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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / June 2004Boy rats & smell - really
Hi all, Thanks so much for all your answers. I love this group already. I just got an email from a breeder and I can go on a waiting list that might take, well 2 months (the suspense will kill me). But she's asking me if I want boys or girls. Now in my research I've read that male rats do not smell as bad as male mice. I have experience with male mice and if you've ever smelled them, you KNOW what I mean. Is it true that male rats are not as "pungent"? Of course taking into consideration a cage with great ventilation and proper cleaning etc. - that's no problem. It's just that male mice will smell very strong in a matter of hours. I've read that some people neuter their male rats to prevent fighting and odor. I suppose this is not out of the realm of possibility, but I'd just like some opinions on how it really is out there. Thanks! Meghan Hi Meghan, I have 17 Guys shacked up in my lounge ....:) ( couldnt think of anything better either). I have found that if they are kept clean then the smell isn't bad at all. We wash down all the shelving and change their bedding every day though, it really is a labour of love. On Sundays the whole house is dismantled and taken outside for a good scrubb and hosing. I can see no reason to neuter a fella just because of odour, at the end of the day if the smell is THAT bad then it is a hygiene problem not a Rat problem..:) All the best in your future choices..:) Regards Kate http://community.webshots.com/user/ollieogg > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks! > Meghan > Hi Meghan, > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Regards Kate > http://community.webshots.com/user/ollieogg And I totally agree with Kate, odor is not a reason to put a rat through the risk of an operation.  SignatureJoanne Mom to 12 rats http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70 j-s.b@nospamsympatico.ca remove "no spam" > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks! > Meghan My boys do tend to have stronger smelling urine than my girls - but a quick wipe round the shelves in the cage every morning seems to keep the pong at bay. I actually quite like the musky smell that they get from their buck grease. My, that makes me sound odd :) Suebee ~~ www.suebeedoo.com/rats.htm ~~ > My boys do tend to have stronger smelling urine than my girls - but a quick > wipe round the shelves in the cage every morning seems to keep the pong at [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Suebee > ~~ www.suebeedoo.com/rats.htm ~~ If you are odd, so am I! I love a male rat's natural smell - it reminds me of shower gel, a lovely musky smell. The only time they don't smell too good is when they have been laid (and 'marinating', as I think Kate once put it!) on some bedding a rat has just peed on! Tracey Ok lump me in ,in the "odd" camp... I love the smell of my boys... just not the "marinated wee wee smell"..LOL Regards Kate > > My boys do tend to have stronger smelling urine than my girls - but a > quick [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Tracey > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks! > Meghan no male rats are very pungent in my experience.... far less so the females.. yep boy rats stink..... "no male rats are very pungent in my experience.... far less so the females.. yep boy rats stink....." I did not find that to be true. My three boys did not smell. Actually..they did have a scent to them but not a bad one. Oddly enough Tiger smelled like Frito's and Bo smelled like grape soda...Luke is the only one who has never had a scent to him. As for their waste....as long as I kept the cage cleaned ( 1x a week for my 3 boys) it was barely noticeable. Azzy -- We have always been told the early bird gets the worm. Well, what about the worm. The first worm to get up gets eaten by the bird. ~ That is as good a reason as any to sleep in! > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks! > Meghan Males have a musky scent to them... and I've come to love that smell... *sigh* But if you are talking about "dirty" smell, then it's a matter of just wiping down the cage. If you can smell the urine, then you can imagine what that smell is doing to your rats, right? I clean my cage with 7 rats, twice a day. Just because there's a bunch of them in there. I have another cage with only 3 boys and I do a very small daily clean up in that one and only one big clean up a week. The less you have rats, in a big cage, the less they will smell. I have made cage cleaning all part of my interaction with my rats, so I look forward to cage cleaning as do my rats. :) It's not a chore for me, it's fun.! SignatureJoanne Mom to 12 rats http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70 j-s.b@nospamsympatico.ca remove "no spam" The male rats that I have had never really gave a strong smell off for me. I think with a good cleaning of the cage you can keep it at bay. However when I took care of my male rats I gave them baths occasionally only because they liked them so It kept them clean and the smell wasn't that bad. I only bathed them about once or twice every two to three months. So in my experience the smell was not that strong at all. Ok sounds great. So the "research" is correct and the smell isn't that bad. I often get a reaction when I tell people I have 5 cats... most who don't understand just think my house probably smells like a giant litter pan. Well if you take care of it every day, of course it smells fine - and it *is* a labor of love. :-) Thanks guys, Meghan > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks! > Meghan |
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