RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Thu Jun 19, 2003 4:20 am

i was wondering how many times people clean out their cage. i have to clean it every single day cuz it gets sooo smelly. i know most people do it like 2-3 times a week but i don't want them to get sick. i have them on towels and in their litter box carefresh....am i doing something wrong??

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Brittany

~the~girls~
Cocoa~Baby~Daisy~Oreo
"People who dont like rats......limit their happiness"

Thu Jun 19, 2003 4:31 am

I clean mine thoroughly once a week and change out blankets every other day. But I use cell-sorb which can go a week before changing (sometimes more). With using towels you will find that the cage does get stinky quickly if they aren't changed daily. Even if they are litter trained they do still tend to pee and mark everything else.

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Thu Jun 19, 2003 4:32 am

yeah i can agree to that! roflmao

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Brittany

~the~girls~
Cocoa~Baby~Daisy~Oreo
"People who dont like rats......limit their happiness"

Thu Jun 19, 2003 5:52 am

I know I have a HORRIBLE habbit but sometimes I let the cage sit uncleaned for about 4 weeks. But I ONLY have 2 ratties!

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Ratties: Oreo (My uh-oh oreo)
Fei-Yen (My softy)

Thu Jun 19, 2003 5:59 am

That may be so long as to be hazardous, not a bad habit. The ammonia in their urine builds up and can basically poison them. Anything over one week is too long, in my own opinion.

rq

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Thu Jun 19, 2003 6:24 am

I bleach my cage topper and aquarium once a week. I also replace all their boxes and wash their blankies and hammock.

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~Mandy~
~Lily~My squishy PEW
~Tiger~My wittle baby PEW

Thu Jun 19, 2003 7:04 am

I clean my rats cage about every 3-4 days but i wash the blankit thing i have in there bed every 2 days

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My babys.... Lilo & Quintessa.

Names of past babys . Squeekey , Quicky , Spookey , Bella (shes on my avatar) , Jasmine, Zoe, Sophia , & Stich.
I will always rember you!

Thu Jun 19, 2003 2:40 pm

I don't think you're doing anything wrong!

I do a thorough cage clean every week. I change and wash all the fabric that lines the bottom of the cage and the wire floors and disinfect all the toys, igloos etc. On a daily basis I remove all poo from the litter tray and top up the litter as necessary, I wipe down both igloos and change the shredded paper bedding. Actually I quite often change the paper bedding more than once a day because the boys already seem to be addicted to marinating!

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A-M and the 3 roan lads - Neo, Pip(squeak) & Wes

Gone but never forgotten: Riz & Shearer

Thu Jun 19, 2003 3:43 pm

	c00lgurly wrote:
	I know I have a HORRIBLE habbit but sometimes I let the cage sit uncleaned for about 4 weeks. But I ONLY have 2 ratties!

I think it would be good for your rats' health to change your bad habit and really make an effort and clean them once a week at least. I used to have only 2 rats too and there is no way I would leave it that long. Think of it as you not flushing the toilet for a week. It wouldnt be nice would it.

But your rats can't get away from the dirty cage so they have to live in the ammonia build up. It will make them sick.

Please make an effort.

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Sab

"I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back"

Thu Jun 19, 2003 6:45 pm

I have cages with powder-coated wire floors (terenzianis), so they don't need wiping down but they still get a thorough cleanout once a week. Midweek I also change all their fleece bedding, hammocks and newspaper under the floors too. The igloos also get washed midweek. Obviously water and food gets done daily.

I've got several colonies of rats in some large cages, but I have two males who are both living alone in two large separate cages. Even these guys get cleaned out twice a week like the rest! Ok so maybe I'm a day or two late cleaning them out but no longer than this. We have all our rats in the living room so we DO notice if they get whiffy! Also, during the summer we tend to have the patio doors open a lot so they get a fair bit of clean air too. And we have a HEPA air filter for the winter for them.

The two boys who live alone we rescued recently from a woman who didn't have time to clean them out (she also has chinchillas and rabbits). When we picked up the boys from her, although she'd cleaned them out just beofre we got there, both their cages stank. She'd left them so long the metal of the cage had absorbed the urine and they smelt permanently. I've had to leave these cages outside for a week to de-smell and then clean them with bleach and rinse them lots!. The boys felt all greasy to touch too. It was really unpleasant to handle the boys, they smelt bad, and they felt slimey. So please, to anyone who's reading this, if you don't have the time to clean out your rats, maybe you should rehome them?
I barely have time to eat and sleep - and the house is always a mess. But my rats are clean - they take priority because they have no choice in the matter - like alienrat said, if I don't clean them out, they can't just decide to leave.
Rats are by nature quite clean animals - they groom themselves more than a cat does!

And lastly, if I have a rat with a serious respiratory infection, I make sure I clean them out almost daily. The ammonia from their waste is like them living and sleeping on toxic gas. Not nice at the best of times!!

<lecture mode: OFF/>

Thu Jun 19, 2003 6:46 pm

I clean out and wash each cage every week, and often clean out the igloos in between, especially when the weather is warm. What do you feed your rats? If they're getting a lot of treats, meat or fish, they'll smell a lot more than if their diet is plainer (mine only get fish treats the day before I clean them out or it just gets too stinky in the rat room!).

