How to Keep Rat Cage From Smelling

January 17, 2022 0

Introduction:

Rodents like rats, mice, and hamsters are great animals to keep as pets. They are relatively easy to look after, but they do need a good level of care, or their health can be compromised very quickly. A large part of looking after these animals is ensuring that they have the right living conditions. One of the most important things about looking after any animal is making sure they live in an environment that is safe for them, has enough room for them to move around, and gives them space to play, eat and drink.

However, many people will find that one area where they often struggle with keeping their rodent pet healthy is controlling odors from their cage. In this article, I will discuss how to keep rat cage from smelling. So let us get started.

What Causes Rat Cages To Smell?

However, a healthy rat cage will not have an offensive-smelling odor; several factors contribute to this problem. Many of them (including the biggest culprit) can be isolated and corrected without too much effort. Once you understand what causes a rat cage to stink, it should be easy enough for you to identify which one is affecting yours and take measures to eliminate it.

The most significant cause of rat cage odor is the owner. An unclean environment will lead to a dirty pet, which leads to a dirty cage. Cockroach feces are another familiar rat cage odor that can be avoided by cleaning up all their droppings at least twice a day. Eliminating all fecal matter from your pet’s home is the best way since it does not allow ammonia to build up and contribute to the stench of the rodent’s dwelling
Water bottles can quickly become contaminated with mildew if they are not cleaned regularly. Cleaning water bottles at least once every three days may help ensure that your rat’s home does not have an odor caused by bacteria growing in drinking water.
A rat’s living area will start to smell if they are not given enough water to drink, which can be remedied by adding an extra water bottle to the cage or cleaning out the old one more frequently. If your pet is sick, it must have access to plenty of fresh drinking water at all times
Urine is another major cause of foul odors in a rodent’s cage. The urine is robust and contributes to ammonia build-up, so you may need to take additional measures if babies are living inside their mother’s home, if she has recently delivered them, or if she has recently lost them as this could cause her to become highly protective of her living space. If she has recently given or lost her litter, you might want to wait until the babies are weaned to clean out the cage so as not to stress her
Certain rodents will urinate on food before eating it if they feel that their immediate environment is unsafe. This behavior should stop once you relocate your pet into a new home but could also be indicative of other health problems such as urinary tract infections which must be treated with antibiotics under the supervision of your local exotic animal vet.

You Can Check It Out to Get Rid of Rat Smell in House

A Detailed Stepwsie Guide on How to Keep Rat Cage From Smelling:

Try baking soda. Put some in a container and leave it inside the rat’s cage overnight to absorb odors, stirring occasionally.
If your rat’s cage has a wire floor, you can place a litter box covered with hay under the wire to make it a less unpleasant area for them to stand
As often as possible, let your rat out of his cage and give him time to run around your home without any barriers. If he stays in a tiny space all his life, he will develop bad habits such as biting or urinating inappropriately, which could be very hard to break later on.
You can use safe human-grade mothballs inside your rodent’s home if necessary. Still, these are not recommended since they have been known to cause respiratory problems and even death in animals, so at your own risk, You would need to leave them inside the cage for at least 24 hours to absorb odors and keep your pet safely in another room until they are removed.
If you find that the best way to keep rat cage from smelling is by removing access droppings, disinfecting the environment, and adding additional airflow, do so immediately before the odor worsens. Working with a clean home will require you to put in less work later on when it comes time to clean up all your rodent’s excrement again.
If any of these methods fail or if you think something else is causing your rodent’s living arrangements to stink, you should take him to see an exotic animal vet who can help you find out what is causing this problem and how to best solve it.

Keep your rodent’s living quarters clean, give him multiple water bottles so he has access to clean drinking water at all times, let him roam free around your home occasionally, and take the time to invest in good quality pet products that may help control odors associated with ammonia or yeast build-up which could be why you are having difficulty finding the solution to making your rat cage smell better.

Are Petting Rats Harmful?

The pet rat is a very intelligent, loving, playful, and gentle animal. It can be tamed easily if proper steps are followed. These pets should be handled with great care because their teeth are constantly growing throughout their life and you must look after them properly to prevent this from happening.

Apart from that, they need plenty of attention for themselves for a friendly life span of 2-3 years in captivity. Only one male rat should be kept in the cage as two male rats tend to fight severely when cohabiting together, especially if they do not get along well. On the other hand, the female rats make a good pair, and a female rat can live happily with her mate for many months without any problems whatsoever.

What Should I Feed To My Pet Rats?

This is a very important question. It will determine the health of your rat and his happiness as well as affect your pocketbook because rats are what they eat. Compare a rat who eats a fast-food diet to one who eats a healthy home-cooked meal–the difference is amazing. Rats on junk food diets have brittle coats, vitamin deficiencies, diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and their life span is only 1-2 years as opposed to 3-4 years. They also become lethargic and lose interest in playing or even interacting with their owners.

The best diet for your rat is a healthy, well-balanced homemade diet. It’s not difficult to prepare and can be quite inexpensive. Rats will eat many things you probably eat: fruits like bananas, apples, and grapes; veggies like broccoli, carrots, and spinach; bread and pasta (rats love spaghetti on occasion); cheese, nuts, and of course seeds.

Conclusion:

I hope this article has offered you all the necessary information on how to keep rat cage from smelling. Ensure a clean environment for your rats. Thank you and have a nice day!