Deep-Cleaning Your Rat Cage

Every week, we give our rats a truly fresh start by completely stripping down and sanitizing their entire setup. Here’s exactly how we do it—no shortcuts.

A weekly deep clean isn’t just a luxury—it’s essential for your rats’ respiratory health, skin comfort, and overall well-being. Here’s our full routine, described in rich detail so nothing gets missed. Whether you have a sprawling outdoor wash area or a simple shower stall, you’ll find alternatives and tips to make every step work in your home.

Secure Your Rats & Set Up a Cleaning Zone

a. Temporary Housing

  • Line carriers or bins: Use bedding or even a folded T-shirt to cushion travel carriers or plastic bins. Include a small hide and a familiar toy to reduce stress.

  • Choose a quiet space: Move your rats to a separate room—away from loud noises or drafts—so you can work uninterrupted.

b. Organize Supplies

  • Lay out all cleaning tools: scrub brushes, buckets, spray bottles, sponges, scrub pads, a chicken-coop scraper (or old spatula), Dawn dish soap, pet-safe disinfectant, rubber gloves, towels, and trash bags. Anything you think you might need, it is best to go and gather it now.

  • Protect floors with tarps or drop cloths if you’re indoors. If outdoors, clear a level area near a hose or faucet.

Water Bottles: Disassemble, Wash, Disinfect, Rinse

a. Break It Down

  • Unscrew every part: Remove bottles from cages, unscrew nozzles, slide out rubber washers, and separate any metal clips or wire hangers. Lay them in a bucket.

b. Soap & Scrub

  • Fill a sink or bucket with very hot water and several drops of Dawn dish soap.

  • Use a long bottle brush (or a clean toothbrush) to scrub the interior of bottles, paying special attention to the bottom and corners where slime can hide.

  • Scrub nozzles, rubber washers, and clips individually. Work soap into every groove.

c. Disinfect Soak

  • In a fresh bucket, mix your pet-safe disinfectant to the concentration on the label.

  • Submerge washers and nozzle tips for 10–15 minutes to kill bacteria. Spray the disinfectant inside and outside of bottles as well, letting the solution coat each surface.

d. Final Rinse & Reassembly

  • Rinse everything under running water—if you have a hose, use it; otherwise use multiple pitchers or a showerhead. Ensure no soap or disinfectant residue remains.

  • Reassemble bottles with clean washers, reattach hangers, and refill with fresh, filtered water.

  • Don’t forget to spray and rinse the external hanging hardware and wire hooks!

    Want a complete walkthrough of this process with photos? View the water bottle cleaning section of our daily cleaning guide here.

Fabrics: Hammocks, Fleece Liners & Climbing Ropes

a. Removal & Sorting

  • Take out every piece of fabric: hammocks, nest sacks, liners, ramp covers, and any rope or textile toys.

  • Gather all clips, S-hooks, carabiners, and rings in a plastic tub.

b. Shake & Pre-Brush

  • Over a trash can or outside, vigorously shake each fabric item to dislodge loose bedding and droppings.

  • Use a clothes brush or gloved hand to remove stubborn bits—this prevents your washer from clogging.

c. Machine Wash

  • Load fabrics in the washer on maximum heat and heavy soil settings. Use an unscented, pet-safe detergent.

  • If your washer has a “pre-wash” soak option, run it first to break down oils.

  • Once the cycle ends, wipe out and disinfect the drum (spray with diluted disinfectant, wait 5 minutes, then run an empty rinse cycle).

d. Machine Dry

  • Tumble-dry on medium heat for about 60 minutes. Remove promptly to prevent mildew.

e. Hardware Sanitation

  • Scrub clips in hot, soapy water, rinse, then soak in disinfectant for 10 minutes. Rinse again and let air-dry on a clean towel.

Toys, Shelves, Removable Components & the Cage

a. Strip the Cage

  • Remove all plastic ledges, tunnels, hideouts, litter pans, and toys. Place like-items together for efficient cleaning.

b. Empty & Scrape

  • Dump used bedding into a trash bag. Use a chicken-coop scraper or stiff spatula to remove caked-on mess from pans, ledges, and boxes.

c. Cage Disassembly

  • If your cage dismantles (e.g., Critter Nation), take every wire panel and tray apart. Stack them in a safe spot.

  • No breakdown option? Consider wheeling the whole cage outside or in as many pieces as your cage will allow.

d. Rinse

  • Outdoors: Hose each piece thoroughly, starting from top to bottom.

  • Indoors: Place pieces in a bathtub or shower, using a detachable showerhead or pitchers to flush debris.

e. Soap & Scrub

  • Fill a large bucket or spray bottle with warm water + Dawn.

