Small Colony 1.3

Is it possible to maintain a small colony of 1.3 without having to deal with the awful smell.

What do you all do to keep the smell away. I can't imagine having that smell in my house. How often do you clean the cage, etc.

I am just thinking about starting to breed my own feeders but really want to know if it is even possible to keep the smell away?

Help....

I usually clean my rat cages once a week.
It all depends on how small the cage is.
The smaller the cage the more often the cleaning. There really is no way to keep the smell away. That just comes with rodents.
If you have a climate controlled garage or shed you could keep them in there.
Otherwise I dont really have any advice to you other then frequent cleanings.

use kiln dried pine i got aa 1.3 (20 Long) in a 1 bed apartment i was using shredded newspaper but found kilin dried pine and i wont say they smell like roses but ehh they dont smell anyworse then a dirtyclothes hamper lol :rofl::rofl:

I keep mine in a bedroom with the door closed. I check every day on the smell and them, and if I smell anything, I clean the cage. Eventually they are going into the basement, but same procedure.

I have over fifty rats in my bedroom, it might sound scary, but I never smell them. Nor does anyone who enters my house. I keep them clean, well ventilated, hydrated and cool. I get zero smell from the rats unless I let them go over a week without being cleaned. Any other time and it is simply a wood smell from their bedding.

The best way to do it is make sure their cage has plenty of ventilation, the room has a fresh air supply (fan or air conditioner), and maybe put a drop or two of vanilla extract in their water. I don't use vanilla extract, but I've heard it helps by making the rats drink more water, thus cutting the smell of ammonia from the urine. Other than that, use Aspen or Kiln Dried Pine as bedding and house them in something with lots of room. The more room they have in their tub, the less they will smell. Most smell issues come from overcrowding anyway.

I have been breeding rats for quite some time. I never smell them. I house them in racks that are built with water treated wood, and a substrate of Pine Pellets. I clean them every 5-7 days, and NEVER smell them whatsoever. Some people will disagree with this, but I also use Arm&Hammer Kitty Litter Deodorizer, and have been for 3 years now with no ill effects on my colonies or my snakes. You can have 10 rats, the smell that people talk about is honestly, in my honest opinion, is a lack of sufficient upkeep/husbandry. Keep them cool, hydrated, and eating the proper diet, and you wont have any smell.

Trey Jackson
www.tmballpythons.com

3 words Ventilation Ventilation Ventilation
I kept over 100 rats in a bedroom with a 20 inch box fan blowing outside 24/7 and you couldn't tell I had rats until you opened the door and even then it wasn't bad.
Cleaning every 3-5 days also helps, I found it better to use less bedding and clean more often than to use more bedding and clean less often.

Great advice all around from some people that know rodents. All in all it boils down to how well you take care of your rodents. If you want a setup and forget it operation it won't ever work. The more time you spend with them and taking care of them, the better it works. I have more time than money right now so breeding my own make sense. Just because it is less expensive doesn't mean that there aren't other trade offs. Good luck with your decision!

Regards,

B

BEST way dealing with the urine smell is to put imitation vanilla extract in their water.. it makes their urine smell not as bad.

As stated before just add some pine pellets to your bedding and clean weekly.

Kiln dried pine is best mixed with a small amount of pine pellets. Rats don't smell that bad at all. If the bedding is changed weekly and they are not over crowded. Mice are what stink terribly. I won't breed mice because they reak so bad but rats don't smell at all to me as long as they are clean.

u can use vanilla extract.
they said it controls the smell of the urine

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Python Lair

BEST way dealing with the urine smell is to put imitation vanilla extract in their water.. it makes their urine smell not as bad.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrkoba

u can use vanilla extract.
they said it controls the smell of the urine

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Use PURE vanilla extract, not the imitation vanilla. I breed ASFs and regular rats in my house. I used to notice a smell from the rats, nothing bad, but a distinct smell. Now that I started using the vanilla, I don't smell them at all...

But as others have said, the key is ventilation. As long as there is plenty of airflow and they are kept clean and hydrated, it's not bad...

The rats themselves don't smell. They have a scent like any other animal, but nothing bad. It's the bedding, pee, and poo that smell. So just keep on top of maintaining the enclosure and you'll be fine. If you're ambitious enough, you can even litter train them. And that would definetly cut the smell down by A LOT. I'm in the procession of training some of my girls. They always relieve themselves in one corner, so I'm going to put a litter box in that corner. If they start using it, I'm going to remove all of their bedding and use fleece or something. That will be cheaper, less time consuming, and cleaner in the long run. I don't have much hope for my boys as they just crap wherever in their tub.

I keep my rats in my apartment.
I change my bedding once a week. The smell is usually the worst around day 5-7. I've used a number of things. I personally think pet grade granule bedding is the best, but it's expensive. I used it for when I had like 3 rats. Now that I have more, I use both shredded aspen or wood stove pellets. The pellets are easier to clean with minimum mess. Aspen smells better, but it's a little more messier.

Good food also helps. What goes in, must come out. Cheap quality food usually makes their fur and poo smell more.

But as others have said, it's all about the VENTILATION! :)
I have an air purifier and it works extremely well. The smell cut down by more than half for me. It helped with my allergies and kept the rat dander down. It also allowed air flow.

So I HIGHLY recommend getting a purifier.