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Author Topic: STINKY cage, need advice  (Read 854 times)
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« on: September 17, 2004, 04:22:40 PM »

(I hope this in the right forum... it's more cage care than rat cage, so I put it here.)

I have a Martin's R-695 for my 5 female rats.  I clean it once a week and I use aspen bedding.  However, I've been having this dilemma.... no matter what I do, it seem that their cage always reeks!  I know why: it is because they are silly girls and ONLY pee on their wire shelves. Roll Eyes  I have three high-corner litter pans, which they only use for hoarding food or sleeping.  I scrub and scrub at those bars with "Nature's Miracle," but by the next day the reek has returned.  I wish I could hose down their cage every other day, as they live in my (small) room and the odor gets quite noxious after a few days.  However, this is very impractical since I live on the third floor of the house and the attic hall and stairs are very narrow and it is a painful (for the cage-- I swear it gets a bit more battered each time I clean it) struggle just to get the cage downstairs and into the bathtub to give it a scrub and a shower.

I know lots of you have R-695's or bigger.  How, oh HOW do you keep the odor down?  I am at my wit's end.  My nose is at it limits.  I need any advice you've got to give.  And I'm quite sure my girls would appreciate it even more than I, since they have to live in the cage... (poor ratties! )
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« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2004, 04:23:58 PM »

Is your cage galvinized or powder-coated?
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« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2004, 04:25:25 PM »

Woops, forgot to mention that: powder-coated.  And none of it has worn off yet (it's only a few months old).
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« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2004, 04:38:24 PM »

I have 2 boys (soon to be 3) and have the exact same cage you do.
I use towel bedding was doing a bedding change once or twice a week with a complete take-the-cage-outside-and-scrub-it-with-a-wire-brush cleaning on Sundays. There was rarely any smell at all. I change it more now due to Cosmo's bumbley feet. With 5 girlies, maybe you should do a complete clean more often.
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« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2004, 04:54:21 PM »

 Sad ... Maybe I will just have to clean it more often...  But like I mentioned, it barely fits down the stairs, and its getting so dented from me wedging it around little corners and wiggling it through tiny spaces.  I couldn't imagine how quickly it would just fall apart if I had to do that down two flights of stairs twice a week... And what about in the winter when I can't wash it outside?

Maybe I am just being stubborn and/or lazy. *smacks self*  But I figure there has got to be a better way to do this... my girls have wee little clothespins on their noses!
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« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2004, 05:43:10 PM »

Can you keep the rats downstairs? I know what it's like trying to lug a huge cage down a flight of stairs, but to save your cage, your back, and your sanity, maybe you could move them?

I do a complete cage clean twice a week, and I have 6 girls, and they don't stink hardly at all.
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« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2004, 06:14:52 PM »

I use newspaper on the shelfs, but I still think once a week is not often enough.  I have a 2 cages that are approximately the same size which I clean every other day to prevent smells and they still smell sometimes by the second day.  I don't have a single cage that can go longer than three days.  Good luck.

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« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2004, 07:06:42 PM »

I think some people's noses are just more sensitive than others... I've had a 690 for two years now, and although it has icky buildup on it from urine protein deposits, I've never noticed a smell.  I mean, if the bedding is icky then yes, or if the hammock or cardboard boxes or wooden furniture needs scrubbed then I smell that, but the cage itself is fine.  The only thing I've found that gets the buildup off is an actual scrubber (not just a sponge, the type you use on nasty pots & pans but can be used on teflon so it doesn't scrape off the powder coating).
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« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2004, 09:01:19 PM »

I find that my girls' cage smell is kept down by scooping all the poop/wet shavings out of the cage each morning... you mentioned scrubbing the wires, but you didn't say if you were doing anything with the bedding itself. Sorry to make a redundant suggestion if you're already doing this. Smiley
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« Reply #9 on: September 19, 2004, 03:17:10 PM »

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice! Smiley

Yes, at least once a week I do a full bedding/shelf scrubbing.  I also usually refresh their bedding in between then.  The problem I have been having is that it seems like the very next day after I scrub their bars, the urine has built up and it's smellin' again.  I guess I'm just not used to having so many rats... I've never had this many rats at one time before, let alone in one cage.  I guess I'm a lot more stubborn than I thought! Wink  When I had three girls in a cage half the size, I'd only begin to get an unpleasant whiff after two weeks, which is how often I cleaned it (although I did freshen it in between then).

Oh, how I WISH I could keep their cage downstairs... however, my parents like the idea of having pets, but they'd rather not have to look at them or have their space taken up by what they consider to be too big a cage.  Anyway, this afternoon I lugged the cage down the two flights of stairs and scrubbed it with bleach water and blasted it with a hose.... so we'll see how long that lasts.  Maybe if I can convince my parents how much easier it is to clean the cage outside, they'll let me keep it downstairs.  Honestly, I'd be glad to clean their cage every other day that way if it weren't for all the lugging.  I finally weasled my sister into helping me carry it down the stairs and it was soooo much easier, so maybe that was the problem, I just needed some help!  However, she thought it was rather torturous of me to ask to her to help, despite the fact that it took less than two minutes. Roll Eyes

Okay, now that I've rambled on for so long, I realize how silly all this is...  thanks again everyone for being patient with me. Wink
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« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2004, 08:00:19 PM »

One other thing I thought of... does it get humid in your room? I've noticed that when the humidity is high, my girls' cage gets stinky waaay faster than usual, and as soon as we shut the windows of our house and turn the air conditioning on, the smell practically disappears with the humidity. Just a random thought... Smiley
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« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2004, 08:45:28 PM »

does your cgae have a plastic/metal tray at the bottom which you can take the actual cage off.... that might make it easier to carry if you have to separate parts because youc an turn them on  there side etc......
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« Reply #12 on: September 20, 2004, 06:45:12 AM »

I have found that if I keep fabric on all my levels, I have less smell (and no hubby complaints about the smell).