  • Scrub each surface with a stiff brush—use a drill brush attachment for stubborn grime. Pay attention to corners, weld points, and under ledges where droppings hide.

f. Disinfect

  • Rinse away soap completely, then mist or soak each piece in your pet-safe disinfectant. Let stand 10–15 minutes (follow label).

g. Final Rinse & Dry

  • Rinse until water runs clear. Shake off excess water and set items on a clean tarp or towels to air-dry, or towel-dry for faster reassembly.

Room & Surroundings: Walls, Floors & Dusting

a. Walls & Baseboards

  • Using a Magic Eraser or cloth soaked in warm soapy water, wipe the walls behind and around the cage.

  • Focus on spatter, nose-prints, and any small holes or cracks where dust collects.

b. Ceiling & High Spots

  • Use an extendable duster to clear cobwebs and dust from light fixtures, ceiling corners, and shelf tops.

c. Floors

  • Sweep up large debris with a broom.

  • Vacuum edges, corners, and under furniture to catch fine bedding bits.

  • Mop with a gentle, unscented cleaner—rinse the mop between passes to avoid redistributing dirt.

Reassembly & Fresh Bedding

a. Rebuild the Cage

  • Snap panels, trays, and platforms back together. If you have a rubber mallet, use it gently to seat bars evenly.

b. Bedding Stations

  • Transfer fresh bedding into large bedding bins.

  • Refill litter pans with your preferred pelleted litter or safe substrate.

c. Reinstall Fabrics

  • Hang cleansed hammocks, liners, and ropes in a new configuration—stagger levels and swap sides to keep your rats exploring.

Food, Water & Enrichment Setup

a. Refill Feeding Stations

  • Refill hopper or bowls with fresh lab blocks.

  • Reattach water bottles to clean brackets.

b. Return Toys & Foraging

  • Place cleaned toys, cardboard tubes, and puzzle feeders back in the cage.

  • Scatter a handful of foraging mix or hides treats inside tubes, boxes, or dig bins.

Health Check, Preventatives & Returning the Rats

a. Health Checks

  • Weigh each rat, inspect eyes, nose, coat condition, paws, and nails.

  • Look for cuts, swelling, or unusual lumps.

  • To view a full walkthrough of how we conduct our health exams read our guide here.

b. Record Results

  • Jot notes in your health log for reference.

c. Administer Preventatives

  • Treat for mites or lice if you use preventative treatments and are due.

d. Return Your Rats

  • One by one, gently move each rat back into the cage.

  • Immediately clean and disinfect carriers before storing them away.

Pantry & Supply Audit

a. Expiration Check

  • Inspect food bags, treats, and supplements. Discard anything past its date.

b. Keep Things Organized

  • Make sure your rat first aid kit, supplies, toys, etc. are all organized to make your time with your rats stress free.

c. Running Low?

  • Check that you are not running low on any of the following:

    • Medications

    • Food

    • Bedding

    • Disinfectants

    • Cleaning Supplies

    • Treats and Enrichment

  • If you are low on anything, be sure to either order in advance or schedule a errand run. Make a list so you don’t forget anything important.

FAQ: Maintaining Scents, Cleaning Tips & Handy Tools

Q: Won’t a full deep clean erase my rats’ familiar scents and lead to frantic re-marking?
A: Balance deep cleans with daily spot-cleaning—remove droppings and wet areas every day to keep ammonia low without stripping away all territorial cues.

Q: What’s the “Pee Rock” technique?
A: Provide a smooth stone in each cage for your rats to scent-mark.

  • Daily: Scrape off debris and rinse.

  • Monthly: Soak in a diluted pet-safe disinfectant for 10–15 minutes, rinse thoroughly, and return—so it keeps just the right familiar scent.

Q: I don’t have an outdoor hose—how can I rinse large cage parts?
A: Use buckets or pitchers of warm water in a bathtub or shower. Protect floors with tarps or towels and use a handheld sprayer or large sink attachments if you have them.

Q: My cage won’t fully disassemble—what are my options?
A:

  1. Remove only what you can: Start by pulling out all shelves, trays, and toys for soaking.

  2. In-place scrubbing: Lay down waterproof mats and scrub the remaining cage structure with long-handled brushes or drill-brush attachments.

  3. Sectional cleaning: Clean one side or level at a time—finish the rest the next day to avoid fighting gravity or awkward angles.

  4. Soak panels: If you can detach just the bottom tray, fill it with soapy water and let inset panels soak before scrubbing.

Q: What’s one tool you can’t live without?
A: A rubber mallet—it makes popping cage panels or wire grids in and out of place (especially Critter Nation setups) quick and painless.