very smelly urine

[jorats]

If there's no smell, it's not a plug. The odor from a plug is quite offensive. That's good!
My guess would be it's not him with the smelly urine either since you were up close and personal with him, you would have smelled him.
Do any of the girls look "off" to you? lethargic, or lack of appetite?
Try giving your rats extra water when the condition comes back like watermelon, grapes, lettuces...

 

[Moon]

Yeah, I'm wondering if it's a dehydration issue.

 

[benzin.fox]

Alright i'll try that

They always have a water bottle and a big bowl of water available.

but i'll try more of those foods.

Thank you.

 

[benzin.fox]

ok i have been feeding more of the suggested foods. this seemed to have a positive effect. im sure the culprit is genevieve my elderly rat. I've got her on baytril at the moment and had her on tribrissen before that.she's had pyometra,skin problems and the ever present myco flare ups. I think the smelly urine was coming from her.So possibly it was her with the UTI. The bedding has been less smelly of late but i have been replacing all lining in the cage everyday because they're going through a destruction phase! she is making really wonderful nests at the moment.

I hope things continue to improve.

 

[jorats]

That's good!

 

[Godmother]

Glad it's under control. That must have been gross, and worrying, for you! May your sweeties all have a Merry Christmas.

 

[benzin.fox]

It comes back on and off. Even separating the rats hasn't helped me figure out which it is. It seems to come and go. I work in a nursing home and have discovered from this that the smell is the same as VERY stale urine..it's horrible. Even with daily bedding changes, how can this happen? The cage is not overcrowded..

My older rats have always had a habbit of making the room STINK if there any new rats around- marking territory? Lately I have had a lot of rescues come and go. Could that be it?

 

Feed them oatmeal and their pee with smell like oatmeal, lol, atleast my ratties pee does

 

[jorats]

It could be due to all the new comings and goings. As long as their are no other symptoms I guess there's not much you should do.

 

[Joanne]

Maybe it's related to diet?

Have you smelled asparagus pee? Disgusting!

 

[benzin.fox]

This problem has been fixed! The two colonies of rats i keep don't enjoy being kept in the same room together. One is now in my bedroom and the other cage is on the other side of the house- no yucky smell! I suppose there is now less rats per room which allows for better ventilation too?

I honestly think the older ones started a pee-smell war by marking their territory.

 

[jorats]

That makes perfect sense. My sister has noticed that as well. When she lets out one colony out to play, the second one goes nuts marking everywhere.