Rat toy help!?

Question

I have a hyperactive female rat (she is 1 1/2 yrs old) and every toy or cage accesory i buy for her she never uses, i have bought her a rope which i hung across the cage, a rodent treat ball, a critter ka-bob, a hammock (which she chewed to shreds) and she was never really that interested in them. Her cage is big for her size and the only thing she appears to find interesting is ripping up the news paper that lines her house and climbing all over the walls. does anyone who owns/has owned a rat know what toy that rats like to use and dont get bored of? it would be a real help :)

Answer 1

ohmygoodness!

mine does the same thing.

like you'll make the cage all pretty and put everything all nice, and they knock over the water and food bowls and dig and tear up a multitude of things and cause frustration.

i know how you feel.

haha. ;]

although my male rat finds interest in ping pong balls.

and its funny when he tries to bite it, but he can't get his mouth over it.

Answer 2

the best "toy" for a rat is you. Or a friend rattie. If you are worried that she is bored or if she needs to expend energy, let her roam around a safe room like a bathroom. Rats need at least one hour out of cage play time a day. Preferably with you.

You can also try buying rat treats in edible packages. I give my rats children size boxes of cereal still closed, but take the bag part out first. This way they have to work for their food. Your rat will have to figure out how to open the box to get the food. I still give them their food bowl full of course lol.

Answer 3

Before your rat will play with you, you have to gain his trust. At first, when you take him out of his cage, he’ll feel insecure and not much like playing. So, start by playing with your rat inside his cage where he feels secure.

Rats play together by wrestling and chewing on each other just like puppies. If you pretend your hand is another rat, your rat can wrestle with you too. When he’s feeling really playful, he might flip over on his back so you can tickle his belly!

Put your hand in the cage and let your rat sniff and nibble on your fingers. When he seems unafraid, you can wiggle your fingers and stroke him. If that doesn’t scare him, you can gently poke and pinch him to encourage him to get feisty. Sound effects like “ha, ha, ha", "gotcha, gotcha” in a silly voice also seems to get rats excited.  Rats actually laugh using ultrasounds when they play!

Rarely, a rat will get too excited and bite a little too hard. If this happens, squeak loudly like a rat would and pull your hand away. Soon your rat will learn not to play so rough.

When your rat feels comfortable outside his cage you can try wrestling with him in other places. Happy playtime!

Answer 4

well, rodents are just weird like that... youll get one whos excited to use all the toys they get, and another who wont touch anything.... well, ive found going with the flow is the best thing. your rat seems to like shreding, so give her some more newspaprer, or a FULL roll or tolet ppaer or paper towels. shell love to shred that =]

Answer 5

You've obviously observed her behavior well, so use it to your advantage! You say she really likes shredding paper, so give her lots of paper to shred and she'll love you!

If she's into shredding, she might like pinatas. My boys never tire of them! They're really easy to make and perfectly safe for rats - get a couple of sheets of kitchen roll, put a big treat in the middle and wrap it up. Then keep adding more layers of kitchen roll, with the extra little choc drop or tiny treat to keep her interested until it's reasonably sized and quite fat. Now get some string to tie it up with, hang it from the cage and you're set! Hopefully if she's interested, she's keep hitting it and biting it to try and get inside for the treats - I find that peanut butter or mashed potato is highly appealing!

If toys don't appeal, remember her favorite toy will always be you! Try to play with her for at least an hour a day, using your hand to wrestle and chase her as this will make up for the fact that she doesn't have a cage mate to play with. If possible, if she has a nice temperament you could try to adopt a rat of the same age (and obviously female!) to mix in with her as it sounds like there would be enough room for an extra rat in your cage and there are always lots of lovely homeless and older rats looking for loving homes in rescue centres!

I hope some of these ideas will work for you!

Answer 6

Put tons of newspaper in there. Don't keep buying toys if your rat doesn't seem to enjoy them. You need to observe her behavior, and if she really enjoys ripping up newspaper, that's your best bet.

Answer 7

i put a cat ball in there but take out the bell in the middle and put a cookies in it she really liked it.

Answer 8

This is the website I go to for all my rat's entertainment needs, there are many easy and cheap ideas to keep your rat happy!

http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

Answer 9

i dont have a rat but thats what my guinea pigs do. idk maybe there some connection there or something idk. but ive tried everything  bells balls bells in ball chew toys everything ive tried it they only take intrest in the little toilet paper roll that they chew on

Answer 10

Look all I can say about this is: If you dont take lgwig Razorboo Wolf's advice you are crazy. This person obviously knows rats and knows what he/she is talking about. I know this coz I have had many rats as pets over a lot of years and everything the above person has said is totally correct. Happy days, Patty

Answer 11

You actually answered ure own question. ! :)

If she doesnt enjoy any toys that you buy her but she likes to

shred up the newspaper, adn shredding her hammock, then that is her fun. And maybe get her another female rat, so they can bond and teahc eachother new things :)