Bathing & Nail Trims

Most of the time, rats do not require a bath. They're very clean animals, much like cats, and groom themselves many times per day. However, obese rats, older rats, and some really slobbish rats can tend to get a little dirty and a little ripe.Some people like to bathe a rat before a rat show, especially if the rat is light colored, as light-colored rats sometimes suffer from orange porphyrin staining on the back of the neck (from spit-grooming drying there) and urine stains.

The best way to groom your rat is to get a good, mild shampoo like Johnson's Baby Shampoo, or a mild dish soap like unscented Dawn. Run warm water gently from the faucet, and grasp your rat in your hands, supporting their body and feet. Run them underneath the running water several times, then stroke them to work the water through the coat, repeating until they're saturated with water. Do NOT run water over their head, as they can inhale water, which can cause aspiration pneumonia.

Set them down on a folded towel and work a small amount of the soap into their coat, paying special attention to stained areas. Then repeat the faucet process, stopping frequently to work the water and soap out of the coat. Continue until the rat is completely rinsed clean.

If needed, an old, soft-bristled toothbrush is perfect for gently scrubbing the tail scales clean. Always scrub in the directions the scales grow, never against them.

Nail trimming is a lot easier with two people. One person cradles the rat against their chest, with their hind end supported, and the second person can snip the ends off of the little nails. Pause when the rat struggles - a cut quick (the pink, live part inside the nail) hurts like the dickens and can bleed a LOT. Keep styptic powder on hand just in case!