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?
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.
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!
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.
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.
I let mocha sleep on fleece strips from extra fleece that I have, and I vacuum the cage daily. When she's done wheeling, she likes to roam around with her poopy boots and make as much as a mess as she can. I wash the fleece monthly, if not sooner.
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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