Please help, advice needed!

[Gizmo's Harem]

So that everyone can visualize our chins home...

Our little girls, Bubbles and Chenoa live in a three story 1/2inch galvanized, Matin's cage. Gizmo lives in his very own cage similar to the ladies but half the size.

The problem: He is very clean and they are very messy! For example, all of his body wastes are provided in one corner of his cage making it very easy to clean. The girls however, urinate wherever they feel the need at that time within their cage. Sometimes this problem exits the cage sides onto the floor! Both cages have a wire mesh flooring so they are not in contact with the substrate, I simply remove the tray, wash, and return. My concern is that over a period of time their little feet will still come into contact with waste that has dried on the wire mesh flooring. Does this pose a problem? They are of excellent health and I wish to keep it that way, that is my reason for concern.

Is their an easy way in which I can simply clean the floor panels without washing the entire cage each time I clean it? Is having a dirty cage floor with traces of urine a concern for alarm or am I overreacting?? Does anyone concern themselves with this problem? Is their anything I can do??

Lastly, is their something that I can clean the cage flooring with that will remove the dried urine without harming the chins?? Thank you for your time and patience our family greatly appreciates any advice that you can provide in this matter.:banghead:

 

[AZChins]

Maybe a little urine pan would work for them? I've seen people put in little litter pans and have great success with training the chins to go in them and not anywhere else. A little glass baking dish with some shavings in it placed in the corner where the most urine is could do the trick.

They'll probably be alright with dried urine on the cage. Yeah, you'll have to take the cage out for a good scrub down from time to time, but I wouldn't worry too much about that. There would be traces of urine on a solid floored cage and maybe even on wooden shelves if you had them. The problem is when chinchillas sit in urine and the acidity will eat away at the calouses on the paw pads. It sounds like you keep it much too clean for that to happen!

 

[menagerie]

The bacteria left by urine on the shelves can lead to bumblefoot. It's important to wipe the shelves down. Unless you are putting them on a full floor, I wouldn't attempt to put glass litter box trays on any of the shelves. That is a huge recipe for disaster if one gets knocked off.

I would wipe the wire shelves down with white vinegar. It will clean off the urine and is non-toxic.

 

[mishellyshel]

what about a fleece liner and some litter pans. i use the metal cake or brownie pans from the dollar store. even if they use it once in a while, it will be less urine on the cage.
you dont even need the thick liners, just a single layer of fleece cut to fit the bottom??

 

[Riven]

Just get a cleaning brush and some vinegar and water to scrub it occasionally. It won't hurt them if they come in contact with it and will help. Take it out for a good scrub once or twice a year. It's about time for mine to get power washed!

 

[ann1]

you can take a wash rag and just scrub the flooring weekly and then try and take the whole cage for a good deep cleaning whenever you can....