# rat odor be gone!



## NatnRoo (Jun 9, 2012)

ever since ive had my two girls there has been an odor even as soon as five minutes after i change their carefresh bedding. im thinking that it has something to do with me purchasing the cage used and some of it is rusting. so being the good rat mommy that i am i decided enough is enough and my girls need better. so i just bought a critter nation double unit cage for my two girls. i also purchased an air purifier and marshall's odor be gone water mix in... waiting for my cage to arrive but im hoping that i will stop the odor. does anyone else have good advice about getting rid of rat odor?


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## Honeydew (Jun 16, 2013)

If you put a bowl of baking soda near the cage, that can help. I think the Odor Be Gone you're talking about might be Marshall Good By Odor. If so, good buy. I love the stuff, it clears my boys' odor right up. The air purifier was a good move. I'd also recommend (if you keep your windows open) getting a fan and pointing it, not into the room, but out the window to suck the dander and odors out.


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## Actress (Aug 9, 2013)

Baking soda works wonders! Be careful that the fan doesn't point directly at the cage to avoid drafts.


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## NatnRoo (Jun 9, 2012)

just wanted to let everyone know that after an hour of using the air purifier the smell was 100% gone! i am in shock! and extremely happy! i didnt think it would be that effective!!!!


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

You should not be experiencing offensive odors with healthy rats and good cage hygiene. Diet is often a big part of odors. That is something you can consider.

I'm glad that the air purifier helped, though! May I ask what you purchased? My boys have a normal, healthy odor that is easily controlled by a combination of excellent diet, litter training, and frequent cage cleanings, but all of the different animals in my home do sometimes add up to a slight pet-shop aroma!


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## russpy (Aug 20, 2013)

Also I found that natures miracle wipes work wonders  


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## NatnRoo (Jun 9, 2012)

the odor wasnt super offensive but i could smell the carefresh bedding with a slight ammonia smell and i have a really sensitive nose and just dont like smelling that..as far as diet goes i feed them rat food from petsmart and they also get fresh veggies and fruit on a daily basis.. if there is something better i should be feeding id like to know  i did purchahse the natures miracle cage cleaner though...which i think i said earlier that i was thinking i was smellling the cage because i had bought it used and its rusting in some places and i think a stench has just set into the cage... my girls dont smell though ...
i just bought a holmes HEPA type air purifier from walmart (i do not use the ionizer) it was really cheap only $40.. and within an hour what i was smelling was gone


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## aknapoli (Oct 20, 2012)

You're doing the right thing with the fresh fruit and veg, but most likely rat food from Petsmart isn't the best choice—unless it's Oxbow (I think some Petsmart locations sell it?). Generally, the seed mixes that they sell for rats and hamsters aren't nutritionally sound and have items that rats can't/won't eat. I highly suggest Oxbow (The price varies between $9-$15 for a 3lbs bag on Amazon) or Harlan Teklad. Both of these are a kibble/block food.

If you have more food questions, you might want to ask in the Rat Health section—if you already haven't


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## NatnRoo (Jun 9, 2012)

i will look into that  thank you


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## Divit (Aug 5, 2013)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> You should not be experiencing offensive odors with healthy rats and good cage hygiene. Diet is often a big part of odors. That is something you can consider.
> 
> I'm glad that the air purifier helped, though! May I ask what you purchased? My boys have a normal, healthy odor that is easily controlled by a combination of excellent diet, litter training, and frequent cage cleanings, but all of the different animals in my home do sometimes add up to a slight pet-shop aroma!


I've seen you mention the importance of diet in regards to limiting odor on a number of posts. Could you be more specific? Are there certain foods that are more odor-causing or odor-preventing?
We will be getting our rats from a breeder. She also sells the food that she makes for her rats. Here is a link that shows what is in her food mix. Could you take a peek (scroll down on link) and see what you think?
http://www.rainingratsrattery.com/about-us/


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Divit said:


> I've seen you mention the importance of diet in regards to limiting odor on a number of posts. Could you be more specific? Are there certain foods that are more odor-causing or odor-preventing?
> We will be getting our rats from a breeder. She also sells the food that she makes for her rats. Here is a link that shows what is in her food mix. Could you take a peek (scroll down on link) and see what you think?
> http://www.rainingratsrattery.com/about-us/


I'd say processing is the number one offender. The more processed foods and ingredients you can eliminate, the better the body will be able to digest and eliminate properly. When foods are processed, the body's amount of waste produced increases greatly.

As far as the breeder's mix, it looks alright, though high in processed ingredients.


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## Divit (Aug 5, 2013)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> I'd say processing is the number one offender. The more processed foods and ingredients you can eliminate, the better the body will be able to digest and eliminate properly. When foods are processed, the body's amount of waste produced increases greatly.
> 
> As far as the breeder's mix, it looks alright, though high in processed ingredients.


Alright. Would you consider her mix more 'processed' than, say, Oxbow Regal Rat food? I'm still learning, but I would assume that her dry mix or the Regal Rat food would be the basic diet. And then I would supplement with some fresh fruit & greens.


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