Vinegar and water - not such a good thing for cages

[rattytat]

Just realised that after 6 weeks of trying to be as allergy friendly as possible to my ratties that I have done the worst thing ever :sad3: Knowing that Mike, my male 8-9 month old was very prone to allergies and was constantly experiencing nasal/sinus problems, I changed every possible thing I could in his cage and room, as well as cleaning and laundry options. For some reason I felt that cleaning the cage with baby wipes and small amount of vinegar diluted in a spray bottle of water would be fine. I googled everything I could think of about this combination but found nothing except positive comments on the benefits of vinegar and water. , but somehow I was a little dubious because if you smell vinegar , it can take your breath away. Anyway, after reading another thread yesterday in which someone, I think Joanne, mentioned her rats were having problems as well - particularly after she cleaned the cage. I immediately headed to the internet again where I found a site that said cleaning with vinegar and water in a confined space can be harmful to the respiratory system :emb: So, I rudely awakened Mike and Smudge from their afternoon nap and cleaned out the cage for the 2nd time in about 6 hours. And what a difference it made. Almost immedialtely I could notice a change in Mike's breathing - and when I checked during the night, there wasn't a sound coming from the cage. Usually you can hear him making all kinds of strange and loud noises even in the hallway.

Maybe I'm the only one who wasn't aware of this, but I thought I'd pass this info along.

 

[Scythe]

This makes sense... But the cages would be ventilated, wouldn't they? Not really a 'closed space'. Definitely worth a switch to see if it helps Ed's honking any.

 

[rattytat]

Definitely a well ventilated cage, but where he seems prone to these type of problems, the strong scent of vinegar is not going to help. Also, I suppose if you consider the size of their little bodies and respiratory systems, it wouldn't take much to effect them.

 

[SQ]

I use diluted vinegar, rinse well and dry.
Seems to be ok, but ventalization is important

 

I used vinegar and water on my CN and i found the same thing..my rats were sneezing and stuffed up ..as soon as I switched back to baby wipes and ABC detergent mixed with water ..everything was fine again.

You definately have well ventilated cages

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

I use Tea Tree oil in a bucket of warm water.
Works like a charm for 14 ratties and it smells great. :thumbup:

 

[victoria]

I clean my cage daily and use just warm water most days. Once or twice a week I will use vinegar (undiluted in a spray bottle) or dish soap to do a more thorough clean but I always rinse it well and haven't had issues. Rinsing and ventilation are definitely a must though.

 

[rattytat]

I use Tea Tree oil in a bucket of warm water.
Works like a charm for 14 ratties and it smells great. :thumbup:

Oh I like the idea of the Tea Tree oil - anything to make my boys cage smell more pleasant :giggle:

And I clean out their cage and change their fleece and litter every morning! :gaah: Like I have nothing better to do - these ratties own me :nod:

 

[temblabamomo]

I use vinegar and water on shelves in one cage, and then wipe the shelves down again afterwards with alcohol free, fragrance free baby wipes. I wipe the shelves before I leave for work in the morning, and before bedtime, but I only do the vinegar and water thing when I'm doing a complete cage cleaning with new bedding an all, which is about every 4 or 5 days. Once a month I haul the entire thing down to the bathtub and use bleach and water. I know some people do this more often, but this seems to be the best schedule with the boys in said cage. When I was using vinegar and water every day, there was some honking and a few sneezes. When I stopped doing that every day, the honking/sneezes stopped as well. And when I'd clean the whole thing with bleach once a week, it just made the boys that much more determined to replace their smell and pee everywhere imaginable, and created more smell.

I guess it varies from rat to rat and owner to owner what works best.

 

[jorats]

My big bucket of water contains some vinegar and a bit of dish soap. I use my nose when cleaning the cage and I've never been able to smell the vinegar.
But this is a good thing to keep in mind when someone says their rats are sneezing, now we can ask if they use a lot of vinegar during cage cleaning.

 

[rattytat]

Thanks for all the advice and comments. It has taken me awhile to realise that the best info I can get is on the Forum - not just randomly searching the internet. Thanks again :bow:

 

[Rose]

I use a few drops of Dawn dish soap the purple for soft hands in a hot bucket. I find the softner helps with any softer poops and to break up pee spots. The smell is pretty much non-existant and they seem ok but I dry well