About Robin Bartlett Expertise I can answer any rat-related questions including feeding, housing, breeding, showing, genetics, health, and behaviour. I am a veterinary assistant and though I cannot answer in-depth health questions I am familiar with the most common ailments and treatments for rats. I have owned rats for 10 years and have been breeding them for 5 and have studied everything about them that I can get my hands on. I currently run my own rat care website at http://careguide.evergreenrattery.com and have been answering rat and other rodent questions via email and IM for several years now.
Experience I am a veterinary assistant who has owned rats for 10 years and bred them for 5. In this time I have learned nearly everything there is to know about rats and continue to study more about them every day. I have been answering rat questions via IM and email for several years now and I am currently ranked #3 on Yahoo! Answers for the best answers in the rodents category.
Organizations RatsPacNW, RMFE
Education/Credentials Though I am a veterinary assistant, I have not gone to college for it. My parents are both vets, and I have grown up with our family business and have learned what I needed to know on the job.
Pet Rats - four pet rats, cage is always very smelly
Expert: Robin Bartlett - 6/20/2008
Question we baught a ferret cage for our four rats because of the space it provides...the shelving is plastic and holding smell in between cleanings, every three days I clean it. What is a safe cleaning agent for the plastic shelving to remove smell? This can be a home made agent, or store bought. I just dont want to hurt them.
Answer Hi there! Most pet rat owners use a vinegar diluted with water solution just to be safe, but you can pretty much use anything as long as you rinse it well afterwards. The good thing with the vinegar water is that you can put it in a spritz bottle and then just spray and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Another idea would be to make polar fleece or flannel liners for the shelves, attaching them with stick-on velcro. You can make 7 sets of liners and change them out every day, only having to do laundry for the cage once per week. The material will absorb most of the pee and lessen the smell, plus it is soft on their feet.
