Why does the newspaper bedding make me rats smell horrible?

I changed the cages yesterday, and today they smell like pee. I thought that they might be peeing on eachother, but I have a rat in a cage alone, and she smells like pee too. I washed out the tanks and changed the houses and cleaned the bowls, so it not those things. Is it the bedding?Why does the newspaper bedding make me rats smell horrible?
Because newspaper is not very absorbant, so the urine is just sitting there. And newspapers that sit around wet with ANY liquid SMELL.


I use something called ';Woody Pets';. It is compressed wood pieces. I change him every week to week and a half and he doesn't smell at all.


Try some other kinds of breeding and see if you notice an improvement.





I don't use wood ';shavings';. They are COMPRESSED wood pellets...no shavings. I have been using it for 5 years and the hamster is still alive...5 years later!!!


The ink on newspaper is not great for them either!!!!!Why does the newspaper bedding make me rats smell horrible?
newspaper isn't absorbent enough. have you tried the recycled paper bedding? it doesn't get in their eyes. if you can't get any though you could try sprinkling a little baking soda under the newspaper.
As everyone else here has already said, newspaper isn't very absorbant. May put some material of some kind underneath the paper. Rats being rats, she wil probably just chew the crap out of it anyway. Try putting a litter tray in the bottom of rats' cage with kitty litter, put a few of her 'poos' in there and she will get the idea over time to do her business in there. She will still pee in her bedding but hopefully not as much. If you see her doing her business in the litter tray, be sure to praise her too. Good luck!! xo
It's simply because newspaper does not absorb odors well. A GREAT alternative is simple a piece of fleece in the bottom of the cage. It absorbs the wetness well, making the area more comfortable for your rats, and absorbs the odors very well. Then, once or twice a week, all you must do is take out the fleece and throw it in the washing machine! So simple!





Good luck! :D
Newspaper ink is poisonous!





We use Carefresh Pet Bedding. It is made from reclaimed pulp so it's good for the enviroment. It's not so dusty as some other bedding either. It's soft and our rats and bunny love to snuggle in it. It is also flushable in small amounts.





You mentioned cleaning out the tanks, I'm not sure if that means your rats live in the tank. But tanks aren't good for rats to live in, they don't get enough air. Bad for respitory, and creates worse odor.





I have heard of people smoothing their rats fur with a dryer sheet to help them smell better.
Newspaper is not great at eliminating smells as it is not as absorbant as many other beddings. try changing to a 100% paper bedding such as carefresh or cardboard squares horse bedding and spot clean your cage during the week, wiping down the shelves and change any hammocks every 2-3 days as rats like to pee in these.





Also, tanks are notorious for holding in bad smells as they have very poor ventilation. This is also very bad for your rats very sensitive respiratory systems so I would advise that you buy a large cage instead. This will help the ammonia to dissipate rather than build up in the bottom of the tank and will be better for your rats.
It's basically the newspaper. It doesn't really absorb the odors. You should try places a few sheets of newspaper to fit the base of the cage. Then buy sawdust or thin wood shavings on top of the layer of newspaper. I did that and it worked pretty well. I had to clean it's cage about every week or so.





Wood shavings don't make them blind. None of my hamsters have ever gotten blind by the wood shavings. I've used them for every hamster I've gotten.
You should consider purchasing some bedding from the Pet store.


I recommend Carefresh, although it is a little pricey, it's very good quality. It absorbs urine and odors better than many other bedding available. Also, rodents, tend to really enjoy this type of bedding.
newspaper get soiled quickly so its not very good for rats cages. i use a woodbase cat litter in the bottom of my rats cage coz it absorbes the pee. Carefresh pet bedding is good too it doesnt smell so bad and you can get it from most pet shops.


http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?d鈥?/a>


hope this helps