Can I Clean Out Hamster Cage with Vinegar? 20 Questions Answered!

Can I clean out hamster cage with vinegar?

Table of Contents

Yes, you can use vinegar diluted with water and use this to clean out your hamster’s cage. Vinegar is a great natural disinfectant and while it might leave a slight smell of vinegar which not everybody likes, it’s completely harmless to your hamster and better than many strong chemicals used in many cleaning products.

Can I clean out hamster cage with vinegar? Short answer – YES.

Is vinegar toxic to hamsters?

While the smell of vinegar might be unpleasant to some people, vinegar used as cleaning product for your hamsters environment is completely nontoxic to both people and hamsters and will not harm them in any way. Use a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar to reduce the smell, while keeping the disinfectant properties of vinegar. It’s a cost-effective and natural cleaning product.

Does the smell of vinegar bother hamsters?

It’s more likely that the smell of vinegar left after cleaning a hamster cage is bothersome to some owners rather than to hamsters. There is no indication that the smell bothers them and it’s actually a much better natural smell for them than the chemicals often used to clean cages. Remember that in nature, hamsters eat fermented fruit, so the smell of vinegar is unlikely to bother them.

What are pet safe cage cleaners?

Pet safe cleaners are cleaning products which have been approved to be safe for cleaning your pet products. These products are normally more expensive than normal cleaning products but should also be less harsh on your pet. For small pets this is important as only small amounts of chemicals can affect them badly. Having said that, you can use natural products like a 50/50 vinegar/ water solution and/or mild dish soap which is fragrance free.

Recommended Further Reading:

Is vinegar completely safe for hamsters?

It’s important to use a 50/50 vinegar/water solution to clean your hamsters cage as 100% vinegar will be too strong. Vinegar is a great disinfectant and is completely safe for your hamster, in fact it’s safer to use than many store-bought cleaning products due to their high use of chemicals.

How to make your own hamster cage sanitizer?

You can fill a spray bottle with 50% water and 50% white vinegar. This will be a great disinfectant and will be a very natural disinfectant to use which won’t harm your hamster. Of course, rinse out the cage before drying and adding the bedding.

Can I use bleach to clean hamster cage?

I would only recommend using bleach after your hamster has passed and the cage will be empty for a while. Even after rinsing, some residue is likely to stay on the plastic and it will need some time lose the smell. When deep cleaning your hamster’s cage, when your hamster will go back in that same day, I would not use anything stronger than vinegar, a mild fragrance free dish soap or a pet friendly cleaning spray.

Recommended Further Reading:

Is bleach safe for hamsters?

Hamsters are small creatures and just a little bit of chemicals can affect them strongly. If you think how strong bleach smells for you, imagine how overpowering the smell is for your hamster. Even when you rinse of the cage after using bleach, it’s hard to get rid of all bleach particles, so therefore it’s not recommended to use bleach to clean your hamster’s cage.

What is the easiest way to clean a hamster cage?

While it might take a bit of time to clean your hamster’s cage, it’s not a difficult task and can be done quite easily when you follow the following steps:

Put your hamster somewhere safe
Remove all contents from the cage, including toys and house
Clean the empty cage with a vinegar-water solution, mild fragrance-free dish soap or pet cleaning product.
Use warm water and a brush to clean the cage
Rinse the cage after cleaning to remove any cleaning solution
Dry the cage thoroughly
Clean all toys, food bowls, the wheel, house etc. with cleaning product and brush, rinse and dry
Clean water bottle with bottle brush and dish soap
Add bedding to the cage
Add fresh water, food and sand bowl
Place your hamster back in their cage

How long can I go without cleaning my hamster’s cage?

Nobody wants to hang around in a dirty room, including your hamster. Considering your hammy eats, sleeps, poops and pee’s all in the same space, it’s important to stay on top of hygiene to keep your pet healthy and happy. Therefore, you will need to remove all dirt from the cage daily, including fresh foods which can rot. And ideally once a week, but definitely ones every fortnight, you will need to remove all bedding and give the cage a proper clean. This is to avoid the buildup of bacteria which keeps your hamster healthy and yourself as well.

Can I put dirt in my hamster’s cage?

There are different types of bedding you can use on the floor of your hamster’s cage. One possibility is using soil to replicate their natural environment as much as possible. However, it’s important to buy organic potting soil for this as some soils hold harmful minerals which can make your hamster ill. You can add a layer of Aspen shavings on top of the soil to make it even nicer for your hamster. Using soil can be messier around the cage, however it’s a nice natural surrounding for your hamster.

