[pieopah]

well....more on the bath...i have't given my guys a bath yet cos i dont think they really need it....however!
their tails are rotten.....have been since i got them actually...either way...i have attempted to wash their tails with baby soap and water but they are still dirty.....i dont think its bothering them too much....but i would like them to have nice squeaky clean tails for a house guest i am having thats a little nervous of them to begin with
any advice?
pie

 

[cupids_cuties]

if its an orange color i think it coul djust be pigments...because ivr had the same problem...and it never leaves or gets terribly worse...but it does look really dirty...

 

[JennieLove]

If you think you need to clean their tails and easy way to clean them is to get a very soft toothbrush and lighty brush down the tail (not up). You can use whatever shampoo that you normally use on your rats.

 

[pieopah]

most excellent idea....thanks for the responses!!

 

[FalconStorm]

My rats have very clean tails, but they do have discolorations on them. I call them freckles. Remember, a rat's tail has VERY thin fur, so mostly you see their skin tone. Well, just like humans can have freckles, so can rats. If it's not something that comes off with a damp towel and appears to be a 'stain' on their tail, it's probably their skin pigmentation, not dirtiness. I worry about people trying too hard to 'clean' off skin discoloration that is supposed to be there. Be careful that you don't hurt your rats.

 

[twitch]

sometimes dirt is a little harder to get off then a damp will allow so i use soft toothbrush as well. i find that brushing down alone isn't much more effective then the damp wash cloth so i will also scrub up in an up and down quick motion. however, be careful while you do this and pay attention to what you're rat is telling you. if you've never brushed your rat's tail before hold thier tail and just brush down, so long as he isn't squeaking when you brush your fine and it will give you a base line reaction for when you need to go up and down. if they act more figgety or squeak when you brush up then you're brushing too hard. and remember too that it COULD be freckles as falconstorm said. some rats do have them.

 

[tasha]

I clean my rats' tails regularly. I didn't think to until about 3 months after I had gotten them and noticed an orangish tint on the tails and thought.. eww. Cleaned up very nicely in the sink with a rat in one hand and a mild soap (baby soap, kitten shampoo or hypoallergenic stuff) on a thick paper towel or washcloth. Make sure you only stroke AWAY from the body on the tail because you can damage their rattie tails if you try to go backwards.

To bathe the whole rat, I did this and it's great. The rats will be scared the first couple of times but they get over it. I do recommend the blow drying but be extremely careful not to burn them. Also don't wash too often because you don't want to dry their skin and tails out. (from ratsrule.com - I did not write it.)



How do you bathe a rat? Very carefully. Here are some tongue-in-cheek, step-by-step directions.

1. Put on a kevlar protection suit -- or at least a long-sleeve sweatshirt. Trust me.

2. Fill the tub no deeper than 2 inches with warm water.

3. Set up EVERYTHING you need -- shampoo (kitten shampoo is good), towels, etc.

4. Add rats. I usually put them in the tub, let them get used to the water and release a few fear poops, then get to work.

5. Wet rats. I usually use a small cup to gently pour water on their backs -- avoid the face.

6. Pry wet rat off your shirt sleeve.

7. Shampoo rats (again, back only).

8. Pry wet, soapy rat from your hair.

9. Rinse rats well with warm water. If you don't want to use the same water they are in, have a separate bucket of warm ready before you begin. I try not to run the water while they are in the bathroom because it freaks them out (loud).

10. Chase wet, but clean, rat down the hall. ["Get back here!!"]

11. Rub down rat with a dry towel. They usually like this part.

12. Optional (but recommended in winter): Blow dry rat at lowest setting, from at least a foot away.

13. Throw your hands up in the air when they go back to sleep in the hammock they just peed in.

14. Apply Neosporin Plus to your multitude of scratch marks, and spend some time coming up with publicly-acceptable explanations for them.

____________________________________________________________


Also I wore a hoodie with rubber dish gloves over the hand and sleeve and came out scratch-free.


Good luck and careful not to get water on their face or in their nose (they have very sensitive respiratory system).

 

[Iloveratz500]

hmm....thats odd...rotten? Wash it the best you can. Maybe they just have tails like that