Bathing rodents.

Kindof not really the topic but, is there a way to clean there teeth?

Are you worried about them biting you? I only have 2 or 3 rats in my colony that are hand tame. None have ever had baths. Mine don't really ever smell but if they are looking a bit greasy, how do you go about giving them a bath?

I have about 15 breeders plus theire offspring, and not all all that tame! but it's not about biting, I just dont like the yellow teeth

You won't keep a rat's teeth from being yellow (or almost orange when they're older) by cleaning them, anymore than you can turn a black and white hood into a PEW by cleaning its fur. Their teeth are yellow from pigmentation, not dirtiness like human's would be.

hmm I thought I had seen a white-toothed new born... maybe I got wrong, thx 4 da info :)

Let me further clarify :)

The incisors are colored with a yellowish pigment. The incisors start out white in the young rat, but by age 21 days the uppers have a slight yellow tinge. By 25 days the uppers are distinctly yellow and the lower incisors have acquired a little yellow. By 38 days these colors are more intense, with the uppers having more color than the lowers. The relationship between more pigmented upper incisors and less pigmented lower incisors remains true throughout the rat's life. In adult rats, the uppers are dark yellow-orange and the lowers are yellow (Addison and Appleton 1915).

from:
http://www.ratbehavior.org/Teeth.htm

wow! didnt have an idea, thx

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skittles46

Let me further clarify :)

The incisors are colored with a yellowish pigment. The incisors start out white in the young rat, but by age 21 days the uppers have a slight yellow tinge. By 25 days the uppers are distinctly yellow and the lower incisors have acquired a little yellow. By 38 days these colors are more intense, with the uppers having more color than the lowers. The relationship between more pigmented upper incisors and less pigmented lower incisors remains true throughout the rat's life. In adult rats, the uppers are dark yellow-orange and the lowers are yellow (Addison and Appleton 1915).

from:
http://www.ratbehavior.org/Teeth.htm

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Couldn't have said it better myself! :gj:

As to them biting you Jay, if they're hand tame, the chances of them biting you are slim.

I've bathed quite a few of my rats now. From my monster 800 gram boy to little girls, they all have mostly the same initial reaction. SQUEEEE!!! SQUEE!!!! *jump, thrash, climb up arm, plop poo nugget in water, jump on shirt, claw their way up to neck, grip on for dear life, rinse and repeat*

But once you get the hang of it, you'll learn how to keep them from jumping around. After the first few times it was no problem keeping them from freaking out. Mine hardly fuss at all anymore. :gj:

I give my boys a bath approximately once every couple of months, less so for the females. In general, bathing can stress rats out, stress can cause a myco flair up which can lead to RIs.

However, if you start at an early age, they might actually enjoy bathing. Just keep them warm and don't make the water too deep and you should be fine. :)

Actually, rat hobbyist bath all rats in the cage and the new addition before introducing them all to the cage. They also clean the cage. It gets rid of any territorial markings, and mind sets. I've never had an issue introducing new cage mates, but it's an excellent idea if you want to be on the safer side. I do bath all new rats when I first acquire them though.

Here are some of my males taking a bath.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/j...s/bathtime.jpg
Cinnamon, Siamese Rex, Fawn, Russian Blue (Silvered not Russian Silver), and a Black Split cap/stripe.

Can't say I've ever had a rat stress THAT bad over a bath that it caused a respiratory infection. A miffed rat, yes.

Your cinnamon looks like a burmese and your russian blue looks like an american blue. I had a double blue that was that color(white undercoat). I have a split capped boy who is over 3 years old named Corbin. They look alot alike :)