I love my little rats. But mom can not stand the smell. I clean there cage once a week. I take great care of them and stuff.. but no matter what, my room smells SO BAD and so does the hallway. I leave my window open ALL THE TIME. Is there a bedding or a spray I can get or something I can do? I have litter trained them.. but it isnt helping. I cant stand the smell. but i love my rats. Mom says if it doesnt go away within the week I have to give them to the pet store.. Any ideas??

Clean the cage more often and clean everything with a 50/50 water/vinegar mix.

When I get rats again I am going to use fleece for their bedding. I use fleece with mattress pads and towels underneath for my guinea pigs and it smells a lot less then when I used pine bedding.

Use fleece. All you need to do is shake it out every day then wash it. You should weigh it down with some weights. I got 6 pieces of fleece for 20 dollars. It saves money in the long run. If they still smell make some pouches out of toilet paper and fill them with baking soda. If that doesn't help try changing their diet. If you have to give them up advertise them on craigslist for 15 dollars, cage and all.

Buy different bedding and that should help. Clean it out once a week and you could give him different food.Maybe thats y it is smelling bad.

I have a hamyer and a gerbil.

rats usally dont smell THAT bad but i guess u can find some sprays at pet stoers like pet co or petssmart also change the bedding 2 times a week and use carefresh bedding if none of these work then im sorry but i guess u have to get rid of them

What I have heard from a friend of mine who is a licensed rat breeder, clean the cage once per week per rat. If you have 3 rats, clean it 3 times. This means the bottom pan and all the shelves and ramps. Clean any reusable nest boxes or throw away temporary ones. If they are litter pan trained, scoop the poop or completely change the litter pan at least every other day. Hang sprigs of dried lavender from each corner on each level. This will absorb some odors and will also smell nice on its own. It is also safe for your rats to play with and nibble. Keeping some charcoal nearby can help as well. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
I also will cover the cage when I have people over, but never for more than a few hours. I use an old bed sheet that had already been torn. Cover the cage and leave about 2 or 3 inches at the bottom all the way around in order to provide ventilation. This might be useful to cover them during the day when they are usually asleep anyway and the household is awake. In the evening you can uncover them and let the cage ventilate a little more.

Owner of 2 healthy rats
Veterinary student