The Procedure to Wash a Rat Cage

Rats are naturally very hygienic pets, and spend a third of their lives grooming and keeping themselves clean. To keep your rat healthy and happy, it must also have a clean environment in which to live. Thorough cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and drying of your rat's cage at least once or twice a week is vital, as well as changing the bedding regularly in between whole cage cleaning.

  1. Cleaning

    • A rat cage should first be spray cleaned with water. This softens the residue and helps to remove all visible dirt and debris inside the cage. Use an ordinary household soap, such as dishwashing liquid, to thoroughly clean the whole cage and any accessories. For removing stubborn dirt, use a scrubbing brush and pressure nozzle from a hose. Small accessories should be left to soak in warm, soapy water and then scrubbed.

    Disinfecting

    • It is vital that rat cages are regularly disinfected. Use a disinfectant to spray the whole cage, including all accessories. If you do not have a veterinary cleaner-disinfectant, you can use one part bleach to 10 parts hot water. Make sure that the disinfectant is left to settle in the cage and on the accessories long enough for the solution to successfully disinfect, for a minimum of 10 minutes. The exact amount of time that it takes should be stated in the instructions on the disinfectant that you choose.

    Rinsing

    • After disinfecting, the rat cage must be thoroughly rinsed. It is vital that no hint of disinfectant solution remains after rinsing as some disinfectants can be harmful to your pet rat. Make sure that you cannot smell, feel or see any disinfectant left in the cage.

    Drying

    • Once the rat cage has been fully rinsed to remove all disinfectant, it should be dried. This can be done either by air drying or by carefully wiping dry the whole cage and all the accessories with a clean towel. To ensure that all organisms in the cage are destroyed, air drying the cage in the sun is particularly effective. Do not put your rats back into the cage until it has completely dried.

    Changing Bedding

    • Changing the bedding on a regular basis is an important thing to do to keep the cage clean in between whole cage cleanings. Bedding, including towels, nest bedding, hammocks and other fabric items in the cage, should be changed every few days and washed with hypo-allergenic soap in warm water. Do not change the bedding every day, as this can cause rats to become insecure and therefore urinate more to mark their territory.