Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Is it ok to give rats a bath?

i have 3 and they all look pretty gross. i know that you can give hamsters and guinea pigs a bath but rats' fur seems to come off easer then theirs...so yea is it ok? and if so any suggestions how? and also they bite ALOT which makes it kinda harder.
Answers:
first of all, you CANT give a hamster a bath, it will kill them, you can however give a guinea pig and rat a bath. Just dont do it to often because it will strip them of the natural oils they need to keep their skin hydrated.
You can even use baby, or cat shampoo, as long as you keep it away from their face
It is ok. You can go to a pet store and buy "Critter Shampoo" and sprays you can spray on them if you don't want to bathe them. But yeh its fine to bathe your rats!
i give my hamster baths when he gets too smelly. just use a rodent shampoo...some are spray in that dont need water...good luck
There are also little wet towels you can buy for pets, which will clean them.
Rats may hate it, but you can bathe them. Just wrap them up and make sure they dry fast, even a hairdryer on Low helps!
I'm not sure where she got that idea about it killing hamsters. I had to bathe mine once when I was younger and it did fine (wrapped in towel with hairdryer, he fell asleep and that's about it)
You never should bathe a chinchilla though. They are made for dust baths. Maybe she got mixed up?
why are your rats biting?? (just wondering)
i have bathed my girls and this is how i do it.
i bath them in my kitchen sink, i get the water to a warm temperature and leave the water running.
put the soap on (i use squeaky clean) lather up and rinse off. i do it twice if they really need it.
be sure NOT TO GET IN EYES or on their faces.
have towels ready for drying them off.
I actually have mice, which is a little different, but I can give them a bath with cat shampoo. Just do it once every 2-3 months, so that they have their bodies natural oils. My mice also like to be blow dryed using a difusser on a low setting.
We give ours an occasional "shower" in the kitchen sink. The boys seem to need this much more often than the girls. I use a fairly low water pressure %26 make sure the temperature is just right, then dampen the guy with a wet hand, apply a dab of natural pet shampoo %26 massage from the shoulders down (faces are wiped with a damp cloth--no soap). I hold the rat in one hand, with him kind of sitting on it to so he feels secure %26 work quickly with the other hand. Rinse til you're absolutely sure the shampoo's gone, then once more. Icky tails can be scrubbed gently with a soft toothbrush.
its perfectly fine to bathe them. infact if they r pets it is incouraged. and about the biting, hold them tight but not too tight and try not to get their heads wet.u have to scrub pretty hard, and wear rubber gloves.
First of all never use a hairdryer on Rats even if it is on low, that's just cruel and loud.
Use gentle tear free baby shampoo or Aloe Vera shampoo on rats I've been told.

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