How to keep cage clean

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Abby102013

Active member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Messages
25
Okay so my chinchillas cage is in my bedroom and the smell is awful! She pees in her bowl for that, but she will also pee on the hay, etc. Her poop is all over my floor which is so gross. Do you guys have any tips on how to keep her cage not smelling? And also what do you do to keep the floor clean?

We clean the floor and her cage every day with a vacuum already.
 
Mess comes with having a chinchilla, but there are a few ways to lessen it, not eliminate it completely though. I need more info though...

I'll start with the smell issue, you didn't mention what kind of bedding you use, but since you mentioned peeing in a bowl I assume fleece. How often do you change the cage? The cage should be completely cleaned at least once a week regardless of what you are using for bedding. That means not only vacuuming and changing the liners and hammocks if you got them, but also wiping down all the shelves and even the cage itself if it needs. Some people find they need to change liners every other day, some chin's pee is stronger smelling then others, and some people are more sensitive then others so fleece can start to stink after a day or two if they don't use the litter box all the time (which can be one drawback of using fleece). Also if you are using fleece, how many layers are you using? do you have a towel or more fleece as the inner layer? Also how do you wash the fleece, you shouldn't use any detergent or fabric softener, which can lessen the absorbancy, only vinegar. You say she is peeing in a bowl, what are you using for litter in there? and how often are you changing that? it should be cleaned out at least once a day, if not a few times a day (just like a cat litter box).

As for peeing on the hay, what are you using for a hay holder? if it's something that sits on the floor of the cage I suggest getting one that hangs and make sure it's high enough that she can't sit above it to pee into it. If the issue is pulling the hay out and peeing on it, you can try offering hay multiple times a day, smaller amounts, rather then a whole day's worth at one time. If you give too much all the time the chin can see the hay as less valuable, allowing them to pick and choose, and toss the rest. Pulling all the hay out and peeing on it without eating much or any can also be a sign of not liking it, have you tried different types of hay? Or tried hay cubes instead or in addition to the loose hay?

As for keeping the poop in the cage, you didn't mention what kind of cage you have, but you can buy metal pans with high sides, I've heard people custom ordering all the way up to 6" sides. Depending on what kind of cage you have, bass pans makes pans for cages like the FN or CN, but can also custom make pans for whatever size you need. Or you could make a barrier with fleece or wood around the cage so the poop and hay stay inside the cage better. For the pooping on the shelves you can buy or make shelves with poop guards, basically boards along the shelve or ledge to prevent the poop from rolling out.
Having some poop end up out of the cage is unavoidable though, chins bounce around and fling things around and poop (and hay and toys) go flying. One of my chins will even intentionally push the poop out of the cage near his house if I don't get to it fast enough for his liking. You may just need to vacuum a couple times a day, or depending on the type of floor, sweep the floor rather then having to vacuum every time.
 
I agree chinchillas are just messy. They do poop everywhere, so that's unavoidable. I use three types of bedding and fleece seems to smell the quickest, and the tiles I have to make sure I'm cleaning regularly so pee doesn't sit on it. If you're using bedding you can always spot clean every day to help with smell.

As far as hay peeing my chinchillas will do this whenever they are mad at me for something. They like to pull out all of the hay and pee on it. They will also toss hay on the floor when I'm in the room ignoring them, that is much harder to stop because they will pick it up and drop it between the bars.
 
I also have my chinchilla's cage in my bedroom and there are times my room smells. I use So Phresh natural softwood bedding on solid flooring and a litter pan, though he does pee in another corner a little bit. I've noticed it smells most when I don't spot clean daily. I haven't found a way to keep hay and poop off the floor, just have to clean. As others have said it's just part of owning a chin.

When hay falls to the bottom he pees on it and that can smell horrible if not kept cleaned out. He pees a lot in his litter pan so I clean that every other day because that too can smell.

Also in a small enclosed area like a bedroom airing it out daily can make a difference. I usually keep my door open but if the house is noisy I have to close my door and afterwards it can smell a bit. Even in the winter I open the window for a few minutes, love the fresh air. though keep your chin out of the draft.

Hope this helps :)
 
I also have this problem! My room smells all the time. I can only let it air buy opening my door, but other than that I can't because I have a kitten that bothers my chins and makes them bark. My mom and I made fleece cage liners about 4 months ago and they are awesome except for the smell. My parents and telling my I might have to get rid of my chins if I don't solve the stink problem.
 
Are you taking showers or such in these bathrooms? If so, that water vapor and steam could really mess with a chinchilla that shouldnt get wet.

You can try different methods of holding hay/different hay holders. Iv had chins that refuse to eat hay unless it wasnt in a certain dish. Iv also tried making a wooden dish before and they took they hay out and peed all over it within 30 min. So they can be picky. Maybe try finding something that attaches to the out side of the cage where they have to pull the bits of hay into the cage through the bars to eat it (depending on the type of cage you have.)
 
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