BATHING RATS... OR NOT

Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:20 pm

I usually only bathe my rats before a show (which is about every month in the busy spring and once every 3 months in the winter) and/or when their coat/tail is looking discolored. I do it just like everyone else said.

Oh, and one helpful tip. Clip their nails first!!!!! lol

_________________
~*Ashli*~
The Harbor Rattery
http://HarborRats.tripod.com

Tue Apr 12, 2005 6:14 am

I bathed my rats for the first time last week and I was so relieved at how well it went. My mom and I filled the sink with water then I held onto one girl and dunked her body in. I don't think they realized what was happening because they were so calm and just sitting there. Then I brought them up and my mom got some soap on them and then just one more dunk to rinse them! They didn't like the second time as much but all in all a good experience!

Tue Apr 12, 2005 6:30 am

Just make sure you don't get anything in her eyes and that you get all the shampoo off (she will groom herself afterwards) and thoroughly dry her afterwards ~ goodluck

_________________

..Rosie....Opal...Pebbles...Ruby....Pixie..

19.10.05 Angel rat

Pixie ~ sleep tight my little 'cheeky bum' xox

Tue Apr 12, 2005 6:41 am

http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#bath

_________________
My girls: Gemma <:3 )~
Shadow <:3 )~

I still luv you: Sooty <:3B)~
Sweep <:3B)~
Ratty-Tatty <:3B)~

Sun May 01, 2005 5:40 am

Was just wondering what everyone uses for bathing their ratties!

_________________
To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug - Helen Keller

http://photobucket.com/albums/v215/Glideriffic/

Sun May 01, 2005 11:01 am

I use baby shampoo......the tear free kind with low fragrance.

Sun May 01, 2005 2:45 pm

Courtesy of Rat Warehouse

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon May 02, 2005 8:50 pm

are you supposed to give ur rats baths???? or just leave em be??? lol

_________________

Mon May 02, 2005 10:20 pm

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule on this - some people do bath their rats and some don't. I don't routinely bath mine, only if they need a bath before a show or are particularly dirty and even then it's only usually the lightest coloured rats.
There is the other side of this that some rats like being bathed and some rats hate it - if they hate it, you tend to get lots of climbing type scratches all the way up your arms, so ensure you've trimmed their toenails before you start!

_________________
Estelle
Alpha Centauri Stud, Somerset, UK
http://www.alphacentauri-rats.co.uk
http://www.ratz.co.uk

Mon May 02, 2005 11:02 pm

I only give them a bath before I show them. That is only once a month bearing in mind that the shows slack up at the end of of the year.

_________________
Goodbye from Mickey and her furry friends

Tue May 31, 2005 7:53 pm

Well my rats have never had a bath and they aren't really stinky but I really want to have cute bathtime pics for my photo albulm ( making one for the day that they die I can barry the photo albulm with them and their favorite treat ( yogies but had to get rid of since they were getting so chubby

and switched to pumpkin seeds and almonds Mad

). I was wondering what the tempature for the water should be. And if I could use a kid shampoo either Johnsons Head to Toe Body wash ( can be used for hair to) or Loreal Kids Swim and Sport Shampoo light orange scent and for the first one grape scent or I could use a oatmeal dog shampoo really mild I just want to find somethin' at home instead of convinceing my mom that the ratties need to be bathed. Confused

Wed Jun 01, 2005 12:26 am

I use Johnson's Head to Toe. It's a pretty benign wash, really. The water should be a little warmer than "warm" but certainly nothing that would be uncomfortable for your own skin. I made mine about like my bath water, but since I didn't have a thermometer, I couldn't tell you the temp

.

_________________

Wed Jun 01, 2005 12:44 am

Thanks Jill I had to look up bengin but it said in the dictionary that that meant harmless and mild so I guess thats all right. Just wondering how did you know that?

Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:49 am

If you read back through this thread you'll see that baby shampoo (or any other than rodent-safe shampoo) is not recommended, and why.

Also, bathing your rats when they don't need it just so that you can take phtoos is not recommended. Rats do not need baths unless they've got into something dirty or sometimes for health reasons.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Thu Jun 09, 2005 2:10 am

i took frizzies (my rat) outside and he went in he dirt pile n is dirty its stuck in his hair n i dont know what shampoo to use plz tell m thx

_________________

Thu Jun 09, 2005 2:18 am

I use baby shampoo tear free....see the sticky on bathing for good answers

Thu Jun 09, 2005 4:32 am

I've heard useing kitten shampoo is good. Also maybe some water will get out the dirt just get a washcloth or somethin' or just put him in shallow water with something to play with like a ping pong ball.

Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:56 am

I bathe my rats in warm water and Johnsons baby soap. It doesnt bother mine at all.