I change the fabrics as needed during the week.  Some areas get pee soaked in one day, some areas can go the whole week without being changed. 

Try this and see if it helps.

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« Reply #13 on: September 20, 2004, 02:30:26 PM »

I noticed a smell with my girls and I clean there cage once a week but more if needed. I dont mind the smell, its not that bad but it drives my fiancee nuts. He just has a sensitive nose. I may try fabric or towels of somesort on the shelves and see how that works!
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« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2004, 03:01:07 PM »

By scrubbing and scrubbing the cage your actually causeing more of the problem then solving it. When you scrub it you remove their smell so they mark it up even more. Try scrubbing it every other time and see if that doesn't help.
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« Reply #15 on: September 20, 2004, 04:45:48 PM »

Before I forget: I wanted to ask ya'll what cleaning products you use.  I use Nature's Miracle or Mr. Clean and lots of hot water.  Just yesterday I tried warm bleach water, but this morning I could already smell them from across the room. Tongue (not that that my room is big enough for that to mean anything, lol)

One other thing I thought of... does it get humid in your room? I've noticed that when the humidity is high, my girls' cage gets stinky waaay faster than usual, and as soon as we shut the windows of our house and turn the air conditioning on, the smell practically disappears with the humidity. Just a random thought... Smiley

Oh!  That's a really good point!  I got the cage in the spring and this problem started once the summer came.  It gets very humid in the summer around where I live, so I bet that is part of the problem.  Thanks!  Now that you mention it... it does seem to smell a bit less when the AC is on, but since my room is so small it's not much of a difference.

By scrubbing and scrubbing the cage your actually causeing more of the problem then solving it. When you scrub it you remove their smell so they mark it up even more. Try scrubbing it every other time and see if that doesn't help.

Wow... I never thought of that... thank you, I'll try it!

I have found that if I keep fabric on all my levels, I have less smell (and no hubby complaints about the smell).

I change the fabrics as needed during the week. Some areas get pee soaked in one day, some areas can go the whole week without being changed.

Try this and see if it helps.



Another really good idea... I'll try it too.  Do you secure the fabric down with anything?  Because I know that my girls will drag it up to their nest, no matter how big it is. Ratty Smiley
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« Reply #16 on: September 20, 2004, 04:57:23 PM »

you also might try using a white vinegar solution for cleaning.   

I haven't read all everything, but what type of bedding are you using.  I found that when I was using "plain" carefresh.  the cage stank like crazy after a day or two. 
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« Reply #17 on: September 20, 2004, 05:07:49 PM »

I saw something in a pet store a couple days ago, but wasnt brave enough to try it. It looked like that crystal cat litter stuff, the directions said to place a thin layer beneath the bedding, and it would eliminate the smell by absorbing the urine.
Any thoughts?
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« Reply #18 on: September 21, 2004, 07:15:37 AM »


Another really good idea... I'll try it too. Do you secure the fabric down with anything? Because I know that my girls will drag it up to their nest, no matter how big it is. Ratty Smiley

I try to secure the fabric down, but it doesn't usually stay secured (but I look at it as another way to keep my rats amused  Smiley )

I pull the fabric thru the cage bars and put a clip on it on the outside that is big enough to not pull back thru the bars (I use the black metal binder clips that you can use in place of a paper clip on a larger pile of papers).

This works great, until they chew the corner off.   Blue Dumbo Smile (and I find a binder clip with a small amount of fabric still in it, sitting on the desk)

When the bigger pieces get chewed enough they do not work on the full levels anymore, they get moved to the smaller levels and eventually become nesting material when they are chewed to the point of no use.



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« Reply #19 on: September 23, 2004, 04:07:30 PM »

^Thanks.  I have some alligator clips lying around... so I think I'll try that.  I'm sure my girls will love it, but we'll see how frustrated I get constantly reclipping gnawed corners... Wink

you also might try using a white vinegar solution for cleaning.

I haven't read all everything, but what type of bedding are you using. I found that when I was using "plain" carefresh. the cage stank like crazy after a day or two.
Vinegar!  Yes!  I've heard of that before, thanks for reminding me!  I am using aspen.  Yeah, I think carefresh has a yucky smell, even straight from the bag. Tongue 

I saw something in a pet store a couple days ago, but wasnt brave enough to try it. It looked like that crystal cat litter stuff, the directions said to place a thin layer beneath the bedding, and it would eliminate the smell by absorbing the urine.
Any thoughts?
Hmmm, that's interesting.  But my problem is not with the bedding getting smelly or dirty.  It is with the urine sticking to the wire shelves and stinking horribly no matter how much I scrub. Sad  But thanks though!

Thanks all!
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« Reply #20 on: September 23, 2004, 04:52:08 PM »

I have a ruud with 10 ratties, and i only scrub it once every 2 weeks.

BUT, when it was humid (and hubby wouldn't let me run the ac), not 2 days later, hubby was complaining about how stinky they were.  I had to agree.

Perhaps you can get a dehumidifier in your room?
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« Reply #21 on: September 24, 2004, 01:20:45 AM »

Hi all
I use baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) in the bottom of the tray. I use a big handfull. It is under newspaper. Baking soda is non toxic and magic in absorbing smells. cheap too.
I wonder if the food you are feeding your rats is affecting their smell. Also, if your rats have been on antibiotics, this can make them smelly. The antibiotics kills the good bugs in their guts and they can get diarrhea. It takes awhile for the normal flaura and fauna to be reestablish.
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