How Annoying is Rat Pee?

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Heroic Monkey

Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2009
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After reading a couple stories about rats peeing through the cage bars (is that common?), I'm wondering just how annoying it is. How does rat pee smell? Is it hard to clean? Does it stain carpets? My mom and I are concerned about these things. I would appreciate any info you have on this topic so I can be an expert rat peeologist.

By the way, thanks to everyone who has been answering my questions. :thumbup:
 
i only have experience with my 2 m/o boys and they don't seem to pee out through the bars at all, maybe they will when they're older. They seem to just pee indiscriminately, like, "here i am, i have to pee, here i pee". But during outside time they loooooove to pee on me. They peed on the couch a couple times and i was able to wash it out pretty easily. Now they like to pee on me most, so i don't wear good clothes when i take them out & will take them out -before- i shower. I haven't noticed a strong smell, but again, that might be because they are young'uns, not sure if the pee becomes more potent when they get older. I am curious for manrat insight as well...
 
Both of my guys pee pretty much constantly except when im holding them, any time i put them on the couch a little peedots trail behind them.. i havent noticed much of a smell at all, but i always clean it up right away, ive also started putting 2 towels down on the couch before i let them run around..both of my guys pee big amounts on men though i think its a testosterone thing lol, my guys are just so macho :laugh4:
 
Annoying? What else are they supposed to do with their excess water? :giggle:

Rat pee isn't any more pungent than any other pee you will encounter in life.

Be proud when your rats pee all over you. It means they love you and are marking you as their territory. :love6:

I am downright euphoric when Buddy drags his little gonads over my arm and then sits there... looking at me... with this little attitude. :laugh4:

While we're on the topic.... poop is also something to be proud of. It's great for sending to people you don't like... people who don't like your rats.... and people who don't like people who like, and possibly have, rats. :poop: :poop: :poop:

Everything about your rat is unique. Pee and poop indicate that their little bodies are functioning the way they should be.

Let's face it.... a constipated rat in discomfort would be more upsetting than a little fur face who doesn't stop peeing and pooping on your sofa... on your address labels... on your laptop... on your foot and in your sleeve. :bunnydance:

Recommended Reading:
Yellow Brooks by I.P Freely
 
i have plastic under the cage, but i also had my dad make a "pee guard." it's just plastic that wraps around the back of the cage. saves me from having to clean the walls at least. thwy do splash a bit on there, but i don't clean it every week. and i also have nothing lining the shelves which would prob make a huge difference.
 
ewww ive never had a rat pee down the walls of my home or down the side of the cage.
sometimes they pee on the shelves of the cage, but mostly its in their litter tray.

if you can litter train your rats then it makes a heck of a difference
 
I currently have 4 males and I have no issue with them peeing down the side of the cage and I have never had one of my manrats full out pee on me and they hardly ever even do the little the pee drops when they climb on me. I think it all comes down to the individual rat. Also rat pee is quite easy to clean as it is water soluble
 
I totally agree with Jennifervb...

My rats do pee everywhere but it's super easy to wipe up. In my opinion, the smell is not that bad unless mixed with something like aspen, newspaper, carefresh, fleece... keep their cage nice and tidy, their play area, if carpet, can be easily cleaned with baking soda once or twice a month. Walls, wiped down once or twice a week, bare floors wiped up daily.
 
Haha I've had rat pee down the walls. I've got five boys, four of which think they're uber-macho and will drip like a leaky faucet every time I take them out of their cage XD It is pretty easy to clean up, unless you have to hand wash everything like I do (mum won't let me touch her immaculate washing machine with my stinky rat hammocks ¬_¬)
And as with any sort of 'leavings', it will smell if you leave it :p
Girl rats on the other hand, their pee might as well be fresh rosewater - you can't smell it! XD Whenever I babysit the girls from next door, my parents constantly nag me about why I didn't get girls instead because they just don't stink! Can't help it if my boys like to marinate >.<
 
One thing to note about pee, is that some people (my self included) can be allergic to it. It is easily managed though. I dump my litter boxes every (or almost) day, and keep fabrics fresh as well. Most annoying is when they pee in their hammocks :doh:

I'm also going to build a coroplast play pen as a "guard" for my cage, since occasionally there are flung turds and chewed grass from their huts that end up on my carpet.

Having owned many various rodent pets over the years, I have to say that rats are the cleanest and least smelliest of them all. I think chinchilla's and hamsters rate among the worst for smell...at least in my humble opinion. They do dribble here and there, but my babes spend most of the day out on my bed and I've never had a full blown pee problem. I just lay down an extra sheet so my bedding isn't affected.
 
minuke99 said:
I just lay down an extra sheet so my bedding isn't affected.
Click to expand...

Yeah, i have a cheap Spongebob Squarepants (lmao) fleece blanket i lay down on my bed or the sofa's when i let the rats out. Tis waayyy easier to clean than having to strip my bed down every single night and wash it all
 
The only time my boys decide it's a good idea to pee outside their house is when they have no hammock :laugh4:
Just make sure you keep a constant supply of hammies on hand XD
 
Well it can be annoying when they climb on your head and spring a leak!! :laugh4:
NOT a good idea.
5 boys and 1 girl means poor Delilah lives in a frat house!!
They poop while the eat, drink, play and sleep.
They poop and pee literally two inches outside the litterbox. :shock:
They decorate the walls with pee and poop.
I love them anyway.
My ratties give unconditional love and they keep me highly entertained.
More than worth it. :heart:


Philbert hugging his "Poo Bear" :giggle:
 
something as a suggestion... is something they sell at menards. it's made to put under your washer/dryers... it's a plastic tub with the plastic making about a 3 inch rim so that water can't leak. i have those under both of my cages, because my rats somehow pee out of their cage also. they also like to push everything out of the cage like bedding, sleeping materials, poo, ect... so it catches all that stuff too.
 
I guess I'm lucky with my gang, 2 of them are in a cage with a plastic surround all around so that the mess doesn't leave the cage (unless they good at flinging it out the top) and Chester's just too lazy to throw things around.
 
Sharlees rattakisses said:
They poop and pee literally two inches outside the litterbox. :shock:
They decorate the walls with pee and poop.
I love them anyway.
My ratties give unconditional love and they keep me highly entertained.
More than worth it. :heart:


Philbert hugging his "Poo Bear" :giggle:
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHA oh my goodness that's disgusting!! Hahaha! Poo bear...

I CANNOT get my rats to pee in the litter box, they poop in there so that's good enough I guess. It does STINK up the fleece after two days though. But sometimes they poop right outside of the litter box. I put blankets down on the couch yesterday so they could play without marking up the sofa and I put the litter box on the couch as well... Suki ran up and sat in the litter box making a funny face.. Then she moved and there was a fresh turd. So about 5 minutes later I guess she wasn't done and went back but this time sat on the ledge of the litter box... Her butt over the sofa and she released some more turds. At least she knows she needs to be near it :giggle:

I don't care at all when my rats scent mark me, the only thing that sucks is when they do it on my roommates who aren't as comfortable with the idea of rat pee :D Just keep a tissue handy to wipe it off.
 
Having a myriad of animals in the house, I come in contact with a lot of different pee, and I think the rat is the least offensive -- definitely not as bad as the cat, dog, or even the rabbit. It's (by default!) in smaller quantities....it doesn't smell as bad....it doesn't seem as sticky....and the rats never pee on my pillow when they're mad at me (unlike the cat).

I'd take rat-pee over angry-cat-pee ANY day.
 

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