Do Pet Mice Stink? 7 Ways to Combat Mouse Smell

Owning and caring for pet mice might mean that you’ll have to cope with the smell coming out of the mouse cage or tank. For some, it might be off-putting, but it turns out that there’s a lot you can do to combat the smell.

If you don’t want to have the smells in your home, then you should consider if you really want a pet mouse or not.

Mice are social creatures, and when they gather in groups, there will be even more feces and stench. While male mice are more odorous than female mice, both can produce a huge amount of excrement. That’s where you come in. You’ll have to keep an eye on the mice constantly, and care for them and clean the cage often.

But cleaning the cage is often easier said than done. That’s why you’ll also need to take precautions in order to decrease the likelihood of foul odors coming from the cage.

If your pet mice stink, here’s what you can do to combat the smells. And, some tips and tricks for you to consider if you want to own a mouse or mice.

7 Ways to Reduce the Smell of Your Pet Mouse

Here are the 7 proven ways to reduce or remove the smell coming from the cage of your mouse.

1. Don’t Keep Male Mice

If you really want to avoid extra foul odors coming from the cage, then you should avoid keeping male mice. It’s a known fact that female mice produce less feces than males, and will also not smell as much as male mice.

Even male mice have a way of marking their territory, and you’ll also know about this when you keep them in your cage. They’ll mark their territory and leave a message for the rest of the pack.

You’ll notice this even if you have one single male mouse in your home. Keep this in mind when you choose between male or female mice.

2. Change Bedding Frequently

Over time, the bedding will inevitably be full of excrements and feces, and you’ll need to freshen it up constantly. The mice may start using just one particular spot for peeing, which will make your job easier for cleaning it up.

But, if the stench is unbearable, you might want to change the bedding every day or at least every few days. You can also remove only the part where the urine is, which will make a big difference over time.

3. Put Baking Soda Under Bedding

Baking soda is a well-known chemical that will absorb smells and dirt; many people put boxes of baking soda in their fridges to remove the smells. The same thing can be done in your mouse cage.

You can put some baking soda under the bedding. The soda will soak up the smells and foul odors, making your life much more comfortable and bearable if you have the cage in your home. Remember to spread baking soda all over the tank, don’t just concentrate it in one particular area.

4. Use a Bigger Cage

The smaller the cage is, the more it is likely that the smells will spread faster. And that’s especially the case if you have several mice in the cage. Cages are better than glass tanks in many ways, but especially because they allow better ventilation.

So picking a bigger cage might be for the best in this case. The mice will choose one particular spot in the cage as a toilet, and in the smaller cages, that spot will become overwhelmed and the territory of the toilet will spread fast.

5. Use Deep Bedding

Using a deeper bedding can significantly decrease the smells coming out of the mice cage. That’s because there will be more bedding that will soak up the smells. And this means that you’ll need to replace the bedding more often as well, especially because the lower layers of the bedding will start to soak up all of the excrements.

Using deeper bedding with some other tips from this list can be very helpful, but keep in mind that you’ll need to do more maintenance.

6. Use a Pet-Safe Deodorizer

Using a pet-safe deodorizer might be the perfect way to remove or at least combat the smells coming from the cage. These deodorizers are safe for the animals, meaning that you can also use it for your mice cage.

7. Use an Air Purifier

An air purifier can significantly improve the air quality within your household. That’s because it uses several filters to do so; an activated carbon filter is especially useful to combat smells, and you can consider an air purifier for the task at hand.

Can You Put Vanilla Extract in Mouse Water?

Yes, you can put a vanilla extract in the mouse water. This will make it smell more pleasant, and will remove the foul odors to some extent. But be careful, though; if you use too much of it, the mice might refuse to drink the water at all.

You’ll have to be moderate about this, and not use too much of the vanilla extract. But yes, it can be helpful to combat the smells.

Is Corn Cob Bedding Safe for Pet Mice?

Many people wonder whether they can use corn cob bedding for the mice cage. Yes, you can use it as the bedding, and it will be effective to combat the smells. It’s a safe alternative to traditional bedding, and perhaps even more effective to absorb the smells.

Conclusion

Owning pet mice means that you’ll have to regularly clean their cage or tank. That’s because you’ll enable them a better environment to live in, but you’ll also remove the odors coming from the cage.

This can help you and your family enjoy a better quality of air and avoid the foul odors from the pet cage.

If you already own pet mice, try some of these tips from this article to combat the smells.