It can't be healthy for cages to be left 4 weeks. I left mine 1 and a half once when I was ill, and that wasn't pleasant for me or the rats. Apart from the ammonia, there's the risk of them accidentally eating some mouldy old food and getting ill from that.

Thu Jun 19, 2003 7:47 pm

thx to all! well i think it just comes down too...............they pee a lot! lol

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Brittany

~the~girls~
Cocoa~Baby~Daisy~Oreo
"People who dont like rats......limit their happiness"

Fri Jun 20, 2003 5:32 am

	c00lgurly wrote:
	I know I have a HORRIBLE habbit but sometimes I let the cage sit uncleaned for about 4 weeks. But I ONLY have 2 ratties!

OH MY FRIGGIN' GAWD! grr

Two rats or not; you need to assume responsibility! What the hell do you think you are doing. Let's let you sleep in carbon monoxide for four weeks! I don't think you'd be too happy. Plus, I've seen the size of your cage. YOUR POOR RATS! I would gladly take them off of your ingrateful hands.
Clean up your act, or give away the rats!

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-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Fri Jun 20, 2003 6:00 am

Hmm, I was just reading all this, and I read Stanza's last post. No offense to Stanza, but duuuuude, do you think you could be a little more harsh? I mean sure, it gets us all a little upset that we have fellow rat lovers out there not doing what WE want them to do, but dude, calm down. Yes, it would be nice to hear that she didn't let it sit for 4 weeks, and I haven't seen her cage, but anything that would go that long would have some major build up, but that's not your place to say "OH MY GOSH" to. I'm not telling you to never get mad again, but about that? She might've not known how much it could cause, heck I didn't for a while , and for her to get on here, and reply to the original post, that's good enough. Thank you

and that is all I have to say about that.

Now, as for a reply on the original post. I clean EVERYTHING once a week outside with the hose and a towel. I wash their hammock too, along with that week's rat laundry. I take out towels every other day, and put them in the hamper.

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Sara & Daisy

Gone, but never ever forgotten~
~ John-Paul & Earl; Benjamin, Russell, Chester, Dexter, George Harrison, and Leeroy. :*(

Fri Jun 20, 2003 6:55 am

Stanza, constructive advice is fine, but flaming is not. You can get your point across without being rude about it. Sara is correct in saying that not everyone does things the same and not everyone knows the best way to care for their ratties. If you can't say anything in a dignified manner then don't post at all.

As far as waiting 4 weeks coolgurly - I do agree that is WAY to long. You should do a bedding dump probably around once a week with spot cleanings daily. This "bad habit" could be a big indication of why your rats are not as healthy as they should be right now. Please make an effort to clean the cage weekly. Monthly cleanings just won't cut it for the respiratory system or well-being of your rats.

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Fri Jun 20, 2003 8:01 am

Well said Christy.

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Sara & Daisy

Gone, but never ever forgotten~
~ John-Paul & Earl; Benjamin, Russell, Chester, Dexter, George Harrison, and Leeroy. :*(

Fri Jun 20, 2003 2:47 pm

Sheesh! Some tension is building up here! I think everybody should take a deep breath and say Hummmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
I clean out my cages Once a week, but the trays at the bottom get washed every day (I have switched to carpet @ the bottom, NO CAREFRESH OR CELLSORB in this country, only evil pine and cedar and corncob) The carpet gets laundered once a week Or more if it gets soiled. The dishes and igloos get cleaned once a day and blankies get washed every 3 days.

Fri Jun 20, 2003 5:14 pm

I clean out my cages throughly every five days, six if I'm really pushed, but I don't leave it any longer. The shredded tissue in their igloos and nests gets changed daily and I remove as many of their droppings as I can every day.
I am at one with Labrat, in that I make sure the rat cages are cleaned even when I am really busy. This does mean I am sometimes cleaning cages at 3am and that the rest of my house looks like a bombsite, but they are dependent on us to keep them clean and healthy.

Please, coolgurly, don't leave your rats for so long between cleaning. It really is bad for them. I have to admit to being pretty shocked at the idea of leaving a cage for so long. It will certainly exacerbate your rat's respiratory problems.

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Linda and the RMDs

Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever, for what we have tamed.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Fri Jun 20, 2003 9:12 pm

I know that cage cleaning can be a daunting task. I admit to letting it go 1-2 days past my normal cleaning day on occation. I have found however that how things are set up can make all the difference.

Have a garbage can right next to the cage so you don't have to go anywhere to throw things away. Somewhere next to the cage have any supplies you need for spot cleaning. I keep unscented baby wipes, scissors, cable ties, empty boxes, and clean fabric on shelves under and next to the cages. I also have a second garbage can for soiled fabric waiting to be washed. The baby wipes are great for spot cleaning. Wipe up a pee puddle here, clean dried babyfood off the cage wire there, pick up a stepped on poo that is all squished. I can replace any soiled boxes quickly and easily since all the supplies are right there. And it takes no time to take down one hammock and put up another with the clean and dirty fabric pile so close (yet seperated). Once a week all the litter gets dumped and the the whole cage gets scrubbed, but the spot cleaning throughout the week really cuts down on the time the big cleaning takes. Keeping everything so close makes it so much easier.

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paisley

Spike, Diamond, Elphaba, Rose, Octavia, A Cappella, & Nocturne

the cats: Trip & Phlox

the rabbit: Ripley