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simmysyn

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
25
Location
pacific northwest
I have a big cage for Iggy that I am unable to take down the stairs to wash outside unless my boyfriend helps me (every other week). So how I've been keeping his cage clean is daily spot/fleece cleaning, washing his hammock every week, and using good ol' elbow grease and hot water for cleaning. I am afraid to use any soaps, because I can't exactly rinse out the cage afterward. (The cage is 2" too big to fit through the bathroom door, we've tried a LOT, the only way is if we took it apart & put it back together which takes an hour on its own.) So, mainly for those of you who have cages that can't be moved or taken outside/to a bathroom to wash, how do you keep things clean and sterile?
 
I have a FN so there's no way that thing is getting hosed down every week lol. I have fleece liners covering the pans and during my weekly cage clean I just wipe down all the pans with baby wipes. Since rat pee is water soluble you don't need much else.

What brand of cage is it? If it's by chance a Superpet one with the "pee river" shelves then I would definately recommend covering all the shelves with fleece; it does wonders.
 
I use fleece, even cut holes for the holes that lead down the ramp and tube and such, then binder-clip them down. I didn't think of baby wipes, and I have a great many of them xD Plus they're pretty cheap. I'll try that! Thank you!!!! *hugs*
 
Pans, etc are scrubbed and rinsed in the tub every few days.
A bucket of soapy water, and a tooth brush and cloth for scrubing the cage. A good through rinsing with a bucket of clean water and a cloth and drying of the cage. Then wiping up the water off the floor.

Every so often the cage is completely taken apart and the parts scrubbed and rinsed in the tub.
 
How do you rinse it though? I would end up getting water all over my carpet. I suppose I could take the shelves out every once in a while for cleaning, but I'd have to take all the attachments off, too, and that's a pain when there's cheap plastic involved.
 
I take mine outside every saturday and rinse it with ABC detergent.
But I use cage cleaner everyday during the week to wipe down the levels.
I use fresh & comfy bedding in the bottom with YN in the litter pans.
 
Also I wash all there houses, washable toys in ABC detergent everyday.
I wash hammocks and such evry two - three days in ABC detergent.
 
Fleece gets changed at least 2-3times a week and Pans get washed in tub at that time, with hot soapy water and rinsed with hot water.
Last big full cage scrub down... I rolled the cage out the the kitchen on to a small tarp and use scrub brushes and tooth brushes with a bucket of hot soapy water (used baby shampoo figured it would be safe)...then rinsed with hot water...trying to keep buckets or pans under the area I was rinsing to catch some of the water...then mopped up the tarp and put it away...this does not happen often its a big job!
 
I think a lot of it depends on the ratio of number of ratties to size of cage. If you have 10 rats in a double CN, it needs pretty frequent cleaning. If you have 3 in a double CN, once or twice a week does just fine. =) We all forget that everyone has a different set up, and think, wow, should I be scrubbing my cage down every day? Lol
 
I spot clean and change the fleece every day because otherwise my allergies flare up. Right now it's just him in a 24x24x36 (Guessing on the last one, it might be 34), and the new boy in his quarantine cage (My mom surprised me with a new boy yesterday). Baby wipes sound the easiest, to I'll try that for now. I really wouldn't want my boys getting sick from licking up soap that wasn't properly rinsed off!
 
The baby wipes I have are the ones my sister used for her daughter because she had sensitive skin, and they are parent's choice unscented alcohol free baby wipes with aloe. I normally use them to get some of the excess buck grease off Iggy's back. He doesn't seem to mind them, no red nose/sniffles, no wheezing/squeaking, no signs of distress. I would think they'd be okay.
 
Ratty Momma said:
I have thought about baby wipes, but isnt there like oils and stuff in them?
Click to expand...

Nothing in them that makes a difference when cage cleaning. If they are safe enough to use on a baby's bum then I would hope they are more than safe to clean a rat cage with.
 
I don't know much about babies so I have no idea, haha

I think I might try this baby wipe thing. You can get unscented right?
 
Yep! You can get unscented. That's what I use, and I know we recently turned Shelagh onto them as well too. They work wonders!
 

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