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cleaning the cage

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  HappyHedgies 
#1 ·
Hi. I bought my hedgehog a extra large rabbit cage and was wondering how often to clean it.
I have read that cages should be cleaned weekly but at the end of the week it still looks clean.
should I let it sit for two weeks?

Thank you for your opinion. :)
 
#3 ·
I clean Kashi's cage once a week, and it's around the size of an extra large rabbit cage.

I change his fleece liner, vaccum up the crumbs, etc and give the entire cage a wipe-down with a disinfectant cloth.

Your hedgie either must be ridiculously clean if it still looks super clean by the end of the week @_@
 
#4 ·
I've got one of those really big rabbit cages, and Spikey does all his bathroom stuff in the litter box or on his wheel. I wash the wheel at least every other day and change the litter box weekly. I probably only change the wood shavings once every month or so, if even that. I mostly go by smell...if I can smell hedgehog when the litter box is clean and the wheel is washed, then it's time to change the shavings.

When I was using a large plastic storage tub, I had to change it more often.
 
#5 ·
I have Truffle in a Ferret Nation on fleece liners. His wheel has a litter box underneath it. The wheel HAS to be cleaned each day. But the litter box only weekly and the cage only a weekly pick up really. He seems to go on the wheel only. I do usually take off one layer of fleece in the weekly pick though I must say I am not sure it REALLY needs it.

So it probably depends on the cage and the hedgie. Smell is certainly a good indicator though!
 
#8 ·
ghartrid said:
I use yesterdays news by purina. it is pelleted newspaper.
Are you using yesterday's news as bedding or just litter?
I am not 100% (I am sure someone else will jump in) but I didn't think you could use yesterday's news as their actual bedding...just as litter. I could be wrong though....

As for cleaning Niblet's cage. He is in a ferret nation with fleece liners. I spot clean his cage everyday. I pick up all the poop and wash his wheel down. Every other day, I take off the top layer of fleece. Once a week, he gets a complete cage cleaning and a foot bath. We also have a small air purifier by his cage. We have never had any issues with smell. :)
 
#9 ·
ghartrid said:
Hi. I bought my hedgehog a extra large rabbit cage and was wondering how often to clean it.
I have read that cages should be cleaned weekly but at the end of the week it still looks clean.
should I let it sit for two weeks?)
Think about your bathroom/kitchen counters. At the end of a week they may look clean, but they're still covered in bacteria that you can't see and need to be wiped down.
 
#12 ·
ghartrid said:
I use yesterdays news as the bedding for my hedgehog. it is what the fellow at the pet store suggested I use.
Think of a matress hard and soft..the yesterdays news pellets are hard and dont provide a lot of cushion. Most people only use the pellets for litter boxes. For the bedding though its popular to use fleece liners, aspen shavings, or carefresh for a comfy home to sleep on.

As for bedding changes..we use shavings and clean and disinfect them every 4 or 5 days or so or when we start noticing a smell.
 
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