Hamster Central - View Single Post - How often should I clean out the hamster cages?

mangoandmimi · 10-08-2018, 04:28 PM

I’m confused about the setup - what are the dimensions of one of your 30 gallons? Do you have 2 dwarves living in separate identical tanks? Or is each dwarf in 2 tanks each? I’m asking as the size you’ve stated doesn’t match a 30 gallon’s size.

Anyway, one full cleanout a week is still far too much. A lack of bedding is the main issue I can think of that would make the cages smell after only a week. You really shouldn’t be able to smell much in that time frame if you are 1. Using enough bedding (aim for a depth of 6-8 inches), and 2. Using a large enough cage.

Once you have at least 5-6 inches of bedding in there, you can spot clean the corners or soiled areas whenever you feel it’s necessary. No need to make the cage absolutely immaculate - just spot clean whenever you can smell or see some pee build up. Probably do this every few days in a smaller tank. When cleaning the nest, be very careful not to remove too much (ie not the entire nest), so only remove what has been peed on or any that is dirty, and add more bedding. Same with the hoard of food, remove any food that is dirty and then top up the hoard.

For the big clean outs - You should be able to go at least a month (usually more) before doing a half clean. This means you dispose of the top half of bedding mainly, plus any extra soiled areas, then add back the same amount of fresh bedding. You don’t need to wash the tanks down whatsoever or disinfect any toys unless they have been peed on, which isn’t likely anyway. The deeper your bedding, the less frequent your clean outs. You don’t need to do full cleans, always add back some of the old bedding and mix it around so it feels familiar for them. You must remember over cleaning can be extremely stressful for hamsters so do try to prevent yourself from doing so!

Do you have Russian dwarves? You might be able to toilet train them if you have a pot of sand. Put it wherever they are peeing if you can figure out where that is, or put it in a corner of their house if the house is large enough. Often they’ll toilet train themselves and you can clean out the litter tray during spot cleans.

10-08-2018, 04:28 PM
mangoandmimi Little Miss Tinytoes Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: UK Posts: 7,036	Re: How often should I clean out the hamster cages? I’m confused about the setup - what are the dimensions of one of your 30 gallons? Do you have 2 dwarves living in separate identical tanks? Or is each dwarf in 2 tanks each? I’m asking as the size you’ve stated doesn’t match a 30 gallon’s size. Anyway, one full cleanout a week is still far too much. A lack of bedding is the main issue I can think of that would make the cages smell after only a week. You really shouldn’t be able to smell much in that time frame if you are 1. Using enough bedding (aim for a depth of 6-8 inches), and 2. Using a large enough cage. Once you have at least 5-6 inches of bedding in there, you can spot clean the corners or soiled areas whenever you feel it’s necessary. No need to make the cage absolutely immaculate - just spot clean whenever you can smell or see some pee build up. Probably do this every few days in a smaller tank. When cleaning the nest, be very careful not to remove too much (ie not the entire nest), so only remove what has been peed on or any that is dirty, and add more bedding. Same with the hoard of food, remove any food that is dirty and then top up the hoard. For the big clean outs - You should be able to go at least a month (usually more) before doing a half clean. This means you dispose of the top half of bedding mainly, plus any extra soiled areas, then add back the same amount of fresh bedding. You don’t need to wash the tanks down whatsoever or disinfect any toys unless they have been peed on, which isn’t likely anyway. The deeper your bedding, the less frequent your clean outs. You don’t need to do full cleans, always add back some of the old bedding and mix it around so it feels familiar for them. You must remember over cleaning can be extremely stressful for hamsters so do try to prevent yourself from doing so! Do you have Russian dwarves? You might be able to toilet train them if you have a pot of sand. Put it wherever they are peeing if you can figure out where that is, or put it in a corner of their house if the house is large enough. Often they’ll toilet train themselves and you can clean out the litter tray during spot cleans.