I didn’t know what other category to put this under but here we go.
As I’ve built up my rodent colony to breed for feeders one thing has become prevalent… the odor is definitely becoming noticeable.
I clean all my rodent bins 2x a week. A wipe down on all bins with diluted vinegar and total bedding changes, I use pine shavings for bedding. But the odor is still a problem, I have to open up the window to the room to air it out most of the time. I’ve been told countless times that the odor wont be a problem as long as I clean often but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Does anyone have any tips for odor elimination that is animal/pet friendly for my rodent room? Or am I just SOL lol
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One thing I noticed with my feeder colony (and even the mouse room at work), is that the choice of bedding can make a huge difference, even at the same cleaning frequency, so I would trial some different types and see if you can get an improvement. I found that paper bedding was the worst, and corn cob bedding was the best for odor control, with wood shavings somewhere in the middle.
After you wipe down the bins with vinegar and let them dry or rinse them off, give them a good sniff and see if any odors still linger. If so, you might need to wash them more thoughly, I personally used a 10% bleach solution for 30 minutes and then just rinsed really well.
I also always keep an air purifier with a HEPA filter running in any rooms I have animals. Helps with any scent, and keeps the air cleaner for everyone.
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I had an issue with stinky tubs for a while too…
The big change I made with mine was using sweet pdz granules in the bottom then layering techlad Aspen chips on top. The rodents of course end up stirring them up but whatever.
The zeolite really helps absorb out any of the urine odor unless you have a heavily used tub. My grow out mouse bin right now is rough… Lol.
I have a window fan next to them with a outward flow and an air purifier in the room as well.
There’s a bit of back and forth on how zeolite/stall refresher can affect the rodents, but aside from one female who may be a bit allergic, all my other ratties are doing great and so are the pinkies/fuzzies. It is very dusty though.
I have way less issues with sniffling and runny eyes now because less ammonia buildup.
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Honestly might be worth it to investigate having a ventilation system of some sort put in, if you can swing it. There’s only so much you can do to mitigate odor without increasing airflow.
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Carbon filters. They work great for all kinds of stinky stuff from gasses to rat stank to clandestine plants.
Some can be refilled once efficiency starts to drop. Unfortunately they can be pricey to begin with but are worth it, imo. I built my own using fly screen and plywood. High humidity can reduce efficiency. Use gas grade carbon.
UV lamps can also work. So can ozone generators. Or, you can go with ventilation fans. Just think of your neighbors.
When I was breeding rodents, I used carbon, I built a negative pressure room. Luckily I had an extra chimney in my house so everything vented upwards. And my neighbors were not close. Still, some mentioned the smell from the compost pile.
I had @ 200 fem rats 40-50 males. Same for mice.
If you came into the house you wouldn’t know about them unless told.
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Everyone here has given you good info. I can’t really help as I don’t keep rats. The smell and upkeep of rats are more work than keeping 40 + boas. So that is why I have a freezer full of rats in my garage. I don’t have to feed or clean them. 
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