Inspired by our bunny buddies, I wondered if there was anything I could make to keep my little monsters happy.. rat wise. :confused:

I used to lob the cardboard tube from a bog roll into the cage. Keeps em amused for hours--until its chewed to bits.

Inspired by our bunny buddies, I wondered if there was anything I could make to keep my little monsters happy.. rat wise. :confused:

Rats don't seem to play with toys as such. Ours loved a new box in the cage - a cereal box or a tissue box, than kind of thing. They'd be all over it, on it, under it, in it. Someone would doubtless curl up in a corner and go to sleep, every now and again they'd be a bit of a scuffle and a squeak or two as there wasn't enough room for someone to turn round without treading on a brother (ours were all boys) and over the next few days they'd gnaw their way though a corner to make it into a tunnel rather than a box. Eventually it'd fall to pieces and I'd remove it. Hours of fun. (and that was just for me, watching them!)

Yeah stuff like that is also good for their teeth. Even if its relatively soft it still helps to keep them worn.

My ratty's favourite thing is one of those plastic baskets with a handle on you get with clothes pegs in, from poundland and such.

I've hooked the handle to the top of his cage (come with hooks on to fasten to your clothes line) and he sleeps in there all the time, dead cute as it rocks to and fro :rolleyes:

I've also cut sleeves off jumpers before to make snuggly tunnels etc.

Anything edible too!

One of my rats, Hegel, (may they all rest in cheese), used to love chasing rolled up balls of paper across the floor and playing tug of war with oatcakes. But mostly rats are neophiles and like anything new and different, even just odd bits of (rodent safe) junk.

Less amusing for the rat, but more amusing for you: Get a kinder egg, eat the chocolate, throw the toy away and put some tasty Rat treat in the yellow plastic capsule and close it up. Now watch the Rat trying to first open the capsule and then rathandle the it back into his cage so he can spend some time getting in.

He will always get in of course, given that they can chew their way through concrete.

I've also cut sleeves off jumpers before to make snuggly tunnels etc.


We used old fleeces too - tied them spread eagled across the middle of the cage so they weren't touching the base with arms stretched out to make tunnels as beans says and each bottom corner stretched to a corner of the cage so the boys could snuggle inside. Also old (not feather!) duvets, cut into big square about 2-3 ft sides, tied around the top with all four corners touching, and suspended from the top of the cage to almost ground level. The ratties love exploring all the nooks and cranies and curling up for sleep.

You do have to keep washing the garments tho! ;)

We also had wooden poles that stretched from side to side of the cage (we had a big parrot cage, so it came complete) which the boys used to walk along, oh and a sort of square perch which they'd squabble to sit on because it was right next to the front of the cage a couple of foot up and they liked being up high so they could talk to us better.....

When I had pet rats I used to suspend toilet roll inner rolls from the roof of their cage - they loved jumping up and running along them, or just using them to swing and dangle themselves from!

Also, if you take a tube and place a treat in the centre, then stuff the ends very tightly with shredded paper, rattie will spend ages trying to dig / chew his way to the tasty treat in the middle. I guess it's a slightly tamer version of Phan's kinder egg capsule! ;) (I adapted this for my rabbit using hay instead of shredded paper too)

I awoke this morning to find ratty had gone for a wander.

I then found one of my large bags of balls of wool missing, but spied some trails of wool going underneath the settee.

On moving the settee I found Ratty sat happily with around 20 small balls of wool all around him :rolleyes:

So I'd say they quite like balls of wool also! :lol:

Fab ideas, (off to find junk as we speak!) :P

Hi, we had a cpl of lengths of drainpipe attached to chains hung off the cage... our Kai was especially fond of ping-pong balls and would play 'football' for ages!
but their favourite playthings were us lol :thumbsup:

I had a hymalayian wex rat who loved playing fetch with pen tops. I used to flick them across the room and he would run pick it up in his teeth and bring it back like a dog. I loved my rat unfortunately he has since died at the young age of 1 and a half.

I had a hymalayian wex rat who loved playing fetch with pen tops. I used to flick them across the room and he would run pick it up in his teeth and bring it back like a dog. I loved my rat unfortunately he has since died at the young age of 1 and a half.

Not the dreaded 'sniffles'?

If anyone would like any safe fruitwood branches that have never been sprayed with chemicals to scrub and put in cages for keeping teeth and claws in order, please let me know, as I'm planning on having my apple tree cut right back in a couple of months.

Not the dreaded 'sniffles'?

yes......the ddddrrrrreeeeaaaadddded sniffles