Smell

Question
My mice are wonderful little creatures, but there's one thing that i cannot stand: their smell. I've tried everything, and i can't keep the smell from overwhelming the room that they're put in. i hope that someone can help me get the smell to a more bearable if not completely gone.

Answer
I'm guessing you have boys as their smell is very overwhelming. Other then moving their cage theres not much you can do. Boys mark their territory with a strong scent and also use it to attract females (although hard to believe!). Cleaning them out more frequently actually makes the smell worse as each time they are placed in a new cage they compete for territory by spraying their stinky urine all over the place. Perhaps if they were in a larger cage it would reduce the smell as they would have more space for themselves and you wouldn't have to clean them out as often.

There is also the option of castration. If you can find a vet who will perform this procedure it will greatly reduce their smell (they will smell as much as girls). I have also found they are far more docile live a lot longer too.

If you have girls you can either move the cage or clean them out more often. If they only urinate and poop in one area (you can train them to do this) then you can clean that area every day to help keep the smell down.

Please feel free to ask any more questions.