Stinky Boys?

by MouseLover Mon 21 Jan 2019, 7:31 am

Gross topic of conversation I'm afraid haha. Having always kept girls before, I am curious how smelly a lone buck can actually be. I know it can vary a lot depending on the individual. But for those of you who have had both males and females, how much smellier is the average lone buck, compared to a trio of girls? It's not going to put me off of getting a boy, I was just curious Smile

I always found girl's pee to smell something a bit like salted popcorn. Does boy pee smell like a stronger version of girl pee, or like something else entirely? lol

Any tips for keeping the smell down?

by CallaLily Tue 22 Jan 2019, 4:21 pm

I’ve only had the one male, Daryl, but his smell was much stronger than any of the girls I’ve had. If his wheel was dirty (pretty much every day) or closer to cleaning day you could get a good whiff of him just walking near where his tank set. And I always tried to wear a certain hoodie when handling him because even if he didn’t obviously pee on me, his smell would linger a little on my clothes and skin until washing.

To me, my girls always smelled faintly like jasmine rice and only when sniffing directly over their tank. Daryl’s smell was stronger and very musky-kind-of-skunky type of smell. It wasn’t necessarily a bad smell but I wouldn’t exactly call it pleasant either. My husband absolutely hated it though, so it definitely depends on your nose.

I would always leave a different toy or two unwashed each cleaning day, to leave some of his scent behind to try and keep him from going crazy marking his territory. I used to leave his nest as often as I could or part of the bedding to keep some of his smell for him but stopped once his eye issues started. It was usually his wheel that was the problem if things started getting really smelly before cleaning day. Filtered water and a good diet can really make a difference. I remember even my girls got a little smellier when I switch from a “cleaner” parakeet mix to a “junkier” food mix for a time.

by Oreoandfriends Tue 22 Jan 2019, 9:41 pm

Honestly I think it just depends on the person and the mouse. I’ve only had to males but they’ve both definently had a more prominent smell than my females. To me, I’m not bothered by it whatsoever and have basically gone nose blind to it (except when I’m cleaning his wheel or potty corner). My sister on the other hand smells it REALLY well. When I’m doing weekly cage cleans she will gag while walking in/past my room. The smell has honestly never bothered me though! It’s just a bit more musky than females. (and despite the stronger scent, males personalities really make up for it!)
You can hide the smell by using safe pelleted cat litter, yesterdays news is my favorite brand. Although I’ve personally never tried it, I’ve heard that soil bedding masks the smell really well too. Other than that just keep the toys/wheels clean and do daily spot cleans! Smell shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you keep up with that!
I hope I could help! Smile

by MouseLover Wed 23 Jan 2019, 4:28 am

Thanks guys Smile

why is it always the wheels? I swear I had a group of girls who straight up used a particular wheel as their toilet. Their other toys would stay relatively clean for around a week, but their wheel got stinky every day Laughing

Do you think cage size makes much difference for the stink? I.e. do bigger cages take much longer to smell? Do barred cages smell less than tanks (as more ventilation) or is it worse because it doesn't contain the smell?

I've found a mouse breeder near me who breeds texels by the way Shocked

She's gonna keep me updated of her future litters.

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