I should maybe also mention I use Hemp flax bedding, have a pee rock, and use corn cob granules for the litter tray.

 

I would say keep working on the potty training. In my experience, I've had some messy boys. There has been different ways of handling it for me. If they didn't go in their hammocks, I would take out any shelves and make hammocks their shelves. But yours are going in their hammocks so ..the other thing I've done is put down paper towels or newspaper on all shelves so I can pick it up easily.

On extreme cases, if you have a cage which things can be moved easily, I would remove all shelves for the time being and the only hanging things would be things they can't easily use as a restroom-like thick ropes for climbing and maybe some wooden ladders and such. Then make the floor so that they have a couple sleeping quarters and litter box-or boxes even (depending on size of cage). Once they start going in the box start adding back the shelves ones at a time. If the cage is very tall, you might have two sections set up like that as well. This is just to give you some ideas.

Other considerations-don't over clean. It can make them feel they need to get their scent on it again. Pay attention to things they don't use as a restroom-certain materials (like maybe fleece is fair game, however flannel or linen isn't). I've had boys who love to pee on anything plastic but would not got on like cotton sheet material. I'd try different materials, cardboard, newspaper, paper towels ect and see what they think. Even when I do full cleanings, if there is a hammock with no messes or bad smells in it I don't clean it, I think they appreciate familiar smells.

Good luck.

 

First thing is i would replace the shelves with cat litter trays (poke holes in the plastic with ahot skewer or drill holes then hang using garden wire, cable ties of keyring clips) and put hemp or another litter in there, plastic shelves are probably the single biggest source of urine odour in a cage as rats are drawn to mark them. The next thing i would do is think about where you place them and where your boys love to sleep. Boys are far more likley to become litter trained if they dont have to move far to pee in the right place. I dont litter train my lads, but i hang a trayt right next to there fav hammock and they get out of it to poo and even urinate (which is pretty rare).

I definitly agree with over cleaning making lads worse too, they need a certain level of smell.

Another consideration is there age, babies do smell more, they are a bit messier but also there food being higher protien (or it should be) makes them whiff a fair bit more. It will probably improve as they grow up

 

Thanks for the great tips!
They are wee grotbags - I actually caught a pair of them wrestling in the muck - they were all wet with urine all over their backs!
I shall make some changes that you have suggested and see if it helps. Actually one of my shelves is a deep pan one designed to hold substrate so I will run a test with hemp flax in that one. If it helps I will go ahead and order another one to swap out for the other flat shelf. The litter tray in all the way in the bottom of the cage and most of the mess is either in the hammock or right outside it on the shelf so I think it is them being lazy. I put a small tupperware tub with some old litter and a pee rock in it on the nearest shelf to the hammock this morning so hope they might use that.
I'm a bit of a clean freak so I will need to resist the urge to over clean the cage!

 

I'm using Goodbye Odor in my male mouses water and it has cut his HORRIBLE odor at least in half! My vet said it would be fine to use it on male rats. It is in the ferret section of Petco and is an additive you put in their water bottle every time you refill it. It is made for ferrets and speaking from experience they are even stinkier than male rats, though not as bad as male mice.

Edited to say I see you are in Scotland, you will probably have to order the Goodbye Odor online.

 

Babies do smell more anyway due to the increased protein that they need in their diets. Whenever I've had new rats (only twice), there has been a distinct new rat smell up until around 12 weeks old.

Definitely don't over clean the cage! When I do a cage clean, I'll leave one fairly clean looking hammock or item in the cage to keep their scent around. It's helped a bit at the moment with my pubescent boys who have started to kick up a stink again!


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I think in a different thread we discussed briefly that if you just got them, and you switch them from a bad food to a good one (like if you feed better quality than the pet store), then the poop might smell extra bad because they are getting used to a new diet. If that's the case, it might get better after another week or so.

 

That's a good point too. They've moved from standard petshop rat food to Rat Rations mix so maybe they're adjusting. I also discovered that they have been projectile peeing out the cage and onto this tall black standing candle stick LOL! So that accounts for some of the smell. Got things rearranged in the cage, swaped the shelf that holds substrate to with the one nearest the hammock since they pee on that most. Fingers crossed it helps!

 

Had some success with the cage rearrange today. Things smelled a lot better than usual and only a couple droppings in the hammock. Main thing that helped seems to be the substrate on the shelf and the new litter tray on the top level.

 

Have you thought about neutering? It will take that male musky odor away. Also, the type of food a rat is feed makes a considerable difference. I use Oxbow and everyone is amazed that my rats (male and females) have no odor and their cages don't smell.

As for litter training, it might be the kind of litter you are using. They may not like the way it feels on their feet. I found out my new girls are litter trained so I've started using this white, shredded bedding in their litter box. They seem to like it and they are using it with no problem. My male rat would probably use a litter box if he had one. He's pretty good about using one corner. It's just as easy for to clean up that corner as it would be a litter and it would take a fairly big box to fit his big butt. LOL

 

We don't have oxbox here in the uk. I've been feeding mine on a 50/50 mix of Harrisions Banana brunch and RatRations no 7 complete mix (apparently designed by Alison Cambell who made the original Shunamite diet?) and supplementing with weekly cooked egg and egg shells and green veg and other bits and pieces every other day. Not sure I'd like to put them through an op unless I really have to, my wee lambs. I'm too paranoid!

