Or is it risky? My rat smells. And I want to baith him.... I wash my cat too... I try and keep em clean and flea less.
A little girl I watch sometimes gives hers a bath. Im not sure if it's good or not but she's been doing it for some time, and it's quite old for a rat(3 years)
ok, heres the instructions for bathing your rat... Instructions for bathing a rat were published in the Q & A section of the November/December 1995 issue of the Gazette, but since that issue is currently sold out, we will reprint it here for those who missed it. First of all, rats only need to be bathed if you, the rats owner, find their smell or oilyness objectionable. Most female rats do not ever need to be given a bath unless you are showing them and their coat has become stained, and even then, most of them can be wiped clean. Male rats on the other hand, have an oily skin problem (some more than others) that is connected with their testosterone level and creates a thick, orange residue on their backs. Wiping with a washcloth will sometimes work for this problem if it is not too severe, but a good thorough bath is needed about once a month for more extreme cases. Of course, with all of the different personalities our rats have, some will be much more willing to cooperate at bath time than others, and it is not uncommon for a rat to react exactly how you described your rats behavior. It is up to the individual rat owner to decide whether or not they feel a bath is necessary and worth the possible stress to both rat and owner. BATHING INSTRUCTIONS (From Issue 2, Nov/Dec 1995, page 5) Have a towel ready before you begin. Fill both sides of your kitchen sink with lukewarm water. Dip your rat in one side of the sink in the water, but only up to the neck. Using a soap made for cats or kittens, or sometimes even dish washing liquid (I use Dawn on my males since they tend to have an oily buildup on their skin) apply several drops on the rats back. Begin working the soap into a good lather and scrub well with your fingertips. (It is best not to use a brush as you can apply too much pressure without realizing it.) Be careful not to get any water or soap into your rat's eyes or ears. When you feel the rat is clean, lower him/her into the other side of the sink and rinse. Again, be careful not to get any water in the rat's eyes or ears. If you don't feel you can rinse the rat well enough this way you can hold him/her under a stream of running water, but be sure the water is not too hot. Dry thoroughly.
Yeah, just don't use soap. Especially do not put it in their ears. I tried to clean my rat, Jimmy Urine, when I was little and it died.
Yep, we have four and they all get a bath once a week. I just run warm tap water and move them around under the faucet. You can use human shampoo, just avoid the eyes. I don't really wash their heads. You can also trim their nails with regular clippers, just the tips though.
Hmm, well I know dawn is safe cause they use it on ducks... But I might get some good smelling cat shampoo. Thanks for the help! <3
I have cavies, not rats - rodents also though... and those look almost exactly like the directions I've seen/used for my piggies. The one thing I'd add is to find a bunny or kitten shampoo. Human shampoo, (even baby shampoo according to some experts) and ones created specifically for dogs have ingredients that can dry out or otherwise damage the thin skin of small pets. love, mom
The rat breeder that I got my rats from said to use human shampoo and there has been no dry skin or problems. My guess would be that pet shampoos contain more questionable chemicals. They are all probably made at the same factory anyways.
dr bronners or plain natural bar soap ftw. if you do use dr bronners though, you have to dilute it or use the baby kind.
