How to Reduce Pet Mouse Odor

Male mice smell more than female mice, because they have a scent gland used for marking their territory. Pet mice of both sexes kept in a cage create odors. These odors come from defecation and urination. They also come from spilled food and water in the cage bedding. The most effective ways to reduce pet mouse odor are source control, ventilation and air cleaning. Implementing these cleaning strategies can greatly reduce unpleasant odors and make keeping a pet mouse more enjoyable for both the owner and the mouse.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic garbage bag
  • Trash receptacle
  • Soap
  • Scrub sponge
  • Thermostat
  • Corncob bedding
  • Windows
  • Electric fan
  • Heating and air-cooling system filters
  • Air purifier machine
  • HEPA filter
  • Activated carbon filter
  • 3 cups
  • Baking soda
  • Activated carbon
  • Zeolite
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Instructions

  1. Controlling the Source

    • 1

      Remove soiled bedding from the cage before you begin to notice an ammonia smell. Concentrated levels of ammonia cause respiratory disease in mice. Dump soiled bedding in a plastic garbage bag and remove it from the house immediately. Throw it in a trash receptacle.

    • 2

      Wash the cage with soap and water using a disposable scrub sponge. Rinse the cage and allow it to dry thoroughly.

    • 3

      Set the thermostat between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit to help keep the relative humidity between 30 and 70 percent. Less odors are emitted in lower humidity and temperature conditions.

    • 4

      Fill the cage with corncob bedding. This type of bedding has been shown to reduce ammonia levels. Remove and replace the bedding as often as the need arises. The need depends on how many mice you're keeping in the cage.

    Ventilation

    • 5

      Open a window in the room where the pet mice are kept during the months of the year when the open window won't adversely affect cooling and heating costs.

    • 6

      Open a second window to create a draft that will help cycle fresh air in and out of the room.

    • 7

      Set up a fan to speed up this process, but don't allow it to blow directly on the mice. As ventilation increases, smells get diluted and reduced.

    Air Quality

    • 8

      Change the filters in your home heating and air-cooling systems. The new filters will help clean the air in the home and minimize the air particles that the ammonia can cling to.

    • 9

      Set up an air purifier in the room where the mouse cage is kept. Change the filter on a regular basis to keep the air fresh. Get an air purifier that includes both a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter. These filters remove odors from the air. Check the output of the air purifier to ensure it's rated to clean the amount of air in the size of room you put it in.

    • 10

      Fill three paper cups with a passive room air cleaning agent. Put baking soda in one cup. Put activated carbon in a second cup and zeolite in a third cup. Set these cups as near to the cage as possible. These three substances chemically react with odors in the air, physically trapping them.