# how often should i clean an ikea detolf for a hamster?



## limetea (Oct 15, 2021)

hello !! i’ve had a few questions on cage cleanings  i was wondering how often i should be partial cleaning, full cleaning and spot cleaning in an ikea detolf and what i’d have to do for each of those cleans ) any tips would be appreciated!


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## Engel98 (Oct 7, 2018)

I don't have a detolf but this is what I do with my hamster. 

Spot clean weekly. This includes cleaning the most dirty areas. Normally this is hides, sand bath, by food bowl and water bottle and around the wheel. Now depending on your hamster depends on how often you need to clean the wheel. Most of my Syrians get it cleaned twice a week (when they're old I do it more often as I find it gets messier quicker). My robo had to have his cleaned every other day sometimes daily because he basically did everything on his wheel.
For spot cleaning you aim to clean anywhere that's heavily soiled.

Partial clean I do every month - 2 month's. So for this I take out all the bedding and remove anything soiled including some food BUT remember where the food stashes were because you'll need to put fresh food back in those locations. 

Full cleans I do rarely. Things I'd do full cleans for are infestations and illness. I'd use F10 disinfectant. Remove all bedding and discard. Bake/freeze any hides or toys that can't be sprayed with disinfectant eg wood. Anything I couldn't bake/freeze I'd discard.


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