 

I wouldn't neuter to avoid smell. It's not really got the rats best interest at heart. There are arguments that neutering at around 6 months or so can be beneficial to thete health but it still carries a risk.

Your diet is a very good one. Not dissimilar to what o feed apart from I make my own version of the rr mix. It doesn't lead to extra smell. What won't be helping is the extra protien bit that's part of making them healthy.

I'd recommend using paperlir or back to nature in there litter trays. It is very absorbant. Also make it easier for them. They aren't likley to use a small box but will probably use a big one more happily add they can shuffle around in it more. Especially if they have to barely roll out of there hammock to use it

 

Thanks Isamurat - it was on your advice that I went for this diet, glad to hear I'm on the right track! Thanks again for your help!
I will order one of those litter types and give that a go. I have a nice big corner tray in the bottom of the cage, and have another couple arriving from Amazon next week so that should help stop them spraying their pee out side of the cage from corners of the shelves. They seem to really like the substrate shelf so I reckon I will go ahead and order another one of those too and replace the flat one that came with the cage.

 

You can get Oxbow from Amazon UK, but it's expensive: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxbow-Essen...GABM1K/ref=sr_1_26?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1403948460&sr=1-26&keywords=oxbow

I have a few extra plastic shelves in my cage and What I use to keep urine off them and make them easier to maintain is waterproof backed sherpa fleece, which I bought from Ebay UK: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Faux-lamb...oof-back-fabric-Q1043-CRM-/400576268421?pt=UK_Crafts_Fabric&hash=item5d4434c885
I just cut it to the shape of the shelf and lay it on. I used to secure them with zip ties to keep them in place but the waterproof backing keeps them from slipping anyway so I don't bother with the zip ties anymore and they stay pretty much where they should be. The fleece wicks the urine keeps the smell down. I switch for a clean one once per week and wash the dirty one.

Plus, I have also now discovered these wonderful things: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/23310/Standard-Moso-Air-Purifying-Bag

I have a 220g one hanging beneath my cage and it certainly helps keep a fair amount of odour at bay!! I'm planning to purchase a few more

 

Things seem much better now! The substrate on the deep shelf has actually worked really well, they are no longer marking the shelf. The hammock will need changed more often than once a week to keep them from using it as a toilet. I will definitely give that air purifying bag a try - how long does it last before it stops working?

 

It is reusable, apparently indefinitely. After about two months you put it out in the sunshine for a few hours and that is enough to cleanse the bag and reactivate it for use for a further 2 months... and then out in the sun again.....

I estimate that it has reduced the smell in our living room by about 50%. I'm going to get a second bag as the room the cage is in is fairly large and the size bag you need is dependent on the area measurement of the room.

 

That Sherpa fleece and air purifying bag look like an amazing combo! Definitely investing in both of them, I think. Been looking for something new to cover the shelf in my cage with and that looks pretty fancy! Also I live opposite a Lakeland, so an air purifying bag is happening thanks!

 

I just read the description on the air purifying bag and they last for up to two years apparently.

One tip with the sherpa fleece is definitely wash it first before cutting it to size. It does shrink a little bit.

 

Thanks for the tip! It looks like the same material as one of my hammocks which is really easy to clean and dries super fast - is this the case with the Sherpa fleece? Excess food and muck that the boys drag into this hammock just fall off or are easily hoovered up with the dust buster, whereas it all seems to cling to fleece.


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Well they do dry fast, but then again I put them in the tumble drier. I'm not sure about the hoovering as my boys for some reason haven't made much crumb mess on them so I tend to just switch them out for clean ones once per week rather than have to include them in the handheld hoovering I do every day.

The rubbery backing does start to come off after a few months - but that might be because I use the tumble drier. For the pieces I have cut which the rubber has peeled off, I just use two pieces on top of each other instead to stop the urine getting onto the shelf and that works perfectly.

 

Great info here. Thanks Ratbag for sharing your tips and tricks. My sherpa fleece is ordered and I'll be popping into Lakeland today for one of those bag purifier thingies. Good news is my little rattums have been much better about using the litterbox this weekend. Only a couple in the hammock and Ive discovered if I give hammock a quick wipe with a fragrance free baby wipe after they soil it it seems to help deter them from doing it again. Huge improvement on smell already! Now I just need to tackle my allergies

 

I've not heard anything about putting something in their water to make them smell less, but that is interesting sounding.
I have heard people talking about a 'pee rock', if no one mentioned this before. Apparently if you put a rock in their cage, some rats will start to pee on that rock. I haven't done it before, but I have heard that it works! Was thinking of trying it with my boys and girls as well.

But there's some great information on this thread, thank you to everyone! I've invested in a few tips myself.

 

I have two pee rocks and can confirm they do work! My boys were using them the same day I adopted them! Certainly seems to help with litter training.

 

Oh yes, my boys love their pee rocks too Mindyou it doesn't prevent them 100% peeing elsewhere but at least you know a good portion that would have gone elsewhere is ending up on the rock instead. I have three litter trays in the cage and they use the pee rocks in all of them.