My rats smell, what do I do

[@maryoleary5044]

You're rats look stunning! So healthy, active and stimulated! Now, I'm not saying for a moment that other people's ratties aren't just as fabulous!..(mine included 😄)..but, you are obviously one first class breeder!..and why?...because you genuinely care about these little animals!...THE TRUTH of this shows in your knowledge and quality advice.

[@rinieprins2657]

Wauw, wat een fijn dat je je kennis deelt. Ik heb nu al, na 2 filmpjes, veel geleerd. Je ratten zien er echt super fit uit ❤

[@janekatzer1199]

How do we get your videos to have ads on them? I would watch the ads all day just to support your channel! This is (in my opinion) one of the best rat education channels there is out there! Not only is the information correct, but the dedication to knowledge and continued learned about rats is admirable💕

[@mancheezethegreat8617]

I love rats! I got my first pair on my B day in 2019 and I fell absolutely head over heels for them. They are my entire world now.

[@АнастасияПолякова-ч4ф]

Thanks a lot!!! It was very informative and really helpful. I wish more channels were that professional..

[@ndavies5968]

This is what I do. Air purifier next to cage but not blowing in the cage, I position it to blow smells away, keeps dust in the air down, and I like it because its a nice white noise for my tinnitus. I clean the plastic shelfes down daily I change litter tray every other day. I know rats need to eat their own poo so I don't change everyday

[@sixionzear6329]

I have a fan in my animal room that has an exhaust option that pulls air out of the room and sends it outside. Never smell a thing when I have that running :> it also really helps with air circulation within the room

[@montpellier5]

Thanks for these videos. All excellent and I like the new camera. Always wondered why the babies smell more. I remember getting our first two kittens years ago and thinking that we wouldn't cope with the smell but it very rapidly reduced- I hadn't thought about their diet causing it. Looking forward to the next instalment!

[@IsamuRatCare]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to make any request for specific topics.

[@indiegirlish]

Thank you for this video! Im about to get two boys soon and this piece of information was the most helpful one Ive found yet

[@h0llytr0n]

Great insight on wood in the cage! It makes sense that between the wind and the UV rays from the sun (which i reckon would have had a slight sterilising effect) they could have a long cage life after all, thanks for all the tips! And the fab resources online. I hope you'll continue to make videos :)

[@IsamuRatCare]

It does make a massive difference. Any subjects that particularly interest you?

[@h0llytr0n]

@@IsamuRatCare Good question! Honestly probably just have a think about all the stuff you didn't know years ago that you've picked up through either years of experience or reading studies. I'm especially interested in the latter but maybe that's just me. Your videos and website address diet really well but I I would ideally like to feed my rats a vegan diet if I can meet all their protein, nutritional requirements etc, if you'd like to comment on that, different proteins.. :) Also do I need to worry about them eating plastic or lava ledge stuff on enrichment toys or do they differentiate between edible stuff and things they should chew-and-spit-out? previously I've struggled to socialise rescue rats that were skittish and/ or really active explorers, they were always more motivated by breaking out of every rat safe scenario I came up with as opposed to the food and treats I tried to distract or bond with them over; any ideas for rats that have a poor socialisation history and aren't food motivated might be good! Finally, introductions would definitely be good. Anyway nice of you to ask, stay cool!

[@IsamuRatCare]

Definitely some great ideas there, and some that I've planned to though in some cases I have to wait until I have a good opportunity to show some demos (eg introductions). I'll see what I can do

[@alien-bass]

Phew, one of my four girls has soft poops and boy, not nice. I think it’s too much green stuff so I’ll cut it out or severely reduce it. Generally with four the smell is not too strong, around 10 days I’ll need to clean out the substrate, toilet pans obviously more regularly.

