How do I get rid of that delicious rotten rodent smell?

Came back from a 2 day trip to the mountains to discover Melvin hadn't actually eaten one of his f/t rats, and it was still sitting there in his tank, stinking the house up to high heaven. I've moved Melvin to the racks, thrown out the paper bedding and the scrumptious rat, and wiped everything down (several times!) with 10% bleach water. The house smells better, but the tank still reeks of carrion when I stick my head in there. I assume it's not the glass that's producing the lovely smell. Maybe the caulking at the joints?

Does anybody have any proven (and preferably non-toxic-to-snakes) suggestions for getting rid of that smell? Do I have to switch to chlorhexidine for this?

And has anybody had this happen with a plastic tub? How did you get rid of the smell? My tubs smell pretty awful after breeding season, and I have the hardest time getting rid of it. I'd hate to have a tub that always smelled of rotting meat.

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Originally Posted by loonunit

Came back from a 2 day trip to the mountains to discover Melvin hadn't actually eaten one of his f/t rats, and it was still sitting there in his tank, stinking the house up to high heaven. I've moved Melvin to the racks, thrown out the paper bedding and the scrumptious rat, and wiped everything down (several times!) with 10% bleach water. The house smells better, but the tank still reeks of carrion when I stick my head in there. I assume it's not the glass that's producing the lovely smell. Maybe the caulking at the joints?

Does anybody have any proven (and preferably non-toxic-to-snakes) suggestions for getting rid of that smell? Do I have to switch to chlorhexidine for this?

And has anybody had this happen with a plastic tub? How did you get rid of the smell? My tubs smell pretty awful after breeding season, and I have the hardest time getting rid of it. I'd hate to have a tub that always smelled of rotting meat.

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Baking soda in water or hydrogen peroxide?

They have odor absorbers at BedBathAndBeyond that are used to remove the smell from burned houses and are non-toxic.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...p?SKU=16266302

if it's lingering in the air you can boil vinegar on the stove. my grandma used to do that any time someone burnt something to get the smell out of the air.

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I think cops put Vicks under their nose while working a scene. Maybe do that for now till the smell goes away. Open all the windows, and run some fans. I don't suggest fabreeze or anything toxic like that.

I like the vinegar idea above, I'll have to test that out too. If grandma did it, you know it must have worked. Maybe put some lemon in the vinegar too, ;)

Hot water and Dawn Dish soap..Works wonders. .:D :gj:.. to get it out of your home..burn coffee bean's..

All of those ideas sound great, but they will not actually remove the smell from the tank. Just cover it up. If the bleach solution didn't work, I don't know what to suggest. bleach is some strong stuff. Maybe try leaving the bleach solution sit in the tank for a few minute, then rinse, rinse, rinse, and leave it outside to air it out. We have had an incident or two where the snake killed but didn't eat, and we caught on a day or two later.... Needless to say it wreaks, but the smell is usually gone fairly quick.

If the tank is designed to hold water, fill it with water and add 2 cups of white vinegar. Let soak overnight, then drain and rinse. Vinegar is non-toxic. Of course, if the tank is not designed to hold water, you cannot do this or you risk breaking the tank.

In that case, move the tank outside. Make a solution of 4 cups water and 1/2 cup white vinegar. Spray the tank down or use a rag to wipe it down inside. Let it dry outside and repeat this process three or four times. Then rinse it in clean water. You may still faintly smell the vinegar in either case, but that won't hurt anything and goes away quickly.

Gale

In truth, what is left in the tank are oils and decomposition compounds, which can be VERY persistent. I second the dawn dish soap, as it cuts grease, and then a good bleaching. (Rinse until no bleach odor remains).

You will probably be able to still smell it if you stick your nose in there, and there's no real help for that....it will fade over time. It's like skunk spray--you can mellow it out, but only time will get rid of it.

Thanks guys. My husband suggested using the "Nature's Miracle" enzymatic cleaner we have for doggie accidents. "It's what they use to clean houses that were crime scenes," he says. Hooray, Melvin's tank is a crime scene. It's apparently safe for dogs. Anybody have any experience with it and reptiles?

(Trying the baking powder & dish soap & vinegar options now, because they're cheap and straightforward and I have the stuff here.) (But I will remember not to combine the baking soda and vinegar...)

RESULTS: So, I'm not entirely sure what did it? But somewhere between the dishsoap+hot water and the baking soda, the smell went away.

At first I thought the dish soap was making it worse. So I dumped the baking soda in the with the water, and mixed it around, and left it there. And it still smelled pretty bad when I went to work, but by the time I came back home, it had mercifully dried and I couldn't smell it.

And then I left it for a couple days, because I was tired of dealing with it. When I came back, I dumped some vinegar on it, and the baking soda fizzed very satisfyingly. But I don't think I even needed the vinegar---there was no trace of the smell at all anymore.

So, in conclusion? Some combination of dish soap, hot water, baking soda, and plain old time seems to have taken care of the smell.