Guinea Pig and Hamster Urine Stains: Cage, Bedding Area and Floor

Wet bedding, a smelly toilet corner, a stained cage base or a puddle left during floor time. Here is how often to spot clean and deep clean, what to clean the cage with, how to put the bedding back and what to do about urine outside the cage, using what the RSPCA, PDSA, Purdue University and Humane World for Animals say.

Daily: spot clean the wet patches

For guinea pigs, the RSPCA says: "Your guinea pigs' toilet areas should be cleaned every day. Each week, the whole home should be thoroughly cleaned to make sure they have clean, dry bedding."

PDSA's daily list for guinea pigs starts with: "Get rid of any wet or dirty wood shavings and bedding." It adds: "Wash the food and water containers before refilling them."

For hamsters, PDSA's daily spot clean is: "Remove any wet or soiled bedding. Clean food and water bowls/bottles. Remove any uneaten food." The RSPCA's hamster page puts the spot clean a little less often: "spot cleaning to remove any soiled bedding, uneaten food and faeces every few days is advisable as it will help you keep the cage clean." It also says: "Don't allow the bedding material to become damp or smelly."

Sources: RSPCA, How to take care of your guinea pigs (PDF); PDSA, The ideal home for your guinea pigs; PDSA, Hamsters as pets; RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Hamsters.

How often to deep clean the whole cage

The welfare bodies give a range, and they tie it to the size of the setup.

Guinea pigs. The RSPCA says: "On average guinea pig accommodation should be deep cleaned at least once a week, and spot cleaning should be carried out daily. The frequency with which the cage should be deep cleaned depends on the size of the cage and number of guinea pigs in it." It also says to clean "regularly enough to keep it safe and hygienic, but not so often that they are frequently disturbed." PDSA describes daily, weekly and monthly cleans: "Clean the hutch more thoroughly once a week to keep it hygienic", then once a month: "Empty the hutch completely, clearing out all bedding and lining material."

Hamsters. PDSA says: "Small cages typically need a full clean once a week, while larger set-ups may only need it every few weeks." The RSPCA says: "How often your hamsters cage requires cleaning will depend on the cage size and whether the hamsters use a specific area to toilet. In most cases a deep clean once or twice a month should be sufficient."

Timing matters for hamsters. The RSPCA says: "Clean out the cage when your hamsters are awake and not in the middle of the day, when they are sleeping, as this disturbance can be stressful for them."

Sources: RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Guinea Pigs; PDSA, The ideal home for your guinea pigs; PDSA, Hamsters as pets; RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Hamsters.

What to clean the cage base with

For the monthly guinea pig clean, PDSA says: "Take your guinea pigs out of their hutch and put them somewhere safe and secure (for example in their exercise area with a box to hide in)." Then: "Scrub it thoroughly, inside and out, with a pet-safe cleaner." And: "Don't forget to clean their toys and shelters too."

For hamsters, PDSA's full clean is: "Remove all bedding and clean the cage with a pet-safe cleaner."

Those are PDSA's words; neither page names a product. If your cage or hutch came with care instructions from its maker, check those as well.

Sources: PDSA, The ideal home for your guinea pigs; PDSA, Hamsters as pets.

Rinse, dry, then put bedding back

For hamsters, PDSA says: "Rinse and dry everything thoroughly." For guinea pigs: "Only let your guinea pigs back in when the hutch is completely dry."

Keep some familiar smell. The RSPCA says: "Cleaning is stressful for guinea pigs as they have a well developed sense of smell so after cleaning, place a small amount of the used bedding back into the enclosure as this will smell familiar to your guinea pigs and help to reduce any stress."

For hamsters, PDSA says: "Put a bit of their old bedding (dry and not soiled) back in with the new bedding so their cage still smells like home." The RSPCA adds: "Sense of smell is very important to hamsters, so transfer a small amount of old unsoiled bedding and nesting material when you clean out your hamsters' cage, especially if they are housed in groups."

Sources: PDSA, Hamsters as pets; PDSA, The ideal home for your guinea pigs; RSPCA, How to take care of your guinea pigs (PDF); RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Hamsters.

White crust or scale on the cage base

None of the welfare, university or government pages we checked covers removing urine scale or mineral deposits from a cage base, so we do not give a method for it here. If the base still looks marked after a normal clean, ask the cage maker what its plastic or tray can take.

Toilet corners and bedding

Purdue University's veterinary hospital describes bedding as the litter box: "Bedding in guinea pig cages serves three purposes: it is the litter box, it serves as a substrate in which the guinea pig may nest and burrow, and it provides a soft surface on which to walk."

Purdue also rates bedding on urine. It says: "Straw is unsuitable because it does not absorb urine and the hard stalks can cause eye injuries." Of aspen shavings it says: "It does not have much odor control, therefore, strict cage cleaning must be practiced to maintain odor control."

For hamsters, the RSPCA says: "The cage floor should be solid to allow for bedding material to be provided, to absorb the relatively small quantities of urine hamsters produce." It also links cleaning to toileting habits, as quoted above: how often depends on "whether the hamsters use a specific area to toilet." If your pet uses one corner, that is the spot to check first on your daily round.

Sources: Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, Guinea Pig Care; RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Hamsters.

Floor time: urine outside the cage

Choose the floor first. PDSA says: "If you keep your guinea pigs inside, make sure you keep them on a non-slip, not carpeted, easy to clean surface."

If a puddle lands on carpet or a rug anyway, Humane World for Animals gives these steps for new stains: "For pet urine removal, soak up as much of the urine as possible." Then: "Rinse the "accident zone" thoroughly with clean, cool water and blot dry."

It also warns: "Avoid using steam cleaners to clean urine odors from carpet or upholstery. The heat will permanently set the stain and the odor by bonding the protein into any man-made fibers." And: "Avoid cleaning chemicals such as ammonia or vinegar. Strong chemical odors may encourage your pet to reinforce the urine scent mark in that area."

For more detail on each surface, see our guides to urine on an area rug, pet urine on laminate and vinyl plank floors and urine that reached the carpet padding. A stain you only found later is covered in old, dried pet urine stains, and a smell that returns in pet urine smell came back after cleaning. If a fleece liner or blanket got wet, see how to clean a pet bed after an accident.

If accidents keep happening, Humane World for Animals says: "If your pet is having regular accidents, have them checked by a veterinarian to rule out medical causes."

Sources: PDSA, The ideal home for your guinea pigs; Humane World for Animals, Get urine smell and pet stains out of carpet.

Related guides

• How to Get Dog Pee Out of an Area Rug
• How to Clean Pet Urine From Laminate and Vinyl Plank Floors
• Pet Urine in Carpet Padding: How to Tell and What to Do
• How to Get Old, Dried Pet Urine Stains Out
• Pet Urine Smell Came Back After Cleaning: Why and What to Do
• How to Clean a Pet Bed After an Accident

Sources: RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Guinea Pigs; RSPCA, How to take care of your guinea pigs (PDF); RSPCA, Creating a Good Home for Hamsters; PDSA, The ideal home for your guinea pigs; PDSA, Hamsters as pets; Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, Guinea Pig Care; Humane World for Animals, Get urine smell and pet stains out of carpet; Pet Cleanup Kit product listing. All checked 28 October 2026.