# What's your cage cleaning routine?



## Pucklexis (Jul 17, 2016)

Do you spot clean and how often do you do it?
How often do you fully clean the cage?
What are some of the products you use?


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## AmbientWanderer (Sep 16, 2016)

I spot clean my girls cage at least once a day, that means cleaning up their stray poops and either putting them in the litter box or chucking them away. I like to wash down the base of their cage (the bottom of the critter nation is tiled) and I do that every day, or every other day depending on how smelly they are / how busy I am.
Fully cleaned, I probably do every week or so but being honest, I could probably go longer as my spot cleans are washing down the base of the cage and cleaning up poops.
White vinegar and water is my favourite for cleaning the bottom of the cage, then I wipe it down with water and dry off with kitchen roll. I used a dustpan and brush to pick up the stray poops that are left about.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I also have a critter nation.

Take out top pan and litter box, ball up the fleece liner and put in a garbage bag (to be shaken out and washed later to resuse) Spray down everything with white vinegar/water mix. Let sit for a couple minutes. Wipe dry. Put and handful of carefresh in the litter box, and wrap top pan with fleece and put everything back.

Take out bottom pan, put dirty fleece in bag, spray pan with vin/water mix and let soak again then wipe dry. Wrap with clean fleece and put back.

Toys and hammocks are washed/wiped down as needed. Maybe once a month. I'm lucky and my current group doesn't pee in their hammocks. But they do have a Wodent Wheel which needs to be wiped down every other week or so or fully taken apart and cleaned. They do like to poop and pee in that even though they also love to run in it all the time. 

Full cage cleanings are done once a week. Occasionally I do spot checks and pick up poops, but it's not really needed. The process is really simple, but the worst part of cleaning the rats is that big bag of fleece and having to shake out each individual piece of cloth outside, sweep up all the poops and paper shreds, and then wash the fleece in a few loads with some unscented detergent and a splash of bleach. But luckily this only has to be done every one or two months. Still kind of a pain to do!


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## Kelsbels (Aug 12, 2015)

I have a Savic Royal Suite Double 95 (SRS for short) It's very much like the Critter Nation. During the week I spot clean poops out of their bedding, and empty out their frequented litter box on Wednesday. Unfortunately they have gotten into the habit of peeing in their hammocks so on Wednesdays I will exchange them if they're whiffy.

On Saturdays is the full cage clean out day. I put my girls in their vacation cage (food, water, and shelter) and then start cleaning their main cage. I fill up my tub with water, vinegar and a little dish soap (sensitive) then put all of their cage accessories in to soak and wash. 

I throw all of their hammocks into the washing machine after shaking them out. I dump all the hemp bedding from the levels into the trash and put the levels in the tub too. As things are washing and soaking. I take out the vacuum cleaner and suck up all the bedding that's on the cage doors and floor (if it has fallen). then I prepare a wipe with water and vinegar to wipe down the sides and bars of the cage. 

As that's drying, I go back to the tub scrub and clean everything and dry it. Then I get those ready to put back into the cage. Overall this can take up to two hours, and I haven't had any trouble with my girls marking more or anything.


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## writingonwalls (Oct 1, 2016)

Daily: Check water supply. Pick up the stray poop. Empty out litter box (they poop quite a bit!). Fix any furniture. Add fresh food.

Weekly: Remove all old fleece and change it out for new fleece. Wash the old fleece with apple cider vinegar only. Wipe down all the surfaces with a water spray bottle and a drop of tea tree oil (which I am now replacing with acv just in case the tea tree is too strong for them). Wipe out the litter box and clean out the food and water containers. Then I let everything air dry for a while so that the smell of the vinegar can air out.

My ratties spend a lot of their time outside of their cage so it's not too bad. But they do party at night xD


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## Verucasdad (Aug 31, 2015)

Daily: Wipe down surfaces with Simple Green and do poopy patrol. I change fleece in the hides on Sat and Wed.

Weekly: Full out cleaning. I use Dawn/vinegar/water. I take everything out and scrub it. What doesn't air dried is towel dried. I also wipe down the cage itself as it gets a little grungy too.


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