Take the Stress out of Bathing Your Pet Rat

We all love our pets and we don't want them to go through any more stress then they have to. When our pets are stressed, we're stressed too, especially when little teeth and claws are involved. This article will show you exactly how to properly bathe your pet rat without all the fuss.

Steps

  1. Gather up everything you need before bringing your rat to the bathroom. Make sure you have plenty of towels and rat treats on hand.
  2. Fill the bathtub about rat height with lukewarm water. If you don't know how much that is, just guess. It doesn't have to be perfect, just enough that the rat can be standing (at least while on two legs) but still in the water.
  3. Check to make sure the water isn't too cold or too hot. For perfect room temperature, just let it sit for awhile.
  4. Make a little island on one side of the tub. A rolled up towel or a wooden block works nicely. This step is important because you need your ratty to feel like they can get out of the water without getting out of the tub.
  5. Place a rat treat or two on the island.
  6. Sprinkle rat treats, favorite toys, mini ice cubes, and any other objects that your rat likes and may want to retrieve directly in the water.
  7. Add rats to make-shift island.
  8. Watch rats and allow them to take to the water at their own pace. Eventually, your rats should enjoy fishing and splashing about, and also bathe themselves!
  9. Remove rats one by one and place them onto a dry towel.
  10. Towel dry them thoroughly or let them scamper about until all traces of water are gone.
  11. Place back into cage.



Tips

  • Here are a few treat suggestions: Cucumber, carrot, apple, and peas.
  • Before you do anything, find out what your rat's level of "water acceptance" is. It never occurs to most rat owners that their pet may have never even seen water outside its water bottle. Imagine if you had never seen water outside of your glass and suddenly someone pushes you into a lake!
  • If you've followed all the above steps and your ratty was still too scared to enter the water, or if you've had a bathing mishap before that left your rat fearful of the tub, you can make a little ratty swimming pool to get them used to the water. This also works great as a preparation for younger rats who aren't quite ready for the stress of the big tub. Fill a shallow bowl or pan with water (a slanted paint pan works great! Just make sure it's brand new and has never had paint in it to avoid poisoning). Place treats into the water. Natural fruits and veggies work best as they are water resistant unlike most commercial rat treats which will get soggy and gross. Allow your rat to come check out the pool but don't force it upon them. Take a few pieces out one by one and feed them to your rat. Your ratty will eventually put two and two together and figure out how to fish the snacks out all on their own. Keep making it harder to get to them so that ratty is forced to stand in the water.
  • If you have multiple rats, bathe them all at once. It will be much less stressful if they have buddies around. Also, if certain rats are more timid then others, the braver "alpha" rats will push them to enter the water. Just like with children at school, peer pressure effects rats.
  • When using rat treats in the bath, choose ones that are semi water resistant. You don't want your rat's treats to get all soggy.
  • Let your rats try the treats first and then pick the one you think they showed the most interest in.

Warnings

  • If you use shampoo only use baby shampoo or specially designed small animal shampoo. People shampoo is far too harsh and can be damaging to the coat and skin.
  • Do not use shampoo at all unless your rat desperately needs it. Rats bathe themselves quite well so it's really not necessary. It's also easy to get into their delicate eyes and ears. If it gets in their eyes they can go blind.
  • Never let your rat go back to it's cage still wet. Make sure you towel dry them properly.
  • Do NOT rinse shampoo or soap in the same water that your rats fish treats out of.
  • If you get shampoo in your rat's eyes or your rat acts strangely after the use of shampoo, call vet. Do not attempt to handle it yourself unless you're a professional.
  • Some rat owners say to use the blow dryer on the lowest setting, to dry off rats. However, this can terrify a rat and is not suggested. Use your own judgment on this. If you do choose to blow dry your rat NEVER point it directly in their face. Always blow dry from behind. Also, realize that it can be hard to hit a moving target. Blowing hot air in the face of a small animal can be hazardous not to mention painful for them.
  • NEVER leave your rat alone in the tub.
  • If you decide to use shampoo run separate bathwater and apply it directly to their back and rinse immediately with lukewarm water. Note that most rats hate being "shampooed". Use only as needed.

Things You'll Need

  • Toys (bought or homemade)
  • Your pet rat's favorite household objects
  • Rat treats
  • Shampoo (optional)

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