Reducing cage odor

by dancincat417 Tue 18 Aug 2020, 8:28 am

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions to help with the cage odor for my 2 male mice?? I read that when you clean their cage you should put some of their old bedding in the clean cage so they don't mark everything right away, so I do that, but it doesn't really help. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Tue 18 Aug 2020, 12:15 pm

The little men are going to be stinky. It's just what they do. Can you move their houses farther apart? If they are especially territorial and can smell each other nearby, they may be stinking up the joint extra special to mark their respective home turfs with odiferous underlines and exclamation points.

by Mosey mouse Wed 19 Aug 2020, 4:48 pm

Are you housing them together?

by dancincat417 Thu 20 Aug 2020, 9:49 am

They are housed separately. I have their bin cages as well as my hamster's cage on a shelving unit. The hamster is on the bottom, then our black mouse is above her, and our gray mouse is above the black one. Maybe I can put the hamster's cage in the middle to get the mice further apart?? I was just wondering if there was anything safe that helps reduce the odor a bit. I know that air freshener can be dangerous around them, so I'm looking for something else I can do.

by dancincat417 Mon 24 Aug 2020, 12:27 pm

I read that you can add a little baking soda to their cages and I'm going to try adding a little corn cob litter to their bedding as well. When I can afford one, I'll look into getting an air purifier. I read that if they aren't terribly fragrant, you can try a candle or wax warmers on the opposite side of the room from them, but I'd have to keep checking to make sure it isn't too potent. I know spraying air fresheners near them is dangerous though.

by Robin~ Mon 24 Aug 2020, 2:27 pm

dancincat417 wrote:I read that you can add a little baking soda to their cages and I'm going to try adding a little corn cob litter to their bedding as well. When I can afford one, I'll look into getting an air purifier. I read that if they aren't terribly fragrant, you can try a candle or wax warmers on the opposite side of the room from them, but I'd have to keep checking to make sure it isn't too potent. I know spraying air fresheners near them is dangerous though.

Do not put baking soda in the cage--it's toxic when ingested. But, placing some in a container outside the cage can help neutralize odors.

Corn cob litter can mold easily, so I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe try non-clumping, wood-based cat litter pellets instead (ofc have a section with burrow friendly bedding for burrowing)?

by SarahAdams Fri 28 Aug 2020, 10:59 am

I just got 3 stinky boys. I set up an air filter in their room, near the cages. It does seem to be working quite well. The cages are still stinky, but the room itself no longer smells.

by MeanMurine Sat 29 Aug 2020, 9:09 am

I keep my stinky man on a mix of kiln dried pine and beechwood chips. For his hides I give him tissue paper to nest in. I find that he smells a lot less if I leave his nesting material undisturbed when changing the bedding weekly. Not cleaning the toys and tubes that aren't too dirty is also a good idea, he feels less of an urge to mark his territory all over again once it has been cleaned out.
The major culprit for the bad smell in my mousey room was the wheel not being mesh (solid plastic wheels accumulate stank within a day). With the current arrangements I don't really notice a scent unless I actively sniff the inside of his enclosure, and even then it is faint.

by SarahAdams Sun 30 Aug 2020, 6:20 pm

The major culprit for the bad smell in my mousey room was the wheel not being mesh (solid plastic wheels accumulate stank within a day).

How true. Of my 3 new boys, I swear the smallest one urinates and poops ONLY is his solid plastic wheel. It needs to be scrubbed every day. The other two don't do this but I wash their wheels anyway.

I've taken the advice here and just spot clean every day (including washing the food dishes which also get sticky/stinky) instead of dumping everything and that seems to be helping with the smell.

by dancincat417 Tue 01 Sep 2020, 9:24 am

Ok thank you everyone for your suggestions!

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