Control the Mess from Small Pets

Kids and small animals go together like peanut butter and jelly but can be a nightmare for tidy parents. To be blunt, the cages develop a stink fairly quickly and the animals tend to throw their bedding all over the place no matter how hard you work to keep it contained!

Larger cages:
By investing in a larger cage you not only give the animal more room to roam but more area to go to the bathroom in. The greater area means that the wastes will take longer to reach the concentration point where they start stinking so you can eke an extra day or so out of a cage change.

For some animals like guinea pigs an inexpensive solution is a kiddie wading pool. These plastic pools are very inexpensive, waterproof and much larger than a conventional guinea pig cage at the pet store. If you do not have any animals or children that would harm guinea pigs consider investing in a kiddie wading pool for your guinea pigs next home. The solid sides will do a lot to prevent the animals from throwing their bedding all over the house! To change the bedding dump the pool contents into the trash, spray out with a water hose and refill with clean bedding when dry.

Make a Litter Guard:
For animals in a traditional cage (birds included), a piece of cloth can become a miracle worker! Take a piece of cloth large enough to completely cover the bottom of the cage and surround the sides to a height of several inches (6 inches or more is ideal). Safety-pin the cloth around the sides of the cage to create a washable splash guard. If you enjoy sewing you can sew a casing around the border of the fabric and insert some elastic instead. This fabric will prevent tossed bedding from soiling your home and can be washed as desired. When changing the bedding simply give the fabric a strong shake outdoors and reattach to the cage when done!

Layer your Bedding:
Instead of changing the cage every day or so scoop out the worst soiled places in the animals bedding and replace the bedding in those areas. Lightly sprinkle fresh bedding over the entire cage bottom after spot cleaning to refresh the cage and increase the time between complete cage changes.

Consider some Outdoor Time:
For larger animals like guinea pigs and rabbits consider creating them a safe area outside to play on sunny days. A small metal dog crate with the plastic bottom removed can be placed on a grassy spot, weighted down with heavy rocks and used for a small daytime run for these pets. It is best to place this in a flat area protected from the neighborhood pests like a small fenced-in yard. Cover the top to provide some shade and provide plenty of water and frequent checks to make sure the animal is safe, bringing it back in when leaving the home, darkness falls or the weather turns inclement. This will not only allow your pet some outdoor exercise but give them some fresh greenery to eat and enjoy, reducing your food bill. Keeping your animals outside some in warm weather will also allow you to go even longer between cage changes because they will not be in their cage constantly and will do some eliminating outside while in their run.

Small animals give children so much pleasure and reducing the messy work can make parents jump for joy. Take the time saved cleaning and enjoy it with your child!