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I was doing some reading about feeder rodents. The writer says rats smell much worse than mice. I've seen lots of posts about how mice smell worse than rats! Which is it? I always thought rats would smell a lot worse since they are bigger and have bigger dumps. Aren't rats just huge mice. How do rats smell compared to dwarf hamsters? Thanks!

rats arent just BIG mice..

and the author is a moron.. LOL

mice FAR out smell rats.. however with that being said.. you could have a 1.6 cage cage that hasnt been cleaned in a week and it would make your toes curl.. its that smelly..

the key to odor free rodents is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!!.. i clean my animals every 4 days if they need it or not.. and its a good rule of thumb to stick with.. my animals always have clean bedding, and the ammonia in the urine never builds up to a level that will make them sick..

the smell from rodents doesnt come for them "dumps" as you put it.. it comes from their URINE. No piss.. no smell

dwarf hamsters are odorless to the max.. i had a cage i didnt clean for 6 months and it was clean and odor free for the most part.. spot cleaning in the key to dwarf hamster cages..

best of luck

dan

cleaning their cages often is a must, I clean them every three to five days. The reason I said that is because mice poop so much it's bound to make a stink, so I am assuming huge rat poops would be even worse. You are right about the urine, it is the main source of the smell, but not the only source. I think I will stick with the few mice I have for now, and when my snakes are full grown I will only keep the dwarf hamsters. They really do smell sooooooo much less than mice, and I am sure rats. Although they are very territorial with their wheel, it's their favorite place to mark with urine. Thanks for the reply.

I don't know.... I keep a 1:3 breeder group of rats in a 55 gallon aquarium.. I spot clean every other day or so and change the entire thing every 10-14 days... I find rats actually better all around as breeders for feeders... One: They stink less than mice. 2 it takes less time for rat pups to grow into appropriate sizes for feeding off, and 3. Rats produce more often, more consistantly take care of their litters and don't eat near as many pups as Hamsters or Mice do. I used to raise Dwarf Hamsters too....and invariably the female would eat at least 2 of her pups...and when litters are only like 5-6.. its not worth it... Compared to rats who's litters are usually between 11 and 15...I find it a far better value for the money I spend on food and stuff for them. And my Gerbils of course, are feeders as well... I feed the pinks to my leopard geckos.

It is definately the urine that causes the stink. More so probably the males urine which I am assuming is to establish his area.

Mice definately out stink rats. Mice males have an especially knock-you-out smell to them that makes keeping many of them one stinky room. Rat males are milder. It also helps to use Bio-Odor which helps make less smell when added to your rats water supply.

I clean my rat cage once a week and I can barely smell it. Just smells a bit more in the males cage than females. Just be happy you don't want to raise rabbits. Their smell can kill if not cleaned often. Not sure on amount of hamster smell.

Yeah, that mouse smell is very sharp and strong, much more so than the milder and "softer" smell that rats have. Mice just have a naturally penetrating odor. Their urine is a different composition from that of rats, and the males create a much stronger odor to attract females.
Just like ferrets have a musk, and so do skunks--the caliber of the musk is different. <g>

In refernce to your "Aren't rats just big mice" comment, is a horse just a big dog? Not going to discuss that any further. Rats (1.2) as opposed to mice (1.2) have a smell that is not rancid, whereas mice, smell MUCH quicker, and the smell is a cross between abd popcorn, and ammonia.