[@ndavies5968]

My male rats keep making their hammocks stink after one day of them being in the cage. It never used to get like this. I'm worried it's ammonia from urine. But it's a very musty smell, sort of like damp cardboard. Is it scent marking? It's def the hammocks, I'm using cardboard substrate, aubious litter tray and not much wood in the cage either. But enough to just gnaw on if they want to. My rats themselves dont smell, I clean the shelves down daily so no old urine vetting oxidisation

[@IsamuRatCare]

Have you tried a litter tray literally just under the hammock? So minimum effort to get to the toilet

[@ndavies5968]

@@IsamuRatCare it ended up being the cage bars smelling. I showered it down and scrubbed it and a lot of yellow water after. I didn't realise

[@IsamuRatCare]

Yeah that is a bugger

[@susanwaldron7535]

What age do the babies start smelling less please out of curiosity

[@amandadeprey4250]

What type of wood shavings are you using there

[@IsamuRatCare]

Probably bedmax, they are pine shavings that are heat treated and dust extracted which make them suitable for most rats

[@rhianjones-hancock2014]

So I have a liberta Explorer 2nd edition with 6 boys. I tend to clean the substrate out of the base/trays etc weekly. Do you think I’d get away with doing it less & just spot checking?

[@IsamuRatCare]

That's a similar sized cage to mine so with the right set up and substrate combo you probably could reduce it. Give it a try and see how you get on

[@rosiegill2161]

Would u say a bio active cage set up has less smell than most beddings ?

[@IsamuRatCare]

In my experience yes, though I will say from what other people have experienced if it works it’s probably the best substrate out there for smell and enrichment but if it goes wrong and you overload the soil it can apparently really stink. I’ve not managed to do that yet though and mines been going for several years

[@lmdlmd3928]

Hi, would it be okay to house my rats in my 11 and 8 year olds bedroom? We are about to get a pair of rats and that is where the cage is currently set up. I’m not too concerned with the rats keeping the children awake as we use white noise and a floor fan. I just wonder if it is safe for my kids to be that close to the cage while the sleep? I assume if someone turns up allergic we’d have to make a new plan. We don’t have the space or desire for a full on rat room/pet room. Any input on this would be appreciated.

[@IsamuRatCare]

I used to have rats in my bedroom as a kid. They do cause disruption, a lot noisier than white noise, but i did adapt. I suspect a lot will depends on your kids but it is likely to take a while unless they are very heavy sleepers

[@majaoades4494]

you mentioned too much veg, how much is too much! because i was told that vegies were an unlimited thing and iwas going to feed my baby girls them about 3-4 times a week if not more!! if thats too much please say! also my food is a mix of science select and a mix from ratrations, and im scatterfeeding twice a day. should i add veg/fruit/protein with every meal? or once a day? many thanks - Maja Xxx

[@IsamuRatCare]

That's kind of like how long is a piece of string I'm afraid. It depends a lot on what else your feeding and the age/size of the rat. I find feeding it around 1-2 times a week (and feeding the right kind eg mostly dark green leafy stuff with some brightly coloured veg) works well. You can have higher veg loaded diets but need to work up to it gradually and keep a good eye on the rats condition as it can throw things out of balance if you don't get it right (veg is low in fat and protien so if you feed loads you need to suppliment this)

[@majaoades4494]

@@IsamuRatCare okay thank you :) if it helps I'm getting 3 baby girls tomorrow!! They will be 8 weeks and small-ish, about avarage for that age :) are there any tell tale signs of over feeding veg? Like shininess or lack of interest/energy? Thats a good video idea thinking about it xx

[@IsamuRatCare]

They loose a bit of cost condition, so it gets a little dull and long. I do want to do video on condition. Ideally I'd have rats in various states for it but I suspect I'll have to rely on photos which arent as helpful.

