BATHING RATS... OR NOT

Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:02 am

It really depends on your bathtub... my boys can leap out, but my bath isn't very deep. Hints for bathing... wear long sleeves! Also tie your hair up if it is long, or they will hide in it hehe.

If the medication has to stay on that long, can you possibly put the shampoo into their dry fur and keep them occupied with treats or something, then just rinse them off?

Not much help, unfortunately, but hopefully someone can suggest something more useful. Good luck!

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:55 am

Someone has Aussie ratties wink

I don't know about making bath time easier (except for making sure their claws are trimmed), but our boys like to be combed and cuddled and given treats afterwards. That helps them feel better about getting a bath.
~Erica

Fri Dec 31, 2004 1:34 pm

This may sound kinda silly but I find the most important thing to remember at stressful times like bathing and nail trimming is this: you are in charge. Be confident about what you need to do. If you need the rats to stay in the tub then make them stay in the tub. Definitely wear long sleeves, though. hehe. Some rats actually like the water. Let them splash around on their own instead of putting a death grip on them so they can't wriggle away.

Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:36 pm

i've always given our rats a bath about every other week- all of our boys have been very big on sleeping in the stinkiest part of the cage...

my advice is to do them one at a time, ive given group baths before and it was nearly impossible for me to keep control of everyone, wet rats everywhere. if you do it one at a time you can do it in the sink, and if youve got a spray-nozzle-hose thing on your sink thats even better. even if youre only washing one at a time you have to be pretty good at juggling- if you put them down theyre going to make a bee-line for your arm or the floor. expect some poop- even after years artoo still does this.

i use dr. bronners organic soap to wash the rats (and me too!). its a great product, detergent free, and it really gets them clean. you can buy it in bulk from their website, (www.drbronner.com), or from most natual food stores. it comes in several different scents- i use almond. Mr. Green

good luck and clean rat wishes!

Wed Jan 26, 2005 6:57 am

I don't bathe my rats at all UNLESS they are old and can't clean properly or if they come down with a case of buggies. They do a pretty good job of keeping themselves clean.

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:10 am

I usually only bathe if necessary. Lily usually smells rather good, like cantelope juice!

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Lindsay & The Rat Head, Lily

At The Bridge: Daisy Lynn & Violet Amanda

Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:14 pm

I've only bathed a rat twice... once was to get the porphyrin staining out of Whendi's white shoulder fur (we never did figure out how she managed to stain herself so much with no respiratory problems) and the second was when Charlie took a flying leap from my shoulder into the toilet bowl! LOL

"Muuuuuum.... Why do I need another bath, I just HAD one!"

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:15 am

When I got my little man from the petstore he was teribly smelly. I bathed him 2 days after I got him home and settled. He was much better than other rats I've done.
Haven't had to do it since.

Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:32 am

I don't bathe mine, plus there is a nice spray that you can spray on them that makes them smell like baby powder. Hana is white and black, and her white fur is still clean and bright, so I haven't seen the need in bathing right now...plus with squeaker being a huge clean freak, there really hasn't been the need. LOL

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Renee
~Momma to Squeaker and Hana~
Gotta love the little creatures!

Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:25 am

yeah,i use the baby powder stuff on all my other animals too.but how do you bathe them?

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karni~rat goddess
http://photobucket.com/albums/v352/rose_angel590/pets/
rock on animal lovers!
www.petcocruelty.com

Thu Jan 27, 2005 8:14 am

Hmmm How to bathe a rat? OK, this sounds a bit flippant, but it about accurately describes the bathing experiences I've had. wink

1) wear long sleeves and a top you don't mind getting soaked!
2) tie back long hair.
3) run some water in the tub (because the sink is a) too high when they leap and b) too shallow).
4) test it with your elbow like you do for a baby to make sure its not too hot or cold.
5) grab rat and dunk in the water, trying to keep their head relatively dry.
6) try to keep rat in the water and not hiding under your hair while soggy wet.
7) lather up a little mild shampoo or soap in your hands and squoosh it all over said soggy rat.
8) try to keep the slippery little blighter still long enough to wash it off again (using a cup or something to gently pour water over them).
9) rescue them out of the bath and into a nice warm fluffy towel.
10) dry them and try and kiss them and endeavour not to feel guilty when they give you the evil eye for hours afterwards, while thoroughly licking all over and rolling in the nearest wee spot they can find!

In all sensibility though, use a mild shampoo, warm water, warm towels, a warm room for them to go to after until they are dry, long sleeves, trimmed ratty toenails (if needed) and get it over and done with as quickly and calmly as possible.. unless you find you have a rat who loves baths of course.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sun Mar 06, 2005 10:53 pm

Since there's been so much bath talk around here lately, I'm wondering if I should start bathing our girls. Amelia and Savannah aren't smelly girls. They go in their litterbox, and I have yet to find them marinating in anything yucky. They have their own particular smells, but it's not unpleasant, and it doesn't smell anything like urine or feces. However, I'd rather them get used to rats as babies than be stunned when I give them a bath at a year old, or something. Should I start now as a just-in-case type thing?

