reducing smell

Here is what has been recommended to me so far to keep the musk to a minimum:

Clean everything often (obviuos), but not everything at the same time (so they don't overmark and make everything smell worse bcause they are so upset that all their smell is gone)

Clean the pan OFTEN, every day if you want. And use either nothing in the drop pan or specially purchased pan lines that seem to hide the smell a bit

Glider Kitchen

Try not to use things that hold stench; like wood.

Glider Tea: mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar, honey, and water and put it in their water bottle once a month. (Is there any chance this can hurt them?)

Neuter

I've seen products from Suncoast. Anyone tried these or know of others? Any good or bad results?

Anything else? The cage is in my living room, so we want the least smell possible

I do not think I have seen this recommended by any member of this board. I do not think there is anything magical about drinking apple cider vinegar that will eliminate smells.

The only thing that should go in their water bottle is WATER. Honey or anything sugary will clog the ball on most water bottles and that metal tube is difficult to clean.

You will become accustomed to the smell and it will not be noticeable to you unless you have your nose right up to the cage.

There was a past thread about giving gliders cider vinegar. I can't remember what the consensus was.

Ok, so if the vinegar mixture is deemed ok, then it should go in a bird water silo. I was told you put it in once a month just for one night. I won't use it until I am sure its ok. Tracy, let me know if you find that thread or if anyone else has info on that.

glidercage liners are the thing that saved my nose....i ordered two for every cage..everyday one goes in the wash then the clean one in the cage...also if the smell is that bad check your diet...there maybe something wrong...

Check in Health and Hygiene, there was a thread in June. Also, try going to Active Search, click on Search and type in Vinegar then ask to go back 2 years. You'll find a couple of different threads.

Thanks, Tracy!

Ok, so the one from last year said that you should just put a couple of drops in their water bottle (at least, that's what I got out of it). But not for smell, its to keep the bacteria in their intestines down. They also recommended bene bac to help with internal bacteria.

Ok, so nothing about it helping with smell. Someone who has been on here a LONG time told me about that, I thought it was common knowlege among the old timers If nobody seems to do it anymore I will skip the vinegar.

I definitely don't know anything about vinegar and smells so it must have been long before my time.

As for the other things, it sounds like you've got things down pretty well. Honestly, though, I wouldn't worry too much about their smell. If their diet is right on and you're feeding it correctly, and you don't leave the tray for any longer than two days, I doubt you'll smell anything at all. And if you do, it'll be right when you walk up to the cage. I think you'll be fine with it in the livingroom!

Ok, great

Heidi, what cage liners do you love? Have you tried several, or just knew what you wanted and got it?

I give my gliders a few new Euc leaves and twigs every time I change out their cage sets and clean their cage. It keeps them smelling fresh in between cage cleanings, especially when they line their pouch with the leaves. It is a natural air freshener for thier cages. I don't know that I would go messing with their intestinal bacteria, because of not liking their smell, without runing it by a respectable vet. I am pretty picky about my guys being clean and do have unneutered males. I clean my cages thoroughly once a week and spot clean every day or two (wiping out their drop pan, wheel, and any visible food bits). If you only have one cage, it should be easy to keep up on cleanings. If it is the males scent that bothers you and everything else doesnt seem to be working well enough for you, then neutering the male reduces scent. Breeding gliders also scent mark more. Try the Euc from Mat at Euc products, he is always helpful and great to work with :-)

I think the thought with vinegar was something to do with PH, but I know I wouldn't want to drink vinegar water if I was them :-(

Their smell is faint and is hardly noticeable when you keep their habitat clean, have them on a good diet, and in good health.

I clean the drop trays first thing every morning together with the food bowls and water bottles.

On Mondays I wash pouches, Wednesdays - toy washing (wheels included), Thursdays I wash blankies, and the cages gets thoroughly washed every weekend.

One thing that helps to cut down on smell is remembering NOT to change the pouch and clean the cage simultaneously. This is because gliders will be inclined to want to "rescent' their home to their own smell. So, I never do both at the same time.

I have never heard of this special vinegar watercombination. I do know that putting sugar in the water will cause it to go bad and grow "funk" quickly.

I am intrigued by the euc leaves? Where do you buy them tlc_in _chitown?

This post got me to thinking about bedding alternatives. I was happy with mine now, but the power of suggestion got me to thinking of other ways to improve it, ease of clean up.

So, I googled PINE shavings for sugar glider bedding. It turns out that some people use it, I never have. I know that cedar is bad, bad, bad, as it is poisonous. Pine is supposed to be pure and free of that sort of contaminate. Yet, I find myself questioning whether or not the shavings would promote allergens or dust particles in the respiratory system. Has anyone ever tried pure pine or even aspen shavings? What are your thoughts? For now, I'm sticking with my tried and true method of changing cage liners daily.

I thought Pine was poisonous...

Has anyone ever used carbon packets to absorb oder? I bought a small package intended for rodent cages called Eixt Odor from a co called lixit. it was only a buck and says it works for 3 months...

I have always thought that all wood was poisonous and have never used shavings of any kind. Today I found some different info on the net; however, we know that you can't believe everything that you read. This e-article said that untreated, kiln dried pine was fine for suggies' bedding. I don't know what to think of that. I know that cedar definitely is because of the stuff in it. I had always assumed that ALL wood chips were poisonous and have never used them. This same article also concurred with the universal standard that cedar is not good for gliders). Still, I'm extremely dubious.

So, is everyone in agreement that untreated, kiln dried pine and aspen are poisonous, just as we know that cedar is? Or is there a differing opinion out there?

Also, reiterating my first post about this...I'm also concerned about the respiratory effects on the gliders from inhaling the shavings.

What does everyone think?