[@lornafletcher6174]

Hi I am a prospective new rat owner. I am thinking of getting rats in the future, in fact turning my office into a rat room!! Im learning that rats respiratory systems are very heightened. We use Ambi Pur 3Volution Pet in my daughters room as she has hamsters and they just pee where ever they want, so we use the Ambi stuff in btween bedding changes. Would the ambi pur be ok for the rats? We always use it on the lowest setting. Was wondering if you could do a cage tour showing placement of litter trays, as i am planning to get the same cage but the double version. Loving all the videos

[@IsamuRatCare]

I wouldn't use ambipur in the rat room as it's quite strong smelling. Instead try a neutradol or fresh air globe type system. Cage wise this shows me setting one up fairly fast. I really should upload my cage tour video at some point too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJayhZ2HoMSjeLs I actually have a triple venturer but you don't always see all of it on the videos

[@lornafletcher6174]

@@IsamuRatCare Thanks for replying. Im hoping to get some baby rats in the summer as i am in the process of emptying my daughters old nursery (currently a study room) to make it into a rat room!! Its needing new flooring and needing to buy the cage ( im debating between the Little Friends Aventura or the Little Friends Rockford) ive still got loads of toys left over from the gerbils. I use a combo of Auboise and Megazorb for bedding for both the gerbils and hamsters. Would these substrates be ok for the Rats? Ive also watched your video on making a simple mix for the rats so thats on my to do list when the flooring is in and the Cage is set up. Ive spent last 2 days on and off binge watching all your videos. They are so imformative, even my 8 yr old loves them!! In terms of air freshners, if i cant use Ambi Pur, would a air purifer be ok? Im still debating whether to get boys or girls, especially as id like my daughter to get involved. She has been loving training our Syrian Ziggy. Anyway sorry for the essay!! Keep up with the excellent videos!!

[@IsamuRatCare]

I'd use aubiouse over megasorb as I find that has a weird smell lol. Aubiouse is very messy, especially with the shallow tray on those cages. Personally I'd look at a Coco large maybe as a starting point as it's a good size and got a decent base and cheap. It's what I'm using for the babies at the moment. In terms of choosing bucks and does I'd recommend trying to get along to a rat show and meet both. Or join a waiting list saying your happy with either. It tends to mean you get them faster if you don't mind and both sexes make excellent pets

[@lornafletcher6174]

@@IsamuRatCare Thanks I will definately have a look at the Co Co large. Is the Little Friends cages not recommended for young rats? Is it better to move them into those cages when bigger? I did have a look at the Savic Zeno 3 Empire, thought it may be quite good for the height? Thanks again for all the advice

[@IsamuRatCare]

Both are fine for young rats but you could get more space for your money and the tray depth is really shallow so you'd end up wanting to invest in deeper trays which adds to the cost. Absolutely fine if your happy with that but particulary using aubiouse you'd be swearing very quickly at all the mess lol. The zeno empire is lovely and big with nice deep tray. It's not the best for access but not bad. If money was no object I'd recommend the little zoo venturer lol but it is pricey. Also check out second hand. You can often pick up a good SRS or explorer there for around £100 which is a bargain if it's in decent nick

[@LittlePaws18120]

Is kiln dried pine ok for substrate?

[@IsamuRatCare]

If it's dust extracted yes though I would give it a good smell when you get it too

[@LittlePaws18120]

@@IsamuRatCare thanks

[@goshdan]

What product litter do you use?

[@IsamuRatCare]

I use back to nature currently, similar to breeder select. It’s a paper cat litter

[@robynlipiec8433]

Hi, I've recently changed my bedding to bedmax and my two boys both got respiratory problems. They are currently on fleece as I think they are very sensitive. Can you recommend any other type of bedding? :)

[@IsamuRatCare]

Some rats can get a strong reaction to certain substrates. You could either try another shaving (megaspread is a good alternative) or try something like Fitch bedding which seems very hypoallergenic. Chopped card like green mile is also a good one

[@robynlipiec8433]

@@IsamuRatCare thank you so much for replying. I've recently bought green mile from yourself to try :) not heard of fitch bedding before. Where can I get that?

[@IsamuRatCare]

I don't think it's from myself? I'm not a business. It might be from rat rations which is a company I do use and use a few recipes I made? Fitch is a paper pulp style bedding. You can get it on eBay from memory though the place that makes it is near my parents so when I've used it I've just picked up a bale

[@2acrorat]

@@IsamuRatCare www.fitchfirst.co.uk/fitch-pet-store/rabbit-guinea-pig-hamster/bedding.html