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Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:47 pm

i give my rats baths at least 1 time a month....... and the babies 2 times a months, so they get use to getting one... thats what i do. other people do diffrent.... it's what you think is right for your rats.

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Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:25 am

Rats do not need baths unless they've got into something gross, or sometimes for medical reasons. There are tons of posts on this subject, just do a search.

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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

Mon Mar 07, 2005 3:45 am

I just recently gave my little dumbo, Abbie, a bath. we read about rat baths on the internet and some people say thier rats love water and others say thier rats hate baths. When I gave her the bath you could tell she didn't like it but she didn't make a lot of noise. She just grabbed my hand and hugn on tightly with her nails. I guess all rats are different. Good Luck. Hat

Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:59 am

My is rabbit Shampoo. Yeah somebody said that Rats are HATE the bath. That's happen. I hate rat's claw. I use yellow glover LOL.

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Amber,

Hairy, Keno, and Beno.

Mon Mar 07, 2005 7:26 pm

yup if your ratties scratch when you give them a bath use some gloves. my rats will tear my hand to pieces if i am not wearing gloves. my rats never got a bath other than if they had mites, but there are getting buck grease on them now, so i am thinking of another bath for them.

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RIP Slippery

Pets i currently have
two rats- Ciceil and Fry
leopard gecko- Tango
lop mix rabbit- Ryo (bun)
and a boyfriend- Bruces

Wed Mar 09, 2005 5:08 am

Well, Amelia and Savannah got their first baths at our house. No screaming, just a lot of pretty pissed looks

. On the bright side, their tails look all nice and clean now! I went with Johnson's head to toe hypoallergenic baby wash.

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Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:40 am

Only bathe them if they smell or are physically dirty. Make sure they dry properly if you do decide to bathe them. You don't want to have cold rats!

- logan

Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:44 am

They slept in their litterbox one night, so they were pretty ripe by morning. And their poor tails were brown Sad

. And we got lots of together time while they sat in their towels, on our laps, grooming themselves afterwards, so don't worry!

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Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:47 am

Sounds Good!

Logan

Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:13 pm

i have 7 adults and 4/ 5 week olds and 10/ 4 week olds I'm guessing lukewarm water is best.Trust me they all need a bath lol my lil boys and girls Faint

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Port Richey,FL.
Tia&Jack
and all the kids

Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:28 pm

i bath my rats quite often, each getting washed about once every two weeks.. when i have a bath, i usually grab a few rats and they get bathed too... the first couple of times they usually grumble a bit, but they do get used to it, and they LOVE being massaged dry with a big fluffy towel.

i reckon some of my rats enjoy baths now some of them seem so undisturbed by it... none of them scream or create much of a fuss though, none... wriggling yes, but screaming, no...

Sun Mar 20, 2005 2:56 am

I am not asking for help with a problem, but offering advice on how to bath your rats.

Generally rats groom themselves really well. You may have a problem if you don't clean the cage regularly, you have an old rat who can't clean himself or have males (they can get oily deposits on their skin).

One great alternative to the traditional bath is to offer a container of warm water that is easily accessible in your rats' cage. Toss in a few treats that don't quickly disintegrate in water (such as corn, grapes or peas) and leave your rats to investigate it. If they haven't had any bad experiences with water or they are quite young, they will likely check it out and try to get the treats, thus getting wet. They can then use the water as an aid to clean themselves better. Most rats instinctively clean themselves after getting wet.

If a traditional bath is needed make sure you have everything ready before hand. Have the towel laid out. It helps if you have two tubs for washing. One with just warm water and the other with warm water and shampoo. If you put the shampoo in the water and allow it to froth up like detergent, you can just focus on holding your rat rather than putting shampoo on your rat. Also, rats feel more comfortable if they can touch the bottom with both feet, so don't have the water too deep. Talk to them, give them treats, hold them (don't expect them to swim around) and comfort them.

Happy bathing!!

Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:54 am

Thanks! Those are good ideas. Especially since Notti despises baths. But I put a bowl of water in her cage and you're right, she uses it to help clean herself. So maybe I won't have to bathe her as often.

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-Randi and the Rats: Notti, Mysty, Nilla, and Wafer

~My precious Angels: Nosi, Jumper, Margie, Francie, and Bart~ We miss you.

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

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~*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

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..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

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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!

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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

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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

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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!

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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.

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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

.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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?

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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.

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--;[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.

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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

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"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

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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!

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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.

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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

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Tiana

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