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.
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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).
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).
