# Ideal Age to Introduce Rats to Water+Baths



## Paleo (May 21, 2016)

What do you think is the ideal age for showing rats water and introducing a shampoo bath? And I literally mean ideal; I know a great many rat owners get theirs at 4-5 months but I'm interested in where rat socialization "milestones" are.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Never?

Rats bathe themselves like cats and should never or very very rarely ever be given a bath. Baths are usually a very stressful affair for them, even if you attempt to get them used to it. 
If they get a bit messy it is much better to wipe them down with a baby wipe.

For the most part my rats only get put in the tub if it was a messy disaster zone, during some introductions, or sometimes to temperament test babies. 

An alternative is giving them a shallow bowl of water with frozen peas and they will get in the water to get the peas and get wet and then bathe themselves after, and it is a good way to get them clean as well 


On a side note... why do you think most people get their rats at 4-5 months old?


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## Paleo (May 21, 2016)

I disagree on the bathing issue. There are many reasons a rat may need to be bathed, whether a medical problem, getting into something they shouldn't, or to reduce urine allergens so an owner can have a higher quality of life or keep their beloved rats. I do agree they should be bathed as little as possible to keep their skin and coat happy. A rat shouldn't be introduced to water so they can be bathed constantly, only as part of socialization for reducing stress in case it is needed. Similar to why a rat would be introduced to being in a carrier, riding in a car, hearing vacuums or other noises, or being restrained (Nail clipping, vet visit, etc). We all hope our rats are lucky enough to never face something stressful, but it pays to prepare them with a neutral or positive experience. Hearing a frightened rat who's afraid of something ordinary they've never seen is so sad. 

I like to use sloping paint trays for water with stuff piled up close to the tray so they can easily walk out and away if they want. I'll have to try floating peas, I've tempted mine with carrots and fruit pieces. It's cute to watch the wary ones streeeeetch to get a piece and then give funny looks to the ones who will dive right in. One enjoys trying to fill in the "kiddie pool" with whatever she can find.  None of mine like running baths but they're good enough to get done quickly since they know treat bribes come afterward. I'm so grateful they aren't terrified of water or being rat burritoed for nail clipping.


I think many people get that age group of rats because that's pretty much what I've seen friends and acquaintances get over the years. The last 3 places I've lived I have rarely seen baby rats for sale outside of feeders and even then commercial stores selling feeders are dwindling. Most of them come in well past 5 weeks and then hang around awhile before going home with someone. Sometimes oops litters were available on classifieds, but there were many more grown rats than youngsters for adoption. Young mice have been hard to find too, but I haven't kept them in a long time either. My experiences could easily be happenstance though since that's 3 towns within the same five hour stretch of I-85 NC/SC/GA.


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

I introduced a tub of shallow water to my rats in summer purely for cooling purposes. My older rats were about 7-8 months old when they first encountered water in this form, and they really didnt like immersing any part of their body. Chamois hardly ever succeeded in pea fishing because of this, didnt even want to put his paws in the water (or maybe he just didnt understand the concept of peas in the water, and that he could find them by wading his paws in the water haha). My younger rats saw a shallow tub of water at around 3 months old, and have no problem just walking right through it. Coyo would purposefully sit in the water and play with it, sometimes stick his entire snout in the water to use his whiskers as feelers to find peas  Hes a strange one
I've never had to bathe my rats 
Also on this forum, it seems to me that most people get their non-feeder rats at about 5-12 weeks old, unless they are rescues from bad past/environments.


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