Do you have rats as pets? Then you should keep the clever rodents occupied in a variety of ways. The clever fur noses are among the most intelligent pets of all and usually love to learn and discover new things and to play exuberantly.
If your rats like it, petting is very important to rodents too – Shutterstock / George Dolgikh
Rats won’t be happy if you just walk around the rat cage and eat day in and day out. The long tails want to be challenged – play, fun and attention are a must for the clever animals. The ways in which you can keep your rodents busy don’t have to be particularly complex – a lot can often be done with a little.
Cardboard boxes and other play equipment
Rats enjoy simple things such as cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, shoeboxes and the like for self-occupation. The animals love to stick their noses into objects and to slip through narrow corridors. Tip: You can easily make a labyrinth out of toilet paper rolls and boxes, in which your little wise guys can look for food, for example. Very simple: just put a used bag of bread rolls in the enclosure. Soon the animals will pounce on it, crawl in and look for a few leftover crumbs in it. In general, all types of burrows are favorite places for rodents.
Rats are busy with food games
Speaking of feed. You can also put this in food balls from pet stores and let your rodents play with it. In general, you can create variable situations with food that keep your rats busy. For example, impale fruit on branches and put them in the rat enclosure or hang food on ropes in it. Rats also have a lot of fun looking for their food. Hide treats in toilet paper rolls or other objects, for example. Feeding hiding places are also particularly exciting, to which the rodents first have to make their way, for example by crossing obstacles or nibbling through paper. In the pet trade you will certainly find great products that are specially designed for feeding games.
Clever: rat training and tricks
You can do many sports with rats. Agility training, for example, is an occupation that the rodents gladly accept. Simply build a course out of wood, cardboard or other materials and lure your rats over the obstacles with treats. Also, “rat dancing,” similar to dog dancing, is a sport that rats can learn: you can put the animals through your legs or make them spin on their own axis. Important: Don’t force your rats to do anything like this – if they don’t enjoy it, they shouldn’t have to. By the way: Clicker training can also be easily implemented with the clever rats.
Watch this video as rats enjoy a combination of clicker training and agility:
The cute little rascals show what great tricks rats can learn in this little film:
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