Stinky Rats
My 2 rats have become very stinky. Is there a way I can give them a bath with out a risk of them drowning?
Answers:While you can bathe your rats, you should also check out WHY your rats smell. How often are you cleaning their cage? I change my rats bedding every other day and it helps keep the rats clean and healthy and also helps control any potential odour problems that may arise in summer months.
As for bathing your rats, I would suggest a human baby body wash. Use a TINY bit and rinse WELL! Rats clean themselves and you don't want them ingesting any kind of soap. You could also try kitten or puppy formula shampoo from pet stores. There are also rabbit shampoos you can buy.
Make sure to dry them WELL! Rats can get cold very quickly from wet fur/skin and a cool draft! Make sure to turn off any fans that might be near their cage and close all windows in their room. Don't try to blowdry them. This will only stress them out even more and will do more harm than good.
Someone suggested using pine shavings as bedding. DO NOT DO THIS!! Pine and cedar shavings are VERY bad for your pets!! Softwoods, such as pine and cedar, contain phenols which react with the liver, causing it to produce an overload of certain enzymes which is harmful for your pet. Cedar and Pine will also cause respiratory illnesses and will shorten the overall lifespan of your pet.
Good beddings include Carefresh and aspen shavings. Both are excellent beddings and are not harmful to your pets.