What if hamster gets bleach on fur?

If you spill undiluted bleach on your hamster, make sure you wash it off at once, making sure the bleach or the water does not get into your hamster’s face. Use lukewarm/ tepid water and work quickly as hamsters are naturally scared of water and extreme stress can be damaging to your hamster health. I would suggest contacting your vet as the bleach is a very strong chemical which can make your hamster seriously ill.

Recommended Further Reading:

Is cleaning with bleach safe for pets?

It’s best not to use bleach when cleaning cages, bowls and toys of smaller pets as bleach is as very strong chemical and can really affect your pet badly. The larger the pet, the less the affect, but having said that, there are many humans who get bad headaches from the smell of bleach, so consider if it’s worth it for you or if you rather use a more natural product. Bleach has been promoted as the number one bacteria killer, however there are many more nature and creature friendly alternatives, like lemon juice, a vinegar/water solution and many pet friendly cleaning products you can buy on Amazon, pet shops and many supermarkets.

Are bleach fumes harmful to hamsters?

Even when you use a little bit of bleach, it has a strong smell and can even give some people a headache. Humans are many times larger than hamsters, so the smell of bleach is easily overpowering to them and will be harmful.

Can I clean hamster cage with vinegar? Yes you can and it’s a great and safe alternative to chemicals like bleach.

Is dish soap safe for hamsters?

You can use fragrance free mild dish soap to clean your hamster’s water and food bowls as well as anything else in cage and the cage itself. It’s important to use a mild soap as chemicals really affect hamsters because they are so small.

What do you use to clean a hamster?

Hamsters should be able to clean themselves pretty well, though there are situations when you might need to help your hamster. If you need to clean your hamster, avoid the temptation to giving them a bath or shower as hamsters are hydrophobic (scared of water). You can use a damp cloth with dry pet shampoo to wipe your hamster down or place a bowl of sand in their cage as they love using sand to clean their fur. The only time you should use water to clean your hamster is when the substance on their fur is too dangerous and should be removed at once, like bleach or paint.

What kind of sand should I place in my hamsters cage?

You can buy chinchilla sand, or you can create a mix of play sand and bird sand. Both will work really well, and your hamster will love to play in the sand and clean themselves with it too. Remove all dirt from the bowl daily and add new sand to the bowl when needed. Once a week, replace all sand in the bowl with fresh sand.

Recommended Further Reading:

How to clean your hamsters cage after he or she dies?

Can I clean out my hamsters cage with vinegar after death? It’s important to give your hamster’s cage a deep clean after your hamster has passed. Remove all the bedding and toys, wheel and house. Many people will choose to use bleach to kill all bacteria present. It’s important to rinse the cage thoroughly several times and to leave the cage for a week or so before housing a new hamster in it as bleach is a very strong chemical and can make a hamster ill.

You can also use vinegar and water to clean the cage as this is a disinfectant as well. Alternatively, you can use a pet friendly disinfectant which is less strong and has less harsh chemicals in, especially if you want to place a new hamster in the cage soon.

Toys, wheels and houses need to be cleaned thoroughly as well before being used for a new hamster. If your hamster died of disease, I would remove any wooden toys and replace these with new ones, to make sure you don’t pass on the disease to your new pet. Anything plastic can be cleaned in the same manner as the cage. Make sure you use a bottle brush to clean out the water bottle should you have one.

What are alternatives to cleaning products and vinegar to use?

You can also use 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tsp of baking soda and a drop of dish soap in a spray bottle and use this to clean your hamster’s cage.

Or a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and baking soda for scrubbing stains of the plastic tray.

Is it bad to use commercial pet cleaning products?

No, it’s not bad at all and many people prefer to buy ready-made, pet friendly cleaning products in a spray. It’s proven to be effective and safe for your pet. For this convenience you pay slightly more than chemical cleaning products available, which is a small price to pay for many (no pun intended).

Recommended Further Reading:

Can I clean out hamster cage with vinegar? In this post we focussed on cleaning your hamster cage with vinegar and whether your hamster will thank you for it. We strongly believe vinegar is a good cleaning alternative and disinfectant which will not harm your hamster. Most store bought cleaning chemicals are too toxic for hamsters and adverse reactions and even premature death occurs because of it.

Read more on safety of vinegar as a cleaning product for pets here