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Post by deguqueen on Jun 22, 2006 21:28:32 GMT
I now have 15 degus. Two out of the three I got from the humane society had babies and I'm wondering how often everybody cleans out the cage and by cleaning out the cage, I mean not just cleaning up the poohs but really cleaning it as in washing everything down, changing the shavings, etc.
I try to do mine once a week but was wondering if anybody has any easier ways to clean the urine off the bars of the cage so it doesn't always smell.
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khay
Foraging Degu
Posts: 110
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Post by khay on Jun 22, 2006 22:10:22 GMT
I don't have problems with the bars smelling.....but I do clean everything every Saturday.
You could always hose the cage down weekly - That might work.
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Jun 23, 2006 10:06:40 GMT
I use disinfectant wipes - pre moistened in packets from the supermarket. Quick wipe of everything and its clean and smell free.
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Post by deguqueen on Jun 25, 2006 7:31:34 GMT
My only concern with the disinfectant wipes is that they are or could be harmful to the degus if they chew the bars of the cage. Seeing as I don't have a hose, I usually end up having to scrub everything down with is hard and time consuming and for some reason they always like to go in the corner and pee so that it runs all down the bars of the cage.  I wanted to keep a litter box in and have tried but they dont use it. |
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Post by ra on Jun 26, 2006 15:59:23 GMT
You can use white vinegar to safely clean up any pee. I heat it a minute in the microwave (somehow HOT vinegar seems as though it would be more powerful!) then wipe down the shelves and wire with paper towels dipped in the vinegar. I follow with a wet papertowl to rinse. The white vinegar smell is strong. Cleans up pee and any poop messes quickly and is not harmful to the Degus.
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julie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 52
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Post by julie on Jun 28, 2006 23:51:23 GMT
i read that degu poop doesnt really smell, is their pee fowl smelling?
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Post by skyeblu on Jun 29, 2006 0:17:23 GMT
Unlike rat pee (which smells right away), degus urine doesn't react the same way when exposed to air, but the degu's pee can become foul smelling if allowed to collect and stand for very long. Normally, if it's just Alberta and Charlie, I can clean the cage every 10 days or so and there is no odor problems. However, when the pups came along and there were 8 pups in one cage it only took a few days before the cage started to smell.
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julie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 52
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Post by julie on Jun 29, 2006 5:30:45 GMT
thanks  |
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Post by deguqueen on Jun 29, 2006 8:24:57 GMT
Yeah with the amount of pee coming out of my guys, it can start to stink within 24 hours of cleaning it. It's not so much the shavings but the bars of the cage because they go over to a corner on the top level and pee down the side so it gets stuck to all the bars.  I think now I just have to start cleaning more often to make sure it doesn't get nasty. |
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Hanlou
Burrowing Degu
Basil
Posts: 284
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Post by Hanlou on Jun 29, 2006 14:38:19 GMT
You could try a different substrate - Bio-Catolet is great for absorbing odours. I mix some of this in with the rats' cardboard bedding and it really helps to keep smells down. I can leave my degus actual substrate for 10 - 14 days (with tidy-ups etc inbetween) and even then they don't smell. Whereas the rats (in the same sized cage) can whiff in a 4 days or so and there are only 4 of them.
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Post by deguqueen on Jun 30, 2006 0:53:56 GMT
The shavings aren't the problem. I have two floors on the cage and they pee off of the second floor so it drips all down the bars. It also happens to get stuck in between the tiles and the second floor and ends up stinking to high heaven.
The pee doesn't smell too bad. It's just when they do it a lot like mine and there is a build up of pee that it is noticeable.
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