Bath Time!
*Penny and Chloe enjoying some sunlight after a bath*
Although rats are pretty clean animals, and spend a good part of the day grooming themselves, there are still times when a bath is in order. It is time for a bath if your rat gets something sticky or dirty on their fur, if they smell like they’ve rolled around in urine, if you need to treat them for a skin condition like mites, if they have an orange-ish oil on their fur (this happens in males due to their hormones), if they are about to be shown, if they are old, or injured and can’t groom themselves.
Fill the sink or a tray with warm water, but not too high. Have a towel or on hand and near by. Have the shampoo open and ready. We use Pet Scentsations Premium Small Animal Shampoo. It is tearless, cleans, conditions, and deodorizes. Otherwise, any mild animal shampoo will work (preferably one for puppies or kittens). When bathing, expect your rat to try to scratch their way up your arm to escape. You can choose to wear long sleeves or not. Gently dip your rat into the bath to get their coat wet. Make sure you keep their head above the water. If they start to fit, place them on the towel by you to let them calm down and perhaps attempt to shake off the water. After that, put a little bit of shampoo on their fur and use either your nails or a toothbrush to lather up. They will probably protest, but you know that no parent wants to be responsible for the “stinky kid”. After they are nice and clean, dip them back into the water to rinse off all shampoo. Then allow them to go back onto the towel and shake off. Once they are done, you can wrap them up in a towel and dry them off by gently rubbing their body. Make sure to keep your rat warm, especially if it is a cold day.
The best time for a bath is during cage cleaning time. This way your clean rat can go back to a clean cage.
