# How often do you scrub your cages?



## Autumn2005

I don't just mean changing the bedding, but how often do you clean the inside of your cages? Every time you change the bedding, or once a week, once a month, every day? And is it safe to use bleach to sterilize the inside of cages as long as you rinse it well after? Thanks all!


----------



## morning-star

every time I clean out the bedding -about once a week. (or whenever it looks too messy) I use pet-safe disinfectant sprays you can get at pet stores.


----------



## jadeguppy

It depends. I mostly use tubs. If the tubs are starting to get stuff stuck to them and/or a stinky lingering smell after the bedding is gone, I'll wash them. I rinse them and then clean them with simple green. It is a product that was suggested to me when I was breeding seahorses. Biodegradable and rinses clean.


----------



## hyshqa

I do a complete change of substrate and bedding once a week and if any of the water/urine has caused anything to stick to the plastic then I'll clean it out with pet-safe disinfectant from the pet store. Other than that I just use a brush to get rid of any dust residue and refil. However if I'm switching the mice around in the boxes, or if any of them are ill, then I use F10 which is a disinfectant I bought for use on my parrot's cage.


----------



## Laigaie

I wipe out the tanks every time, but every four or five times (or sooner if someone gets sick, see mites or fleas, etc), I'll scrub them down. I use glass aquariums, so I get foggy glass after a while, and I've found that acetone clears that up really quickly. That said, with any chemical you wouldn't want to breathe in, before you put bedding into the cage, test it by sticking your head in there and getting a big whiff. If you can smell even a very light bleachy, vinegary, or acetoney scent, rinse it out again. The mice are very small and have very delicate little lungs, so it really doesn't take much to do them damage.


----------



## moustress

I clean the inside of the tank whenever the bedding is changed. I don't disinfect unless there were mites, illness, or a death. It's not good to raise mousies in sterile tanks, as they don't get exposed to ambient germs. This can cause a weaker immune system, as they don't develop antibodies against things that they will almost certainly be exposed to in the mousery.

My normal cleaning is done with alcohol and perfume free wet wipes. They are a worthwhile indulgence for anyone who doesn't have a sink near their mousery. I sometimes use window cleaner if the tank is really gunky, followed by a rinse with plain water.
The water bottles do get extra cleaning with an antibacterial soap, along with scrubbing, and I pay special attention to the spigots, washers, and caps, as that's where the the mousie touches the water supply. They get cleaned with a small brush (old toothbrush) and with cotton swabs and dried thrououghly.

I'm very careful about washing my hands before I handle my meeces, and use hand disinfectant if I have handle a mousie who is sick or who looks like they may be sick.


----------



## geordiesmice

I wash the faunariums out with simple washing up liquid and hot water when necessary.


----------



## PestPhill

I recently had a mouse infected with mites... Not something I wish to repete and I now scrub the cage every other weak with diluted bleach to kill any mites and stop reinfection.


----------



## Bridgette Rena

I scrub my cages weekly when I change/replace bedding. I either use dish soap diluted with water or nature's miracle, then rinse with water.


----------



## moustress

I scrub with every change of bedding, plus I scoop out the potty corners as about 2/3 to 3/4 of my group cages use only one corner for peeing in. The corner then is wiped down lightly before I put it a bit of clean bedding. I am so glad most of my boys have adopted this little bit of 'housekeeping instead of drinking water constantly and spewing all over the water bottles. Some of those boys also collect the cleanest bits of bedding and cover up to half of the surface of the bedding at one end with it. Also, I also put in bit bit of clean stuff at that end. Those tanks' corners get scooped and partly cleaned several times a week, plus the regular cage changing. It helps a lot in keeping the ammonia levels down in those tanks and in the mousery in general.

I don't usually use anything to sterilize or sanitize the tanks. I use DeFlea in tanks and on equipment where mites have been present, and in the bedding of mousies who in the middle of treatment for mites. (I spray my hands too, so I don't spread mites from tank to tank when dealing with meeces and equipment in infested tanks.


----------



## hlforumhl

I wash the cages about once a month. This works well for my mice and my housing conditions.


----------



## hlforumhl

To keep the cages clean, I spot clean every single day, which involves replacing the soiled bedding in the corners of the cage.


----------



## MoonfallTheFox

I wipe Augustus' cage out when I change bedding and use soap once a week. (just hand soap) He's one of those bucks who pee on everything in big gooey layers, it ends up everywhere, the water bottle, the sides of the cage, EVERYWHERE. Nasty little bugger. Lol.

The girls get a bedding change every week, or more if it's nessecary, and I usually don't do much in the way of washing it out. I usually have to wipe the bottom to get any urine off, but since they aren't utterly repulsive about how they potty, I don't need to go all scrub-crazy.

And yes, I do usually leave a "stinky" for Augustus. He's just one of those boys who likes to make a horrible mess.


----------



## PPVallhunds

i normaly wash them once a week using trigeen, if i run out of time ill just change the shavings and wash next time.


----------



## RockyMountainMice

I don't have mice yet but I used to have rats and I think it's safe to say that the cleaning routine will be the same.
I would take it to the tub to clean it with hot water if it looked like it needed it, usually every 2nd-3rd time I change the bedding. 
However, when I change the bedding I wipe down the pan (and bars if they need it) with baby wipes.


----------



## Frizzle

I change bedding weekly, and usually wash my tanks out every other week. I think I'm gonna make a switch to plastic, the glass is rather awkward to lug around. My males aren't too bad about where they pee, but one of my females likes to stick her poop on the glass. When I see it, I just chip it off if its not scrubbing day. Recently they've made the move to my basement, but that was a space thing. Previously I kept them in my room, so you know the smell didn't get really bad.


----------



## Emfa Mouse

I do a thorough clean out every Sat or Sun and clean bedding on Weds too.


----------



## LauM

Once a week. I scrub it with just washing up liquid and hot water.


----------



## MissStitches

I scrub it clean about every 2 weeks or whenever it seems to have a lingering scent after the bedding is gone. I don't like cleaning it too often, because mice, like other animals, can get viruses more easily if they're always in a sterile environment.  Being in a sterile environment too long weakens the immune system because the body doesn't think that it needs to concentrate on that as much. 
But that's just my ideology. I prefer to keep my mice clean and healthy, but not sterilize their environment too often.


----------



## mousekid98

i scrub every 2 weeks


----------

