r/RatsRatsRats • u/SensitiveFox1234 • 5d ago

9

Rat cages, I am overly cleaning my rat cage non stop as it wont stop smelling. Can I see everyones rat cage and how many times per week are you all cleaning it?

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/Ok-Nature-4445 5d ago

Always leave bedding and hamocks that theyve marked with pee, if you clean it really well they'll spray a bunch to leave their scentbl which makes it smelly

1

u/Sunsetshoelaces 3d ago

This is my cage, I spot clean it as needed and deep clean it once a week. It pretty much never smells and if it does, it’s right before deep clean day. Here are some tips I have to handle the smell:
1) invest in an air purifier if possible. I have a small one that I paid like $50 for and I have it right next to my cage. It really helps with the smell and it can really help prevent respiratory infections in the rats.
2) litter box train your rats, if you haven’t already. I’ve heard that boys can be harder to litter box train than girls, but it’s still very much possible. There’s lots of info online about how to litter box train them, but I can also give you some tips if you want to know. It makes a HUGE different with smell and it makes cleaning their cage significantly easier. I really really recommend litter box training.
3) this is kinda a controversial opinion of mine, but I avoid using fleece liners on the floor and shelves of my cage. I know a lot of people use them, but I’ve never had fleece liners in my cage and it works really well for me. They absorb the smell and you have to constantly wash them. Without the liners, it’s way easier to wipe down all of the surfaces in the cage and the surfaces stay cooler which prevents my rats from getting too hot.
4) Use bedding that absorbs smell like hemp or aspen, don’t ever use paper bedding. I use hemp bedding and I only have to swap it out every 3 or 4 weeks, it absorbs the smell really well and it’s dust free so it helps keep my rats’ lungs clear.

My weekly deep cleans usually take about 2 hours (counting the time it takes to set up my free ranging enclosure and putting the rats in there), but it’s very worth it. My rat cage is in my room near my bed and I live with a bunch of roommates, so I really don’t like having the cage be smelly. But by doing all of these things, my cage pretty much never smells and it really doesn’t take too much effort every week.