# Do rats like baths?



## Tishatti (May 14, 2008)

Do rats actually like baths? I used to bath my last rat Claudia now and again. She didn't seem to like it that much but would swim around and liked grooming herself afterwards and cuddling up in a towel.


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## CeilingofStars (Apr 21, 2008)

I think it just depends on the individual - you know your rats best!

I haven't tried with mine but she's so laid back I'm sure she wouldn't mind much.


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## Tishatti (May 14, 2008)

I've only had my babies a couple of days anyway. Will get them to settle in a bit first before I try


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## Sojuuk (Jun 24, 2007)

mine are very unsure of the whole ordeal and aren't really fond of water actually.


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## Jingles (Feb 2, 2008)

hahahahahaha...

Not mine.


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## Skitza (May 18, 2008)

well, it really depends, because my rats don't like it even though i give it to them anyway, it is good for them.


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## Tishatti (May 14, 2008)

Yeah, well I should think it's good exercise for them and nice and cooling in the hot Summer months, not that we get that many her in the UK


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

My girls are not bath fans. As said, it does depend entirely on the rat. 

One thing you might try to cool them down without actually traumatizing them with a full out bath, and to help them get used to the water so that a bath is less scary later on, is pea fishing. 

Get a heavy, shallow dish, fill with about an inch of lukewarm water, and add a handful or two of frozen peas, carrots, or corn, whatever your ratties like. The shy ones will take their time fishing out the goodies, but the ones that are particularly fond of water or food should dive right in, and have a great time!


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## rrats (Oct 14, 2007)

if you do give your rats a bath how high should the bath water be???? i usually make it as tall as my fingure nail that way she can walk around in it


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## Tishatti (May 14, 2008)

That's a good idea CaptainFlow! Will give that a go. Sounds like something they will really enjoy!


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## cute-rat (Jun 25, 2008)

I think my male rat doesnt like it he squeeks and does lots of poos but i still give him one every day.


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

cute-rat said:


> I think my male rat doesnt like it he squeeks and does lots of poos but i still give him one every day.


Is there any reason you give daily baths? Too many baths can actually be detrimental to the condition of the rats skin and fur


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## Tishatti (May 14, 2008)

I've decided not to bath my two at all now unless it's really necessary. Why put them through the ordeal. I either spray my hands now with water and then smooth them, which of course they enjoy, or I give them a little spray of water directly on their backs. that freshens them up a treat and they enjoy it


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## cute-rat (Jun 25, 2008)

Oh really i hate starting the day off dirty and i thought my rat would be the same. He hasnt complained to me about it, like i think he is still happy most of the time maybe not whilst bathing but normally so i think i will continue to do it. i heard the saying if it isnt broken then dont fix it. i think thats a handy tool. I would hate to change his routine and stress him out.


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

Do you make the rat floss also? hehehe


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## cute-rat (Jun 25, 2008)

no that is just weird


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Bathing rats is actually not good for them. They are very capable of doing it themselves. I believe they bathe themselves up to 17 times a day? 
It can dry out the skin and cause skin issues if you bathe them too much, OR if something happens and your rat inhales _any_ water they can develop aspiration pneumonia which can kill. 

I only bathe older compromised rats, or incredibly stinky ones from a negectful rescue situation. Even then, they often take care of it themselves.
I just took in 8 rats that reeked of a very dirty barn smell. Once they were home in clean conditions they started grooming. Rats figure out quickly that there's a point to cleaning themselves because they will stay clean in their new environment. Within a few days they smelt like normal clean rats and the younger girlseven smell sweet. 

I really would desist on the constant bathing.


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

cute-rat said:


> Oh really i hate starting the day off dirty and i thought my rat would be the same. He hasnt complained to me about it, like i think he is still happy most of the time maybe not whilst bathing but normally so i think i will continue to do it. i heard the saying if it isnt broken then dont fix it. i think thats a handy tool. I would hate to change his routine and stress him out.


