thought I'd throw that out there if you didn't think of that


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

They jump in any clever scooping-device I create and I have an oddly disproportionate fear of accidentally throwing a rat away haha.


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Once a week I do a full clean that includes taking out all the shelves, plastic toys, and base pan and washing them with vinegar spray and water, and putting any cloth toys and fleece in the washing machine. Twice a week I change out just the fleece in the base and spot clean the shelves as needed. I clean up stray poop (my girls are still working on litter training) daily. I haven't been replacing the water (it didn't occur to me that was necessary) but I will start changing it out every other day probably.


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## Jessiferatu (Apr 30, 2014)

I do a deep clean once a week. All fleece and fleece toys / hammocks get thrown in the wash, and all other toys, bowls, water bottles, etc., get hand washed. I also take all the trays out (I have a double critter nation) and wipe them down, and I wipe down all the bars inside and out. I empty the litter pan every 3-4 days depending on how stinky it is. I will also change fleece as needed, depending on the smell.

I spot clean once a day (or a few times, as needed lol!) tossing loose raisins into the litter pan and picking up any unfinished (fresh) treats.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

LeStan82 said:


> Thats funny , I am almost on the same routine schedule as phantom.  with the exception I have to refill food bowls every other day.


I actually have a huge food bowl for my rats. It takes the five of them about a whole three days or so to eat all of the food in there. When I go on vacations, such as the lake house, (which usually last no more than three to four days) I usually put a spare food bowl inside the cage and make sure they have plenty of water. Their gravity water bowl is probably the best thing I have ever bought them. It does not leak (because it's a water bowl), it has a small filter in front of it to keep the dirt out of the main chamber, and it never stops working on me because it is gravity controlled. I also have a smaller water bowl on the very top level that I change every day. 

*Ratbag*- It takes me quite a while to do a full cage clean as well, simply because I vaccum my room and dust my room a bit when I clean the cage as well just to keep my room nice. I usually clean their cage during their sleeping hours though. I do this because it keeps my ratties from jumping out of the cage at me, jumping into the soap bucket, and generally out of trouble. I usually put them into their carrier while I clean the cage because I know they are going to take a nap and sleep while I clean which allows me to clean faster.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> They jump in any clever scooping-device I create and I have an oddly disproportionate fear of accidentally throwing a rat away haha.


lol! I usually let mine free range while I clean it, they throw themselves away


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Hey-Fay said:


> lol! I usually let mine free range while I clean it, they throw themselves away


Lol. When I do let them free-range a bit while cleaning their cage it's not uncommon for them to dig through the trash I just threw out or just chill in the trash bag. I have to fish them out of there before they get too messy. XD


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

Minky said:


> Depends on how many rats you have. Your nose will tell you when it's time to clean.


 My rats are in my room so I can't really smell them at all anymore, so I get my brother to come in and evaluate! Lol


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Phantom said:


> Lol. When I do let them free-range a bit while cleaning their cage it's not uncommon for them to dig through the trash I just threw out or just chill in the trash bag. I have to fish them out of there before they get too messy. XD


I've had the trash bag tied up and ready to be tossed because I'm done with that part of the cage and several times I've made it out the door before I realized one of them had crawled inside it and was going for a ride. I don't care what they think, they're not cut out to be a landfill rat!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

See. Tht is legit a huge fear for me. I once was halfway to the dumpster before I found my old ladyrat. I tossed out food that was no good and she objected. She jumped in, got comfy and sat quietly eating. I wouldn't have noticed at all if I hadn't had to set the bag down before lugging it into the dumpster. 


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

I've learned to check the bag and count the girls before I even leave the bedroom. I can't even have grocery bags in the room because they feel the need to crawl into them, then I do the panicky parent move where I scoop them up then tell them "you could suffocate in there! Stay out of that bag!" They never listen lol


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