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Dear Heloise: If I don’t clean my hamster cage (it’s a large aquarium) often, the smell is terrible. To make cleaning fast and easy, I take Jumbo out and put him in his exercise ball in a safe area.

I take the cage outside and dump all the litter, etc., in a large trash bag, then wash the cage with a hose. A little bit of dish detergent along with a nylon scrubbie removes the stubborn stains. Once dry, I add new litter, food and, of course, Jumbo. – Carla in New England

Dear Heloise: I have a parakeet that opens the little doors in his cage. The cage has three doors – two for food and one for water. He is able to lift all of them up, one at a time, but they usually shut before he can get out.

I put paper clips on each, but he pulled one off and dropped it in his water bowl. Now, I twist them so they stay on. – Harriet Z., Rahway, N.J.