Homemade Rat Shampoo

Rats are normally clean animals, after all, think of how much time during a 24 hour period that they spend grooming! But every now and then, our ratties need an actual bath. To learn more about bathing you rats, check out my video HERE. Since having made that video, I have quit using Johnson & Johnson shampoo on my rat, the reason is that human shampoos aren't that great for a rat's skin- their pH levels and ours are quite different. A rat's skin pH is closest to that of a dog and even though there are TONS of shampoos available for dogs on the market- not all are very safe for a rat, especially those that help control fleas and other parasites. he Johnson & Johnson shampoo didn't hurt my rats, but wasn't really doing anything all that great for them either other than cleaning them. This formula not only cleans better than any commercial shampoo I have tried but also helps repel fleas from your rat, and keeps their coats looking great! A male rat with a shiny coat? Mine get their sheen from this recipe.
HOMEMADE RAT SHAMPOO
  • 1 cup natural liquid dish soap, dye free is best. I use Dawn Pure Essentials. Fleas hate Dawn and it kills those that might be on your rat. Some say it works for mites too, although I don't know how accurate this is. Its perfect for that hard to remove buck grease male rats get and get them so clean.
  • 1 cup water,distilled if possible
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar. Sure your rat may smell like a salad at first, but the vinegar not only helps with their coat's pH balance but also neutralizes any odor (like marinaded pee!) and also acts as a rinse for that special sheen.
  • 1/3 cup glycerin- helps coat the fur and keeps the shampoo rich (you can find it in the first aid section)
  • 1 tbsp liquid vitamin E- relieves any itching from dry skin, mites or fleas
  • Empty gallon milk jug or other large bottle to store this in.
Mix, apply, lather and rinse!