How to Clean a Mouse Cage

Keeping your mice cages or tanks clean and tidy is important for their well being and health. This article covers how to clean a mouse cage, and keep your home smelling fresh.

There are a few tips and tricks when it comes to how to clean a mouse cage easily. But it’s not too difficult or time consuming and comes as part of being a responsible mice owner.

Letting their cage get too dirty is actually very bad for the health of mice. The build-up of waste causes toxic chemicals like ammonia which not only smell terrible, but are dangerous to breathe in.

How Often Should You Clean a Mouse Cage Out?

Cages should be cleaned out at least once a week. If you see wet spots or clumps in the cage you should remove these as and when you see them. All of the accessories should be washed when you clean out the cage.

If you have a large number of mice and they are choosing a certain area to poop you may need to clean this more often too. A lot of it comes down to just looking in their cage when you feed them and keeping on top of it.

If you are starting to smell their cage then that is another sign that you need to clean it. The smell will be the ammonia from the build up of urine and droppings. This can be potentially dangerous to their little lungs breathing it in. Not to mention its unpleasant for you and other people to smell.

Another odor is the smell that male mice naturally have. This is different from smells from waste products and you will not get rid of this. It’s not overpowering, most people don’t see it as a problem.

But as a rule of thumb, once a week will be the minimum. Keeping on top of the cleaning is much better than letting it get out of control and trying to catch up. Your mice will become sick quickly if you leave it much longer than this.

Why You Shouldn’t over Clean Their Cage

There is such a thing as over cleaning the cages. Firstly, you have to understand that male mice do have an odor. If you really don’t like this then you should only keep female mice, or position their cage well away from where you spend a lot of time.

You don’t want to remove the mice natural small from the cage completely while cleaning it either. This encourages them to mark the cage more with their scent and it will send up smelling worse.

For example, I rotate changing all of the bedding and litter so I never change all of both at the same time. This helps keep the cage clean while retaining their smell for the mice to feel comfortable.

What Products Should I Use to Clean out My Mice Cage?

There are a few different cleaning materials you can use. I recommend using scent-free baby wipes
for wiping down the sides of a tank and cleaning plastic accessories. Make sure you buy the type that doesn’t leave any residue behind. These are great at wiping down accessories and running wheels, very easy and quick.

For really stubborn spots you can use vinegar or a diluted bleach mix. But this is a last resort and you need to make sure you then use warm water to remove any scent or residue left behind. These are harsh chemicals and are hazardous to the health of mice, so use sparingly.

Another option is antibacterial soap, that when used with warm water and a scrubbing brush should shift all those difficult to move stains. Whatever you decide to use, the important thing is that there is no residue left over and you cannot smell cleaning products.

For utensils, scrubbing brushes, tooth brushes and dish cleaning sponges should be enough to clean all the cage bars, glass sides of a tank, and accessories in their homes.

The Benefits of a Clean and Hygienic Tank

Having a clean and hygienic tank means your mice are going to be a lot happier and healthier. The same applies to you right, you like to be living in a clean environment? So keep this in mind, no matter how busy your week is you absolutely need to make time to clean out their cage.

Put aside enough time to do a through clean each week as well. Always ensure the items are completely dry before placing them back in the cage. Mix up the placement’s of some of their chewing toys too, this keeps them a little more interested and gives them new scenery to explore.

Happy mice fight less, stay healthier, smell fresher, and are more fun to interact with. You should now know everything you need to know about how to clean a mouse cage safely, easily, and keeping on top of the cleaning.