Is my cleaning routine sufficient?

[Blue]

I have a Super Pet Deluxe My First Home Cage for Exotics and I have 2 rats.

- I do a daily spot check on the shelves and wipe down any urine.
- I scrub and rinse the cage once every week.
- I use newspaper bedding and I change it every 3 - 4 days.
- I use Yesterday's News in the litter box and I dump and change this once a week. I'm not sure how often changing the litter box needs to be done. How much litter do I pour in the box each time? Is a thin layer fine?
- I just got a small fleece blanket for them. How often do I wash this?

Can you guys give me some tips and pointers? If I'm not doing enough or if I'm doing something wrong, please let me know. Thank you so much.

 

[lizmo1221]

I had that exact cage for a while and I did pretty much what you did. Cleaned the shelves daily and full clean once a week or so. Are you using newspaper that uses vegetable based inks? That is important. Honestly though I would use either Aspen shavings, fleece liners or paper based bedding like boxo or care fresh. Much softer for them and won't stain their fur.

I cleaned the litter box and bedding either once a week, or if I could smell it in the room (I had three rats only). Sometimes they would get fed up with the litter pan and start flinging it around and tipping it over, at which point I would do a clean. A thin layer should be fine it absorbs very well even with a little. You don't want to waste!

Clean the blanket when it smells and/or feels bad. This will depend on your rats and their behaviors.

Sounds like you have a great cleaning schedule already. I just thought I would give some tips

 

[Blue]

Hey, thanks! Yea, I can't seem to find a good balance of the amount of litter I use. Sometimes I feel like I'm using way too much and I'm wasting, other times I feel like I'm using way too little and I'm being cheap.

Are you using newspaper that uses vegetable based inks? That is important.

My mom and dad love to read this one particular paper so I have a steady supply of it. I made sure to call in to verify what ink they used and they said they use soy based ink.

 

[lizmo1221]

Ok good I'm glad. I might consider using even a cheaper bag of Aspen (you can get 10cubic feet of it here for just 13 bucks!) or a fleece blanket from the dollarstore that you can cut into 2 or 3 liners out of. Stuff like that would be a lot softer for your rats and will not stain their fur. Also, it would take way longer to stink and you will have to change it less often!

 

[jorats]

The amount of Yesterday's News depends on how much odour is coming from the cage. Yesterday's News is wonderful at absorbing odours.
Your cleaning routine looks great. As for washing the fleece, I'd d that every few days or so.

 

[Blue]

If I hand wash the fleece, what cleaning agent is safe to use? Can I use any hand soap and how much do I use? Is it preferable to let it sun dry afterwards? Sorry, a bunch of annoying questions, I know.

 

[Blue]

If I hand wash the fleece, what cleaning agent is safe to use? Can I use any hand soap and how much do I use? Is it preferable to let it sun dry afterwards? Sorry, a bunch of annoying questions, I know.

Question was answered in chat, thanks. I will use vinegar next time to rid of the odor.

 

[jorats]

I'll answer anyway in case others see this and are wondering. Any mild detergent would work, same with hand soap. If you can get unscented that would be much better. A small amount and a good rinsing is all you need. Air drying is always a good way to go... economical and energy saving.

 

[Fidget]

How could anyone fault that? I too use newspaper to line their space. Got it down to an art now. Twice a week the community paper comes with flyers, I save just what fits best in their space. Some paper needs changing only every 2 wks cause nobody eats or pees on it, but the paper in the hidey-houses need it often, so I prodigiously arranged things using the different paper sizes so I could swap a paper in 2 seconds anytime needed but not have to do a major more than once every 2 weeks. Newspaper rules! I love it cause I don't like to think my kids are in peed-on space for a week - and it's free. But I'm home all the time to change it. It's sure not as absorbent as other things and if I wasn't here they'd have to move to a different hidey-house or sit in wet. Great & free if budget is low and time is high, if you gotta work I'd buy the more absorbent stuff unless they have a few hidey-houses to switch to when somebody pees in the house.