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Your rat knows where it's at--and where it's ALWAYS at is PLAYTIME! Smart
and sensitive, your pet needs to be physically active and mentally
challenged to stay happy and healthy. Are you ready for your new job as
rattie entertainment director?
Pet Rat Toys Are So Much Fun!
It's a given that your rat, like all members of her species, loves toys.
It's just a matter of figuring out what toys and activities she likes best.
Some rats are serious joggers, so you should get yours set with an exercise
wheel to see if running is the sport for her. Keep in mind that solid or
plastic models are the real deal. Stay away from runged wire wheels, as a
rattie foot or tail can easily get caught in the openings.
An Easy Rat Maze
Tunneling is yet another popular rodent pastime, and you should get yours
set with PVC pipes, plastic connecting tubes and interconnected cardboard
boxes with cutout entrance holes for this purpose. Rats love climbing, too,
and you can tie a big rope across your pet's cage and watch the fun begin.
Ladders and branches are also great toys, and don't forget small balls--but
no rubber ones, please!
A toy need not be expensive to be effective. Some of the best rat toys of
all can be found right in your own home. Empty oatmeal containers, egg
cartons and cardboard tubes can be crawled on, over and through--and then
chewed, of course! If there's ample room in the cage, nothing beats a
cardboard box filled with soil or bedding for digging.
Pet Rat Toys Can Be Chew Toys
We can't stress enough the need for your rat to chew--on safe, appropriate
objects, that is. Your pet's teeth grow continuously, so she'll need to do
a lot of daily gnawing and chewing to keep her choppers properly filed.
Twigs or branches from non-poisonous trees that haven't been treated with
chemicals are great, and some rats also like rawhide chews. You can also
find a variety of wood and cardboard chew toys at your pet supply store.
Once you've hand-tamed your rat, you should let her out of the cage for
supervised exercise in a safe, secure room every day. That means you'll
need to remove electrical wires from the area, and anything else your rat
could, but shouldn't, chew. Bring out some of your pet's favorite toys for
out-of-the-cage playtime, rotating different toys for each session. It's
also a good idea to always make sure your rat has access to her own private
hideout--an empty shoebox will do--to which she can retreat at any time
during her "gym class"!
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