Actually having a bath is a human concept. Rats don't care how clean they are for vanity purposes .. if they want to clean, they're more than capable of doing it themselves. If he's unhappy having a bath .. surely you're stressing him out more than if he wasn't to have a bath every day? If it's not broke don't fix it .. you're right; if he's not dirty, he doesn't need a bath.

Not trying to be mean or anything here .. it just seems like a lot of stress, time and effort (on both your part and the rats) to do something that really isn't needed, yanno?


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## cute-rat (Jun 25, 2008)

are you sure its just not an excuse becaus you dont have time to bathe all your rats. I only have one so its easy to make enough time for him. He is nice clean and healthy, it works. I wouldnt want him to die becaus of a lack of hygiene if i suddenly stopped. Maybe i could slowly ween him off it. like stop giving him a bath on one day a week. and then the next month i could make it 2 days. and by the time i get to the end of the year i wouldnt need to bath him at all.


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

You can just stop and he'll be absolutely fine. He was born into the conditions he lives .. if he has a clean cage, healthy diet etc .. he will remain perfectly hygenic and a happy healthy (and clean!) rattie.

If you feel like you must bathe .. do so once a month or less.

I never routinely bathe any of my rats unless medical purposes permit .. and they are all absolutely fine. And I do have time to bathe them if I wanted


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Ahhh only one? He would be much happier and healthier with a friend. The pooping is fear pooping so he is not "used to it". I would stop altogether. You don't need to wean him off of anything, its not like its a diet or something that could mess with his gut.

A rat is only as clean as his environment, and if you keep a clean cage, clean hammies, he will take care of the rest himself.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Actually the idea of bathing everyday is a very recent idea for humans as well... and probably has something to do with various skin/scalp issues that were much more rarely seen years ago...

My boys get bathed only when it is absolutely necessary and that is almost never. My cat is the same way. The dog gets washed when she needs it... she doesn't clean up the way the others do.


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## Ratty1100 (Nov 17, 2007)

I see no reason to make rat wet all over, when it doesn't like swimming or isn't dirty or something like that. 

My rats have a strange habit: They go and sit on the edge of a thing which i hold water in, /for plants, just completely clean water, nothing inside/ and they grab water from it with their paws and then the wash themselves, face etc... With water.
And so every time they find open water somewhere.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Spike feels quite greasy so I'm thinking I'll give him a bath. When I first got him I filled the bath with a bit of water and let both Spike and Max go in, but they went quite crazy and wanted to dive up my arms every two seconds; leaving me rather scratched to death lol. 

Is the best/quickest way to give rats a wash in a bath, sink or just put water on with my hands? I don't want to make him freak out again if at all possible.


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## hipoluvsmud (May 22, 2008)

LOL geebus! I think Frank would benefit from a bit of dental hygiene, his toothypegs are yellow!. I'm hoping this is normal, being a complete noob rat keeper.....although I wouldn't bath Frank every day, that sounds a bit extreme. Not that I'm an expert, but wouldn't a rat need his own skin oils for natural protection???


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

The natural oils will keep a rat's skin from drying out and becoming itchy.

Adult rat teeth will usually be a very healthy orange.  If they aren't something may be wrong. So yellowing teeth is good!


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## Mimzy (Apr 21, 2008)

Tequila Olympic jumps out of the tub. Never tried it on Lilith...but i`m sure she wouldn't mind. Tequila looses her mind around water or faucets.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

Stace87 said:


> Spike feels quite greasy so I'm thinking I'll give him a bath. When I first got him I filled the bath with a bit of water and let both Spike and Max go in, but they went quite crazy and wanted to dive up my arms every two seconds; leaving me rather scratched to death lol.
> 
> Is the best/quickest way to give rats a wash in a bath, sink or just put water on with my hands? I don't want to make him freak out again if at all possible.


