Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Wash the cage and get rid of the odor
• Method 2 of 3: Be Smell Free
• Method 3 of 3: Train your pet to the litter box

If you have a hamster, you will be unpleasantly surprised how strong an unpleasant smell these little creatures can give off. To get rid of this odor, you will need to thoroughly wash the cage once a week. In addition, there are several ways that you can help make your hamster's home less "fragrant," including teaching your pet how to use a litter box.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Wash the cage and get rid of the odor

1. 1 Place your hamster in a safe place. Carriers for small animals are best suited for this purpose. If you have a cat carrier, use it, just make sure the door closes tightly enough to prevent your pet from escaping. You can put your hamster in a hamster ball, but if this is the case, ask someone to watch the pet while you clean the cage.
   • Wear disposable rubber gloves when cleaning the cage to avoid the spread of pathogens.
2. 2 Remove everything from the cage that is there. Get your pet's toys, bowls for food and water, a sleeping house, and everything else. Throw away all of the litter in the trash can. Please note that cleaning the cage cannot be done in the kitchen - the used bedding can become a source of pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella.
   • The source of the unpleasant odor can be any objects that were in the cage. For this reason, the cage itself and all its contents, including toys and accessories, must be thoroughly washed.
3. 3 Use detergent to thoroughly wash the cage. Before using special products to help get rid of the odor, wash the cage with a special rodent cage cleaner or regular laundry soap. You can also use dish detergent and wash the cage with hot water. In addition to the cage itself, wash all accessories, including food and water bowls.
   • Never use the kitchen sink to wash the cage, as this can lead to the proliferation of microorganisms. It is best to wash the cage in the yard (if you live in a private house and it is warm outside) or use the bathroom for this purpose.
   • Do not use the sponge you used to wash the cage for any other purpose, even if you wash the cage with dish detergent.
   • Washing with laundry soap will help you remove residual urine and animal excrement, which will help to get rid of the unpleasant odor.
4. 4 Get rid of bad odors. To do this, you need a detergent. You can use a regular home cleaning spray or a special odor-removing agent. For example, a product containing enzymes can help you effectively remove unpleasant odors from your pet's cage.
   • Use simple home remedies such as baking soda or table vinegar to remove odors from the cage after you wash it with soapy water. Take a thin layer of baking soda, then scoop up the baking soda with a damp sponge. If you are using vinegar, moisten a sponge generously with it and wipe the surface of the cage.
5. 5 Rinse the cage thoroughly with plenty of clean water. After treating the cage with cleaning agents, it is necessary to rinse them off with plenty of clean water. Don't forget to rinse the accessories too. You need to remove any residual detergent from the cage so that the smell does not bother the hamster.
   • The clean water will remove any odors that may have remained in the cage and accessories after cleaning. You do the cleaning because you don't like the smell of a hamster, but your pet is unlikely to like the smell of detergents either.
   • Wait until the cage is completely dry before returning the furry pet back to its home.
6. 6 Place fresh bedding in the cage. If you are using sawdust, only buy aspen, as other tree species can be harmful to your hamster. You can also make litter by cutting the paper into narrow strips and mixing it with wood shavings, or purchase a pre-made litter made from recycled paper.
   • You can buy any natural-based bedding you find at a pet supply store. These types of bedding are good at absorbing liquids and retaining unpleasant odors. Be sure to make sure your litter is made from natural materials, not artificial ones.
   • If you choose to use cut paper, make sure there is no ink on it. Also, keep in mind that this bedding does not absorb unpleasant odors as well as other natural beddings. The better the adsorptive qualities of the litter, the better it retains the odor inside.
   • To make sure the litter is safe for your hamster, place it in a sealed bag and put it in the freezer for two days. This treatment will kill microscopic mites that may have been in the litter.
7. 7 Wash your hands thoroughly. When you finish cleaning the cage, be sure to wash your hands as thoroughly as possible - this will help get rid of harmful microorganisms.

