Bath Time

[Maiden]

I know I'm going to catch flack about this, but my boys get a weekly bath. When I got them from their previous owner she told me that she cleaned their aquarium once a week and gave them both a weekly bath. Since joining this site I have heard a lot of people say that you aren't supposed to bathe rats. They are clean animals and do it themselves. However, and I don't know if this is a factor, my boys are both intact males. Five days after the bath they start smelling rotten again. So I wait two more days and then bathe them. That is why they get a bath once a week.Tomorrow is bath day. Two days ago my boys started smelling like urine. Today they smelled worse then they have ever smelled before. (Made me cough and gag a bit.) I don't know exactly what is up with my boys, but they need their weekly bath. Anyone have any suggestions as to why my boys stink, or what a male intact rat is supposed to smell like?

[Maltey]

Actually, the more you clean them the more they're going to stink themselves up! I would suggest going a few weeks without a bath and the smell will actually calm down. Also, do they still live in the aquarium? Because that will contribute to the smell.

[Maiden]

They do still live in the aquarium. I knew it isn't the best place for that but if I get them a cage then I will have to get rid of them. (My family wants nothing to do with the rats, they barely tolerate them as is.) So either they stay in the aquarium or they don't stay with me.

The other problem is I get these IMG_1018.jpg whenever one of my rats breaks a layer of skin (even when they don't draw blood) the skin around the scratch, no matter how shallow, gets puffy, sometimes red and generally itchy. (Notice they are in a line, that is my forearm, also ignore the red spot. The bumps were itchy and I scratched a scab). I once had to go three weeks without bathing them and they became smelly and I just could not hold them without getting a bad reaction from every little scratch. (bad reaction= very red, very itchy)

As long as they are regularly bathed the scratches only bring slight puffyness.

Edit: Ironically the bumps are more visible in thumbnail form. Also, that is a very mild reaction, just happened to be the only one I had a picture of.

[Maltey]

A lot of people are allergic to rats so as long as it's just a skin reaction I wouldn't worry too much.
You can use allergy meds to reduce the reaction.

How big is your aquarium?
Unfortunately, and I don't want to be the bad guy here, but most aquariums simply aren't big enough fo rats to live in. They have extremely sensitive respiratory systems and aquariums don't provide enough ventilation for them, resulting in respiratory infections. If you can't keep them in adequate housing then perhaps you're not the best person for them at the moment.
Surely your family would tolerate them more if they didn't smell as much because they were in a cage with better ventilation?

[Jaguar]

They should not smell like anything unless you stick your nose right in their fur... and then they might smell a bit... but they should never outright smell offensive.

Unfortunately an aquarium is just not a suitable living space because of poor ventilation. If you have eliminated a poor diet, improper bedding, or a dirty environment, then it is probably the lack of ventilation in the aquarium making them stink so bad.

You should not need to bathe them at all. Maybe once or twice a year, or if they get into something overly messy. All my boys have been unneutered and after eliminating the above causes, none of them have ever had stink issues.

The bumps are allergies from urine/saliva on their claws. I react the same way. Just wash your arms with mild soap immediately after handling them or if they scratch you.

[Maiden]

It is my house or snake food. There are no rescues in my area. The second I am able I am spoiling me the boys rotten.----It is more of a psychological thing with my family. Buying a $90+ cage is a sign of permanence. And if I do that my family will have to actually accept that my rats are here to stay. I finally have them on a steady supply of lab blocks. I will have the brand name by tomorrow but every rack owner in South Florida that I have spoken to has told me to go to this one store and buy its lab blocks.----At the very latest they will have a cage by the end of May. I already have it picked out. The employees all know that I am going to come for that cage one day. They even know my rats.----@ Jaguaro you do anything special for the swelling?

[British]

do you do anything special for the swelling?

The swelling is just an allergic reaction, so any antihistamine should take it down. Loratidine or cetirizine are non-drowsy; diphenhydramine is the best, but it makes most people fall asleep pretty quick