ASFs vs Rats smell?

[Gomojoe]

How does breeding rats smell in comparison to ASFs? I have ASFs and they don't seem to really smell at all. I would like to start breeding rats but not if it is going to stink my whole house up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[snakesRkewl]

All rodents stink , the cleaner you keep their bedding the less they stink.
The less often you let them go until they do stink, the better off you are since they aren't laying in nothing but pee and poo.

Asf's stink, rats stink a bit more and mice stink even more, but they all smell.
One of the worst smells I have encountered breeding asf's and rats is when you let the asf's go a few days too long, whew, man they stink bad

[Gomojoe]

So you just switch out bedding to keep the smell down or switch it out and thoroughly wash down everything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[snakesRkewl]

If there is bedding and poo/pee stuck to the tub it gets cleaned whether it is once a week or twice a week, having rodents indoors means sometimes cleaning more often than you would if they were in a shed or out building.

[DooLittle]

Imo rats smell worse than asfs. We have both.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[Gomojoe]

Imo rats smell worse than asfs. We have both.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

But can the smell be reasonably managed with the rats?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[youbeyouibei]

I run 1.2 to 1.3 in my tubs and have 3/6 level racks in my garage. I clean once every seven to ten days and have no trouble at all with the odor. I keep my adults on a mixed bed of kiln-dried pine pellets and aspen bedding and the nursing moms/babies on straight aspen to keep from clogging the babies noses. I've tried the vanilla in the water and didn't notice a difference at all doing that. The rats have an odor; mostly warm animal but it can get a little rank with their amonia (especially the adult bucks!) but it's manageable if you keep the bedding/tubs clean. They aren't overpowering as far as smell and if it gets to the point where it is, you've let the tubs go too long without cleaning. I feed mine the Native Earth 4018 and straight well water and they do great on that as far as litter size and smell, within the constraints I mentioned above. I also keep a fan on mine circulating the air constantly to keep them cool and it aids in the odor once they're getting close to cleaning day. I dunno...that's what works for me; give it a shot and see. If it doesn't work out, feed or sell them off and then you'll know, lol!

[angllady2]

Mice have the worst smell of any feeder rodent. I have a large mouse colony in my bathroom { don't ask }. As long as I clean once a week, the smell is not bad. Occasionally a tub with a large number of mice in it needs cleaned twice a week.

My daughter raises rats, and as long as she cleans once a week, the smell is not very noticeable at all. However, if she goes for too long between cleanings, then not only do the tubs smell, the animals do as well and must be bathed, because changing the tubs won't get rid of the smell.

Gale

[RobNJ]

But can the smell be reasonably managed with the rats?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whether you're breeding mice, rats, ASF's, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc...you will be the one managing the smell.

As far as ASF's go, IMO, they are a little easier as far as regular maintenance goes because they generally will use one corner of their enclosure to do their business and you can do a bit of spot cleaning rather than change out everything 1-2 times a week.

[Wapadi]

I claen my rat tubs every 4days. Period. And the asf tubs get cleaned every 8 days. My rack is indoors right next to my snake rack. My snakes are not nippy or anything soo I must be cleaning an ok amount. I would think if they smelled really bad my snakes would always be hunting...