I've taken rescue rats and can't stand the smell

[bemorebernard]

I love rats and used to have 9 , I had 6 girls and 3 boys and they never smelt

I've taken 5 rescue girls and everything came with them including an amazing large taller than me "critter nation " cage

All their toys and bowls etc came with them

The first day I left everything as is as I thought they might need their own smells to adjust to the new surroundings

By day 2 I couldn't abide the smell , took the cage apart, washed everything, and threw all the accessories in the bath with hot water for a scrub as it was clear nothing had been washed in forever , I threw anything away like fleeces and cardboard , washed all plastic and wooden toys, ,most of the wooden stuff is fine anything where the smell lingered I've chucked

I've put everything back together, took a full day.

And still they smell terrible .

They're in their own bedroom and I've kept the window open . They're quite skittish and obviously haven't been handled much but they're getting used to me and now coming for a scritch and taking treats out of my hands

They're very gentle but nervous.

How do I get rid of the smell tho ? They actually smell , their fur smells , it seems while their owner loved them and gave them lots of toys and stimulation handling and cleaning wasnt their forte , and I've never owned rats that smelled this bad . I really don't want the smell pervading through my house . It's awful . Rats get a bad press and my dd was moaning they'd smell , I kept saying rats actually don't smell they're really clean etc but oh my god these do 🤢

What can I do ? I've even thought about bathing them but I dont want to traumatise them .

I took in a rescued stray cat a few years ago and he stank to high heaven. In the end, we decided that it must have been what he'd been eating while on the run and his gut flora had changed onto 'wild' mode, because after several months of a normal diet, the appalling smell went away.

Perhaps your rats will smell less once they have become accustomed to whatever you are feeding them. They obviously weren't cared for before, so goodness knows what they were fed on.

I cant believe we've got this far through a ratty thread and there haven't been any pictures!! Outrageous.

You're a good person and made me really interested in rats reading this!
Hope you and they settle and the smell dissipates, they sound so sweet (ok not sweet smelling but sweet to have around)

(Any photos although you may be protecting their identity!!)

They are some of the best pets. The worst thing is that they break your heart by not living very long.

@Cookerhood .Thank you for replying.

Rats have such a bad reputation for people like me who have no experience of them other than as vermin. I have always been led to believe that they are vicious. Stupid question but are pet rats the same breed as wild rats? Are they all the same colour as wild rats?

No, there are lots of different colours.
They really make wonderful pets. I miss ours - we spent so much time with them in lockdown & they are so intelligent & can learn tricks. We had one bitey one but he only gave the tiniest of nips & stopped once he wasn't a teenager any more. I think he heard us threatening to chop his whatsits off.
I've had rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters & gerbils. Rats are far & away the most rewarding, although guinea pigs come a close second.
They can be a bit smelly though.

These babies are so so sweet , no biters , just lickers ! They're like little dogs and affectionately lick and I've got a couple of lickers already !

They're very gentle but inquisitive, I've had them out for cuddles tonight and gave them a good sniff - their fur is not smelling now so I'm guessing they've washed clean and it was their previous environment that was to blame

They're incredibly fastidious washers , very clean . I've never had a rat that bites save one rescue and he was just absolutely traumatised and after a couple of nibbles he realised I wasn't edible ! He became me the sweetest cuddliest boy I'd ever owned .

I really love rats as pets , they're intelligent, trainable , inquisitive and loving.

The smell is better already . I've not used the baby wipes as they just smell furry now , not filthy !

I'll post pics when I have them out again , had the doors open and they're starting to come up to me now for ear scritches .

Domesticated rats are nothing like wild ones. They have been bred to be pets, just like breeds of pet rabbit which have been bred to have different colours, sizes, fur types.
Thousands of people keep pet rats -they wouldn’t be popular if they were vicious!

There are many different colours in fancy rat world but these are 4 agouti and one hooded agouti ..so 4 brown rats and one brown and white . They are top ear so standard ratty type , not dumbo ear which I suppose can look more appealing to those that don't like rats but I'm happy with ratty looking rats as they don't scare or phase me at all.

There are loads of different colours and varieties of fancy rat . But most from a breeder have a lovely nature, breeders tend to handle the, from being very young so they are used to it.

Saying that I've had a boy rescue who was living wild (he was a fancy rat who had either escaped or been turned out ) and he took like a week to settle back into cuddles and play , they're really quick to trust and very fast learners .

They are very intelligent, and very sociable , my 5 sleep in a big rat pile up in a plastic Sputnik 😂

<waits patiently for cute rat photos>

When they come out tonight for free roam time I'll be sure to take some pics 😊

I have a question about rats.
Would they just climb everywhere in the whole room?
How do you stop them going here there and everywhere?

I take mine in their cleaning out cage (that's not their real cage but I use it for free roam time so they have a safe sanctuary to return to ) and I just close all the doors and let them free range on the landing stairs and hall .

So you'd need somewhere without any hidey holes to go in?

They're definitely getting more adventurous

Those rats are beautiful.

It's easier at this stage as I'm not sure they'd come when called , you can clicker train them . I'm just working on letting them get used to the giant scary lady 😂

I didn't know you could clicker train them.

I did go to a petting farm once where you could hold them and they climbed all over me. It's made me quite enamoured with them.
I am tempted to get rats

I call them pocket dogs . They are as trainable and intelligent. Contrary to popular belief they are not incontinent either . They can be litter trained like
Cats . Mice are incontinent but rats aren't.

There's always one who likes the limelight 😂

Just had to say that they are beautiful and I’m so glad you have given them a home. I bet they are too!

I'm definitely more enamoured now they don't whiff so much ! They are very clean animals , always washing .

Now you've made me want rats again. One looks like it might be a dumbo but it's a bit blurry? It was a white dumbo that really stole my heart.

Aww the girls are the best entertainers though- the joy I'd get watching the girls playing and climbing. Boys are lazy love bugs but the girls give a lot more action.

When the girls get old they become lazy cuddly lap pets then. So you get that bit too in time.