When you open your heart to a small animal pet, you’re opening your home to big animal smells and stains. Many new small animal owners are surprised at just how big a mess their little loves can make.
If your guinea pig pen, hamster habitat, bunny hutch, lizard lair, bird cage, turtle tank, or chicken coop is starting to smell a little funky, it’s essential that their cozy new digs be kept clean. Not only is it necessary for their health and well-being, but it's crucial for keeping your home free of unpleasant stains and odors, too. That’s why we've compiled a few easy tips to help make cleaning your small animal's habitat a breeze. Read on to learn more!
These tips are general guidelines for a broad range of small animals. Of course, each pet has their own special requirements and some of these steps may need to be taken more or less frequently to provide a healthy habitat.
Although they’re pocket-sized, most small animals still need daily attention and care. To manage small pet stains and odors, take a few minutes every day (we suggest before feeding) to inspect your small animal, reptile, or bird’s cage or aquarium for new messes and potty piles.
Remove and wash food bowls and water bottle before refilling. Dispose of any solid waste, paper, mulch, wood shavings, litter, or soiled bedding. Then, remove any blankets, toys, and comfort items that need to be washed and set them aside to tackle during your weekly cage cleaning duties. Now's a good time to take care of any spot cleaning that needs done, too.
Spending a little time every day keeping your small animal’s habitat clean will go a long way in preventing stains and odors from becoming a problem. Also use this time to make note of changes in your pet’s eating or potty behaviors for early detection of any concerning health conditions.
Once per week, you’ll want to spend a bit more time keeping your critter’s cage in tip-top shape. For this stain and odor control session, move your small animal to their backup cage to hang out for a bit. After you’ve done the daily cage cleaning duties explained above, use a pet-friendly stain and odor remover to give the cage, aquarium, or habitat a more thorough cleaning.
Unique’s Pet Odor and Stain Eliminator was made to erase smells and stains caused by any and all pets. And, because it’s so quick and easy to use, you can clean, deodorize, and freshen your pocket pets’ cage and get them back to their happy place in no time!
Unlike traditional cleaning products, Unique’s Pet Odor and Stain Eliminator uses a proprietary blend of probiotics (healthy bacteria) and enzymes that literally eat stains and strong cage odors caused by urine, feces, vomit, blood, and food waste, leaving absolutely nothing behind. Yes, it even works on your ferret's glandular secretions and other small animal scent-marking hormones, too.
Just shake the bottle to activate the odor and stain-fighting bacteria and enzymes, then thoroughly spray bedding, litter, litter box, cage bottom, and cage walls. Use a clean, lint-free cloth to wipe down glass or plastic walls if your pet lives in an aquarium. Then, allow the cage, litter, bedding, liner, and toys to air dry. When Unique’s Pet Odor and Stain Eliminator dries, it leaves behind no residue and nothing to wipe up. Just make sure the cage and bedding has completely dried before returning your pet to their home-inside-your-home.
If you have enough backup supplies, we suggest a once-weekly load of laundry - using Unique’s Pet Odor & Stain Eliminator Concentrate as a presoak - to thoroughly wash your pal’s blankets, toys, beds, and comfort items.
Once each month, your small animal cage should get a deep clean. Luckily, if you’ve been keeping up with daily and weekly stain and odor prevention steps, your deep clean will be a breeze!
Completely remove and dispose of all paper, mulch, wood shavings, cotton, or other disposable bedding. Using hot, soapy water and a brush or sponge, scrub the entire cage or aquarium and dry completely. Then, line your pet’s cage with brand new bedding. Clean all cage accessories, perches, hides, toys, blankets, and beds with Unique Pet Odor and Stain Eliminator and allow to air dry completely before returning them to their place in your pet’s home.
Then, welcome your pocket pal back into their freshly cleaned, stain and odor-free home!
Remember, these are guidelines. While the method remains the same, how often you deep clean your pets’ cages will depend on the animal, how many pets share their habitat, and their unique care requirements.
Now that your pocket pet’s pad is clean, fresh, and odor-free, check out a few of these fun pocket-sized animal facts we uncovered!
Great news! Unique’s Pet Odor and Stain Eliminator can be used outside your small animal’s cage, too! It will easily and effectively remove all sorts of stains and odors on carpet, hard floors, furniture, upholstery, and more. It even works in your car’s interior and outside on porches and patios. Click here to learn more about how dirty, pet-stained carpets led to the launch of Unique Pet Care’s flagship product 40 years ago.
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