is your male intact? if so he will naturally feel greasy. this is his buck grease, an oil they produce on their rump and back that they use to mark terrotory with. bathing it off occasionally is fine but won't prove very effective. personally i'm allergic to the buck grease and when i was fostering some males i had to give them weekly bathes unfortunately. i regrected doing it because its not good for their skin but after about a week worth of buildup and i was getting quite sick. i ended up keeping one of the foster due to his health condition and cannot neuter him. i have found that bread soaked in olive oil helps reduce the buck grease greatly. i give it to him once a day. he still feels greaser then my neutered males or my females but not as greasy as he used to and i don't have to bathe him as often anymore (2 weeks and counting since last bath). 


as to whether my own rat enjoy the bath? nope. but ehy will still get them when they need it. violet does like showers though. she'll play and chase the water at my feet. still hates baths though.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

If you give him daily baths and he squeaks than he might get afraid of you. Why put him through that? Do you change his bedding frequently enough? I'd prefer changing that every two days than doing something he hates.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Erm... I only bathe mine once a month... if that. o.o


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

twitch said:


> Stace87 said:
> 
> 
> > Spike feels quite greasy so I'm thinking I'll give him a bath. When I first got him I filled the bath with a bit of water and let both Spike and Max go in, but they went quite crazy and wanted to dive up my arms every two seconds; leaving me rather scratched to death lol.
> ...


Yeah he is intact. I'll give the bread soaked in olive oil a try . How much do you give him? If it's ok to give him a bath how do you go about bathing your boy? I don't want him to think I'm drowning him lol.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I dip mine to the neck in the water, rub them down with soap, and rinse them under the faucet.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

Stace87 said:


> twitch said:
> 
> 
> > Stace87 said:
> ...


i put just enough olive oil in a bowl that the bread will asorb it all. the bread is a little soggy but not dripping oil. zen probably wouldn't mind at all if it was but olive oil can be expensive! and its about one slice of bread worth (he does end up sharing with his cage mate. if you only have the one then i would only use 1/2 slice

zen has a heart condition so i try not to bathe him too often. but the method is the same as when i bathe my other rats. i run enough water in the tub so that when they stand normal their belly gets wet. adjust the temp just the same as you would for a human baby, not too warm, not too cold. the wrist is the most sensitive to temp so you should use that in measuring temp. make sure they are completely wet all over by cupping water over their backs. put a bit of baby shampoo in your hands then rub into their fur, i do this by holding them above the water and giving them a full body massage with sudsy hands. then put them back in the water and rub clean water all over them. make sure you get all the soap off though. anything left will make them itchy. 

i have also heard good things about using orange oil to get off teh buck grease and any real stubborn gunk. i most recently read about a person using for their ageing boy that could no longer clean himself properly and his grease build-up was making him uncomfortable.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

twitch said:


> i put just enough olive oil in a bowl that the bread will asorb it all. the bread is a little soggy but not dripping oil. zen probably wouldn't mind at all if it was but olive oil can be expensive! and its about one slice of bread worth (he does end up sharing with his cage mate. if you only have the one then i would only use 1/2 slice
> 
> zen has a heart condition so i try not to bathe him too often. but the method is the same as when i bathe my other rats. i run enough water in the tub so that when they stand normal their belly gets wet. adjust the temp just the same as you would for a human baby, not too warm, not too cold. the wrist is the most sensitive to temp so you should use that in measuring temp. make sure they are completely wet all over by cupping water over their backs. put a bit of baby shampoo in your hands then rub into their fur, i do this by holding them above the water and giving them a full body massage with sudsy hands. then put them back in the water and rub clean water all over them. make sure you get all the soap off though. anything left will make them itchy.
> 
> i have also heard good things about using orange oil to get off teh buck grease and any real stubborn gunk. i most recently read about a person using for their ageing boy that could no longer clean himself properly and his grease build-up was making him uncomfortable.


The bread and olive oil seems to be a hit with both Spike and Max . They've had some past two nights and it vanished rather quickly! Thanks for the info. Planning on giving Spike his bath this week, hopefully he won't be too traumatised lol


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

glad i could help


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