Method 2 of 3: Be Smell Free

1. 1 Clean the cage weekly. The more often you clean the cage, the less unpleasant odor will be. Try to clean your hamster's home at least once a week.
   • If you tend to forget about business, try setting a reminder on your phone that it's time to clean.
   • Try making cleaning a must on your weekly to-do list.
2. 2 Place a layer of baking soda on the bottom of the cage. Baking soda is an excellent absorbent that absorbs unpleasant odors. Simply sprinkle a layer of baking soda on the bottom of the cage and place regular bedding on top of it.
   • Baking soda can help keep your hamster's cage odorless and can be easily found in any supermarket and is inexpensive.
3. 3 Always use fresh bedding. If you decide to reuse the litter, do not be surprised that it will be the source of the unpleasant odor.
   • You will need to replace the litter with a fresh litter, as it retains urine and excrement from the animal, even if your pet knows how to use a litter box.
   • However, some hamster owners advise adding a small amount of used litter to fresh litter to keep the hamster comfortable after cleaning the cage.
4. 4 Try nutritional supplements. These products can be purchased at pet supply stores. Special nutritional supplements help to get rid of the unpleasant smell of animal excrement and urine, which helps to reduce the unpleasant odor from the cage.
   • Most often, these supplements contain plant extracts (such as Schideger's yucca) or certain amino acids.
   • While these additives have not yet been scientifically proven to be effective in eliminating hamster odors, they are safe for your pet's health.
5. 5 Take care of room ventilation. Try to provide as much fresh air as possible in the area where the cage is located. To do this, often open windows for ventilation or turn on the air conditioner.
   • In addition, you can place an air purifier (sink) next to the cage to remove unpleasant odors.
   • You can also take care of an effective ventilation system for your house or apartment as a whole.

Method 3 of 3: Train your pet to the litter box

1. 1 Teach your hamster how to use the litter box. One of the easiest and most effective ways to get rid of cage odors is to use a pet litter box. In this case, you can more often throw out foul-smelling waste products of the animal.
   • Not every hamster can be trained to use the litter box. However, it is worth trying to teach your pet this useful skill - the fresh smell in the room will fully reward your efforts.
2. 2 First, do a general cleaning of your pet's cage. After that, see which part of the cage the hamster prefers to use as a toilet. This is where you will need to place your litter box.
   • To locate the litter box, note where the litter is wet with urine or stained with animal excrement.
   • In addition, the litter in this part of the cage is crumpled into uneven heaps.
3. 3 Buy a litter box or make one yourself. There are a large number of rodent trays available on the market, but you can also make a pet litter box out of scrap materials.
   • Buy a litter box online or at any pet supply store.
   • If you want, you can use cardboard boxes, as well as any utensils: plastic, ceramic or glass. Cardboard boxes absorb urine well, so you can throw away the used box and replace it with a new one. However, the chances are high that your pet will chew on cardboard. To make such a tray, you can take an empty tissue box and cut off the top. Ceramic, glass, and plastic dishes will also make a good pet litter box, however, don't be surprised if you see your pet sitting on the edge of the litter box, but urine and feces remain outside.
4. 4 Pour litter into the tray. For these purposes, you can use ordinary fine sand or a special toilet filler for small animals. If you use fine sand, it must be sterilized before use. Ready-made filler, which is sold in pet stores, retains the smell much better, but it is significantly more expensive.
   • If you use ordinary sand, it must first be sterilized by calcining it in the oven or freezing it in the freezer for one to two hours. Clean sand can be stored in a large bucket with a tight-fitting lid.
   • Pet shops sell ready-made chinchilla sand that has already been sterilized, but it is quite expensive. Hamsters love to dig in the sand.
5. 5 Place the litter box on the part of the crate that your pet uses as a litter box. To help your hamster understand what the new attachment is for, put some soiled bedding in the litter tray to help the hamster orientate with a familiar scent.
   • Try to use your pet's habits. If your hamster has chosen a certain place in the cage and always relieves it there, you can use the habit of the animal to train it to the toilet.
   • A small amount of soiled litter placed in a new litter box will catch the hamster's attention thanks to its familiar scent.
6. 6 Replace used filler with fresh filler regularly. The contents of the litter box can be changed more often than a complete cleaning of the cage. However, it is important not to overdo it: you should not change the filler daily. It is important for hamsters that the habitat is familiar and unchanged, so if you change the litter too often, the hamster will feel uncomfortable.
   • Instead of replacing all of the litter, you can use a small scoop to scoop up the excrement and urine (if you see some of the litter become wet.
   • Replace all litter in the tray periodically.