_________________

Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:16 am

I use an all natural oatmeal and tea tree oil shampoo and to make bathtimes fun...I take them into the shower with me. I know that for a lot of people who have oodles and oodles of rat this isn't possible, but spreading it out over a few days works for me. Also this way, since my ratties love water, they can play around in it and don't neccesarily have to get scrubbed up. And if they decide that that day they don't wanna get wet then they hide under the shower curtain. It works for me, and if you only do 3 or 4 rats at a time, then everyone gets clean and you don't have to worry about stepping on lil ratty tails.

Sun Jul 24, 2005 9:20 pm

My one girlie, Grace, has funky-smelling saliva. We've taken her to the vet, but he couldn't find anything wrong, and other than that she's a perfectly normal, energetic, friendly rattie.

The problem is, she has a slight (to me) or heavy (to guests) odor about her because of her saliva and how often she washes herself. It's not because of the cage, because Lenore never smells at all.

I'm already going out to PetSmart today, so I'm wondering, should I pick up some pet-friendly wipes or some small animal shampoo? Would you recomend giving her a bath, or just wiping her down?

_________________
Cera (Sarah) and The Girlies:
Grace and Lenore

Sun Jul 24, 2005 11:36 pm

Have you tried bathing her before? If you haven't, I'd recommened using some unscented baby or pet wipes and just wipe her down. If that doesn't help then you could resort to bath time using a kitten or puppy shampoo.

_________________
--;[Dannie/]
Ratties: Kina, Cessi, Nerissa and Dare

Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:20 am

	yourRumor wrote:
	Have you tried bathing her before? If you haven't, I'd recommened using some unscented baby or pet wipes and just wipe her down. If that doesn't help then you could resort to bath time using a kitten or puppy shampoo.

Well, I ended up buying ferret shampoo and overall, it didn't go too badly. The only thing she tried to do was escape up my arm. Strangely enough, my mother ("Rats!? In my house!?") helped me, and apart from Gracie now smelling like latex gloves, it was pretty successfull.

Once we finally got a good hold on her and sudsed her up, she was pretty well-behaved. In the begining, though, we scared the raisins out of her. Poor little girl.

_________________
Cera (Sarah) and The Girlies:
Grace and Lenore

Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:38 am

Errr, I lather mine up with sugar-free strawberry yogurt. By the time they get done licking it all off, they smell nice and their coats are glossy. LOL

_________________
"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f------g khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world." ~ Tyler Durden

Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:01 am

For bathing my rats, I just fill up my sink a little bit with lukewarm water and just wash them quickly. My rats don't normally get too stressed out by it. You might not want to use soap though. I used to try to use soap on my rats but they really hate it and squirm alot. Some water and a cloth should cleam them just fine!

Fri Aug 19, 2005 9:46 pm

My rats love taking baths!! Well, it's not really a bath, and more like going for a swim! I fill up the bath tub like 3-6 inches. I have a bucket in there so they can climb up if they get tired or what ever. They get all wet and oooo they are so cute!

While they are in the bath I clean their cage (with my mom watching the ratigans), so when they come back, they are licking each other and washing up. I dont use soap, but they still smell good!
It is also a good way to cool them down dureing the summer heat!

L♥VE MISSY

_________________
Momma to...

4 rats~ Hoodsie, Lucy, Acadecki, and Linyaari
2 cats~ Tubby Todd and Na'Bisco
2 leopard geckos~ Luka and Jaffa
1 hammy~ Bijou

Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:28 am

Aww, that is so cute! Pretty rats!

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:00 pm

My rat boy had diarreha and feeding him oats cleared it up. Like regular plain oatmeal oats that come in a can and he LOVES it. Its worth a try.

Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:18 am

Thats interesting! They get raw oats as part of there food mix, but that is cool.

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Thu Jan 05, 2006 3:33 am

Polar needed a bath the other day after I realized that he wasnt cleaning himself very well Rolling Eyes

The vanilla on his back from 4 days ago was still there plus he likes to marinate in his pee so he definately needed it. I couldn't find anything suitable to wash him with until I remembered we have an all natural dog shampoo. It's called Pet Aromatics and the ingredient list is quite good. Just thought I'd give a suggestion for a rat friendly shampoo.

Here are the ingredients and the website: (we have Honeysuckle Hound)

Purified water, vegetable derived cleansing agents, cucumber extract, almond oil, chamomile, aloe vera, oat flour protein, palm oil, coconut oil, ProVitamin B5, macadamia nut oil derived emulsifier, natural fruit pH adjuster, food grade anti-microbial preservatives. Fragrance derived from Honeysuckle and Mediterranean Rosemary Leaf essential oil blends

www.petaromatics.com

_________________
Tiana

~~*Polar, Petey, and Kona the Burmese*~~