Ehrenfried Ehrenstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>Julian and Jackie wrote:
>> Also be warned that getting small animals wet can be very dangerous.
>>
><hm?> May be. Normally and with my 1st thoughts I would agree, but how
>can rats live often swimming in the canal? I dont think, its always
>very warm there in the underground? Or is it?
When you bath an animal you use a detergent. That is the point of
washing them. You don't just get them wet, you also remove the
protection in their fur that stops the water penetrating. If you washed
a gerbil without detergent most of the water would run off.
This is what happens with rats. Their fur is full of oil that will keep
the water out. Destroy that protection and the animal will have trouble
getting dry.
You only need to see what happens to a duck if the oil is removed from
the feathers. It cannot even float!
--
Julian
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* Jackie and Julian *
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* National Gerbil Society *
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