I lent a cage to a friend of mine a couple years back. Her rat just died and I got the cage back. She cleaned out the litter but never cleaned the wires or anything (its all metal) theres caked on crud that turned the silver into a brownish color. An ordinary scrubbing isnt going to do the trick here.. What can I use to get it back to almost new?
2007-01-07 07:36:01 · 8 answers · asked by Dani 7 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
A long soak in the bathtub and and elbow grease scrubbing with a plastic, short-bristled brush.
I also like the car-wash idea. Just blast that dirt off.
Spray Hydrogen Peroxide on first and then a spray of Vinegar to deodorize it, loosen the crud, and disinfect it.
A paint that is used to restore children's cribs, as in non-toxic to children, is safe to retouch the cage.
In the end, if there is a lot of rust on the cage, if it is really badly damaged from previous improper cleaning, it would be safer for the rats just to discard it.
Please do not use oven cleaner, or SOS pads. Oven cleaner is toxic, wire pads can leave behind tiny slivers of metal that the rats might find after the cage is put back together.
Bleach will eat away at the metal, especially if there are rust spots, and it's also toxic to rats.
More on cleaning rat cages:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geur3DcKFFSx0BhP1XNyoA?p=How+to+clean+your+rat%27s+cage&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&x=wrt
spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Specializing in the health and care of pet rats since 1997
2007-01-07 09:17:52 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Why don't you take it to a car wash and try one of the high pressure hoses? You may want to put on a mask for that though. You don't need to be breathing in rat poop thats been areolized by the high pressure sprayer. Good luck
2007-01-07 07:46:01 · answer #2 · answered by cajunrescuemedic 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fill your trash bin with enough water to cover the cage.
Add bleach and soap and let soak for at least and hour.
Scrub off with a brush.
Let dry and consider the damage and maybe repaint if it was a painted type.
2007-01-07 07:58:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Soak it in really really hot water with dishwashing liquid in it
2007-01-07 08:50:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
spray it with OVEN CLEANER let it sit for a while then use a wire brush to clean it up!
2007-01-07 07:48:18 · answer #5 · answered by BubbleGumBoobs! 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would get a new one, but you could try "sos" pads. I wouldn't use any chemical cleaners.
2007-01-07 08:19:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you should have cleand it sooner i didn't read the second parrt of your qustion.
2007-01-07 08:51:47 · answer #7 · answered by etudiant des dieux 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
OH PLEASE THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE BEFORE YOU BECOME DEATHLY ILL
2007-01-07 07:44:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