Any Rat owners?

[Sugarised]

I know this isn't a chin question. But everyone is so insightful about chins on here and i know some of you have ratties, so i thought i'd have a go at asking a question here.

I feed my boys the shunamite diet.

My cage has started to smell, after literally 2 days, i do have boys that scent the cage a lot, but it is much too strong...so...
I've bathed my ratties (much to their annoyance) and the smell is no longer on them..but noticed one of them smelt really bad. Well thats because he pooped on the towel that i was drying him with. BUT... this is the issue, his poop shouldn't smell THAT bad, and it wasn't firm. I now know the creator of the cage smells now!

But any idea why his poop should be that bad? the other produces firm, dark poop, that doesn't really smell, but this other rat, who is eating exactly the same mix has ill-looking poop, pale-ish and soft and stinky!

I've looked online and the only suggestion is too many fresh greens, but my ratties don't have a lot of fresh greens as theyre on the shunamite diet, so their veggies and fruits are a rabbit mix and everything else is cereal, pasta, nuts and a little bit of sultanas- my own diet doesn't involve fresh fruit n veg all that often so i don't give them fresh a lot.

any ideas?

Everyone and everything is clean now, so i'll keep an eye on him

 

[cremellomare]

I have four girls, and I am not much help. Are you on the goosemom forum? Excellent rat info there and plenty of people from other places, I'm in the US so don't know what is there.

 

[menagerie]

He fear pooped. Fear poops are squishy and smelly. Unless you've seen those types of poop around the cage, I'm sure he's not the source of the cage smell.

How long have you had the boys?

 

[Sugarised]

fear poop makes sense...literally THAT scared- he hates bathtime, but he's a smelly boy who rolls around in his cage a lot sparking fights with his cagemate. I've only had them about a month, but they are old boys that needed rehoming...i say old...they're about 9 and 10 months- thats not too old for me, but was old enough that no one wanted em. So sad! They are lovely.

Suppose the smell could just be because there are two ratties in there that LOVE their food and refuse to be toilet trained, i bet if they were toilet trained i could clean up more easily and daily and then the smell wouldn't linger as opposed to it being 5 days of hidden poop!

 

[Sugarised]

and nay not on goosemom. I am a member of a rat forum that i joined the day i got them, but as i didn't go on often i've forgotten which it was hahaha!

 

[menagerie]

fear poop makes sense...literally THAT scared- he hates bathtime, but he's a smelly boy who rolls around in his cage a lot sparking fights with his cagemate. I've only had them about a month, but they are old boys that needed rehoming...i say old...they're about 9 and 10 months- thats not too old for me, but was old enough that no one wanted em. So sad! They are lovely.

Suppose the smell could just be because there are two ratties in there that LOVE their food and refuse to be toilet trained, i bet if they were toilet trained i could clean up more easily and daily and then the smell wouldn't linger as opposed to it being 5 days of hidden poop!

What kind of litter are you using? That makes a huge difference in odor control.

and nay not on goosemom. I am a member of a rat forum that i joined the day i got them, but as i didn't go on often i've forgotten which it was hahaha!

I've never heard of goosemom, but Goosemoose is a good forum for all things ratty.

 

[cremellomare]

Ok, I guess I can't read, I put goosemom..haha. Thanks for the correction menagerie

 

[PetoftheDay]

There's a lot of rat people over at http://www.ratforum.com/ - you might try there.