I haven't used carbon packs for gliders and wouldn't put it close to the cage for fear that somehow they might grab it and drag it inside their cage and eat it. I have used the carbon packs with my cat litter box and didn't notice any difference in odor at all.

Not sure why aspen would be considered poisonous; I saw it on a list of safe woods along with willow, apple, etc.. I suspect the concern about pine would be with the resins (essentially turpentine) that protect it (and cedar) from rot.

Yeah...me, too...I'm looking for the majority opinion and better yet, a credible source onlin, lol! Thanks for your input..that's 2 for no pine!

This link HERE is to the glider safe/unsafe plants & trees. Hopefully it'll help.

Miniwidgie~
Sorry for delay in response. I don't get on here much these days. The website is www.eucproducts.com and I think Matt runs an ad in the classified section here also. Love his stuff and have been using it for a while now. It is safe for our fuzzies. The have mixed starter packs and my gliders love Euc day at my house. It takes their mind off of the fact that I washed all of their stink away :-)

I put a mix of dried lemon grass and euc leaves in the bottom of the cage and they smell wonderful. Especially the lemon grass. Covers up any smell there might be. I change the paper in the bottom of the pan twice a week, wipe the pan with a "natures miracle" wipe, add new paper and another sprinkle of the lemon grass. No smell at all...well...except for the lemon grass, which is a nice clean smell.

when I have visitors they mention they are surprised at the lack of animal smell

PM me if you want to know more about the lemon grass

Thanks!

Hey, would you please share with me the link that you found which said Aspen was safe? I didn't see it on the list the DCMuffin gave to me...

Thanks!

The only thing that really ever gets to smelling funky in my cage is the wheel. I hose down the cage about every weekend and give a really good scrub down once or twice a month. Keeping the pouch clean with really cut down on smell as well. I wash mine pretty often.

And I would just like to say.. who ever thought up the glider kitchen is amazing. You have saved my walls from getting cleaned every week I owe you!

Ok, this may be a "no way" but the lemongrass got me thinking, baking soda reduces any smell. Can you just sprinkle baking soda in the bottom, or could it hurt them if they got to it?

I feel there are a lot of folks over reacting to the smell of their gliders - in this thread there seems to be a lot of concern by those that do not yet have gliders.

All animals have smells. I had hamsters as a child - they were much worse than my gliders. Do not get me started on cat boxes - we had as many as 6 house cats at one time with boxes in three different bathrooms.

Gliders do have a sweet/musky smell. You will get used to it.

I would not put baking soda, charcoal, wood shavings of any kind or anything else loose in the cage pan. My gliders reach down to retrieve dropped food, stray meal worms and small toys that are in the pan. Any loose odor control substance could be reached and ingested.

A sheet of paper lining the pan, changed daily if you are really worried about smelling anything, is an easy way to quickly clean the pan.

Enjoy your gliders. Like children, there are changes to your lifestyle when gliders become part of the family. Go with the flow and do not create so much stress for yourself over their smell.

You cannot keep them 100% odorless - but you can choose not to own gliders or any other pets if an odorless home is the goal.

I agree about the smell not being bad and you getting used to it. I have OCD, so before anyone come's to my house, I MUST do a surgical scrub on everything. I better not find a dog hair or anything out of place, yet alone a strange animal smell. My friend's say I am nuts since my house is too clean, but hey, I dont have any kids yet so let me bask in my glory

My father in law came over without notice so I went into a panic attack, almost hyper-ventilating. It had been at least or so since I did a FULl scrub on the glider cage. It was the first time he had ever seen the gliders so he immidiately walked over to the cage and stuck his face right up to the bars to see them. I was horrified. I told him to back away from the cage and I would scrub it real quick so he could get a closer look again. He looked at me with the strangest face and said it smelled like a sweet "fermenting" smell. He said it wasn't bad at all and it just smelled like we were making home made beer or something. He also said he only smelled it when he was a few inches away from the cage.

From that moment forward, I haven't freaked out as much about their cage and everything else. I personally do not ever smell them, unless I am scrubbing their wheel (which won't be as bad since I ordered by Stealth)

I can honestly say, I would rather be in a hoome that has 12 gliders, verses a home with 6 cats. No offense to any cat people, I had a cat once too

good advice! the lemon grass is edible, by the way so safe if they do eat it. but truthfully have never seen them try to.

i bought an air purifier and it's in the room with my gliders. at first they were afraid of it but after a couple nights with it left on they just got used to it. it completly takes the smell away. i love it

That's a great idea! Its only a little smell, and only the day before cleaning day, but I don't want to clean every 6 day; too confusing. I may eventually get a purifier. Do they use much energy?

Hey, just wanted to say that JillMarie sent me some lemongrass as a free sample, and it works GREAT. I just sprinkle it around the bottom of the cage (I put it outside the actual cage, kinda underneath it but she puts it right in the drop pan) and it REALLY neutralizes the odor on the day before cleaning day! I did it twice that day, as it did wear off. It smells so fresh and lemony! I wanted to recommend it! (she also included a little glider cookie which was very healthy for them and they LOVED! Thank you!)

Isn't vinager hard on the liver? I would be really catious before using it.

Pine has resins that can be really bad for any small animals lungs and skin. I used to use a special dried pine was resin free for the rabbit's litter boxes but I wouldn't suggest using it for suggies and if you get the stuff that's safe it's kinda expensive. Why risk it with so many alternatives.

Yes, pine shavings are bad for gliders. I always used aspen shavings or newspaper shavings for my hedgehog and she surpassed her life expectancy by three years!

I use cage liners by Jana (gr8pots). It's amazing how well they absorb and hide odor. When I first got them, I shook them out each morning, but didn't wash them for two weeks. I was amazed that after than long, I could put my nose right up to it and still not smell anything! Prior to that, I had been using fleece. I love Jana's tray liners!