How to stop a hamster cage from smelling

Pets are the ultimate companions, but they can be stinky. Despite being small, even pets like hamsters can come with an unpleasant odour. Hamster odour can occur from their soiled bedding, diet changes and general wellbeing.

If you’re looking for the best way to stop their hamster house from smelling and need more advice on cleaning, read our handy guide below.

How do I stop my cage from smelling?

To tackle the smell, you need an effective pet odour eliminator. Most scented products, standard cleaners and air fresheners simply mask the pong, instead of tackling the source of the bad odour, and can also be harmful to your hamsters. An enzyme cleaner, like Bio one^TM uses active enzymes and friendly bacteria to thoroughly cleanse surfaces and get deep down into fabrics. It degreases, disinfects and deodorises to remove 99% of bacteria (which is what causes the unpleasant odour). Bio one^TM  is a great choice as it’s non-toxic so totally safe for all animals and humans, is vegan and more planet-friendly than traditional products. It has a natural lemon and orange oil scent, to leave surfaces smelling sweet and lightly fragranced.

How to clean a hamster cage with Bio one^TM:

 The best way to get rid of a bad smell is by deep cleaning your hamster’s cage. First, you’ll need to find a space spot, like their exercise ball or a travel crate, to pop your pet in to keep them safe and stress-free while you do it.

1. Take out all toys, bedding and exercise equipment from the cage.
2. Remove any poo, fresh urine or stale food from the cage.
3. Spray the entire cage thoroughly, especially any stained areas, with Bio one^TM . Make sure it’s completely covered and damp with the product as that’s when the enzymes work.
4. Leave it to soak for five to ten minutes.
5. Are the smells and stains lifting? If so, wipe away any excess product with a cloth or paper towel and leave to dry. If it needs a bit more work, respray all over and leave for an extra five minutes.
6. Once the cage is clean, wipe off excess product and leave the cage to air dry before you refill it with your hamster and their items.

Things to avoid when cleaning a hamster cage:

• Never use air fresheners or scented bedding to mask odours. It doesn’t fix the problem and the particles can be dangerous for their vulnerable respiratory system. Plus, hamsters feel safer if they can recognise their own scent.
• Try and keep to the same layout so their home still feels familiar. Rearranging their habitat too much can make hamsters anxious, and they won’t want to nest there.
• Avoid cloth bedding as it soaks up mess, creating more stains and odours. Use small aspen wood shavings, paper litter or pellets instead.
• Don’t bathe your hamster at the same time as it will increase stress. Unless there’s something stuck in their fur, you shouldn’t bathe hamsters at all. Create a sand bath for them to roll in or if you need to, use a small brush or even a slightly damp toothbrush to tidy them up.

How often should I clean my hamster’s cage?

 Deciding on a routine for cleaning your hamster’s cage will help you keep up with their hygiene and stop any bad smells from developing. Generally, you should deep clean their cage at least once a week but that depends on how many hamsters you have and the size of their house. The more hamsters you have, the more waste they’ll produce. The smaller the cage, the easier it is for a mess to build up and cover all surfaces. For example, if you have just one pet in a large cage, you might be able to do it fortnightly but if you have multiple hamsters, in a small space, it will probably need to be cleansed a couple of times a week. In between deep cleans you can tidy away wee or poo, remove stale food and spot clean any stained or smelly areas.

Why does my hamster’s cage stink?

It’s not surprising that hamsters can create a stink when they sleep, eat, poo and wee in a confined space. However, they aren’t dirty animals and groom themselves instinctually to make it harder for predators to catch their scent. One possible reason why your hamster’s cage might be smelly is down to the pheromones they release from their scent glands. This is a totally natural way for hamsters to communicate – marking their territory or attracting partners – but it does have a musky smell. Lack of cleaning or the wrong type of bedding might also be the cause of a bad whiff so clean regularly and use absorbent bedding.

What are enzymes?

Don’t be fooled to think that because enzymes are natural they are less effective than chemical cleaners. Enzymes are nature’s very own powerful cleaning tools. Making them the go to choice for pet owners who do not want to spray harmful chemicals around their pets and their home.

Simply put, enzymes are all around us performing millions of important tasks in our bodies and in nature every single day. They are a type of protein that act like a biological catalyst to speed up the break down of organic compounds.

Similarly to how saliva, (which contains enzymes), initiates the digestion process by breaking down food in our mouths, cleaning enzymes use the same ‘enzymatic digestion’ to effectively break down and eradicate the organic proteins present in urine, faeces, vomit, drool, dirt, food, and more.

This process not only makes cleaning easier but also prevents the growth of bad bacteria – the root cause of those unpleasant odours – in the air, on surfaces, and within the fibres of your soft furnishings.

Try out Bio one^TM today, vomit and the other nasties is what nature created enzymes for.