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Toy Ideas...

On this page I will tell you some of my favourite toy ideas. Some of which I have read about on other sites or in books others I adapted and made myself. Some of the toy on here are still just ideas which I haven't tried out yet so be careful if you decide to give them a go. When making any toys for your rats, make sure they are 100% safe with no sharp edges or wire bits sticking out etc before you let your rats try them out!

It is important to remember that toys aren't just optional treats for your rats or any caged animals. Toys form a vital part of their enrichment (along with out of cage/free range time) which prevents boredom and stress that can lead to behaviour problems such as bar chewing, passing , fur chewing or other stereotypic behaviours.

Water tray with treats game

To play this game you will need a shallow tray and your rat's favourite ratty treats (these should preferably sink). What you do is very simple (most of the best rat games are!) your fill the rat tray with about 4cms of water. Then place the tray in your rats play area and let them investigate. Once all your ratties are around the tray show them that your adding treats. You should then have great fun watching your rats paddle around in the water like little raccoons trying to get the treats off the bottom of the tray!

Perdie using the water tray to cool off in the summer!

Flower pot and window box beds

Ok so technically this isn't a toy, but your ratties will love them all the same. Basically what you do is get a plastic flower pot/window box about the right size for one or two rats and then you carefully pierce some holes in the back. Thread wire through one hole and then back through another and fold and twizzel the wire on the back to form hooks (the amount of hooks you need depends on the weight of your rats and strength of your wire). The hooks attach the bed to your cage.

At the front of the bed cut out an entrance. If the sides of the entrance feel sharp then either sand them down or do what I did and cover them in duct tape. I also used duct tape round the back of the bed to hold my hooks in place and to cover the sharp ends of the wires.

Darla and Ozy in their flower pot beds, the beds didn't end up looking that attractive but they didn't care!

Fabric Tube

This is really simple to make. Take a long piece of durable material (e.g. jean) about 60cm wide depending on how many rats will use it at one time and fold in half. Pin the two loose edges together and turn in inside out. Sew along the pinned edge and turn it round the right way again, there you have your tube !

Now watch your ratties run up and play and sleep inside it.

The Ball ! (a brought toy)

This is basically a large Hamster ball meant for ferrets etc. The reason I have included this in the list is because it is excellent for rats that don't have the freedom of the whole house to run around, mine used to be allow out on the floor until Darla chewed some of the computer cables ! (Dad was not pleased!!)

Rats don't always take to the ball straight away . When I first had mine they would get very upset every time I tried to put them in it. So I had condition them to it. I would leave the ball open and put treats in it they would then associate going in the ball with treats. After a while when one was in the ball I would put the lid on for a few seconds and give them a treat through the air slit and then open the lid again. I would slowly work the length of time up until they happily enjoyed using the ball. After a while they also enjoyed going in it together (photo left).

NOTE: Always read the manufactures instructions, most companies recommend you supervise the ball and only leave them in there for 15 mins at a time.

Blanket cave game

This game is SO simple! get an old blanket or duvet and loosely screw it up into a ball allowing for entrances and caves etc. Then watch your rats have fun going in and out of the caves. This is a great alternative to rats crawling up your cloths!

Perdie peeking out of from the blanket.

The play box

This is another good idea for rats that don't have the run of the house. Basically you go to the supermarket and get the largest box you can find or alternatively if you can get you hands on those massive boxes TV's, computer etc. come in. Then put a couple of layers of newspaper in the bottom (lino would be a more permanent idea) and fill it with your rats favourite toys, alternatively you could have a separate set of toys for the box to make it extra interesting for your rats!

This idea has tones of possibilities for variation, e.g.. you could make a more permanent box out of wood or develop some sort of indoor run (like a rabbits) for your rats.

I used my play box when I first had it to introduce my two striped roans to Darla and Ozy, because it was neutral territory! you could also put your rats in the box when your cleaning them out although you would have to watch them to make sure they cant jump out!

Soil tray

This uses similar equipment to the water tray game, but instead of water you fill the tray with clean soil or peat from a grow bag! I put one of these in my rats cage and it was really funny to see how they walked over it and dug in it!

NOTE = Only use soil that you are sure has no fertilizers or pesticides on.

Hammocks !

Hammocks make brilliant beds for rats. Recently I made my own out of the bottom of a trouser leg and two pieces of rope! However there are many websites now that sell hammock e.g. Acrorats hammocks and they can also be found on ebay.

If you want to make your own, this is how I did it...... I took the bottom of my trousers and laid it out flat on a surface. I then sewed along the length of it about an inch in from the edges on each side. I threaded theses mini tunnels with rope and hug it in my cage! its as simple as that! and what's more they can go on it and in it. I have also made hammocks by using the remains of destroyed shop brought hammocks and simply attached the clips onto another trouser leg.

Bramble on her home made hammock.

Hanging food net

This was a very short game but Spring and Luna enjoyed it so that was the important thing! What I did was I got one of those nets that washing powder tablets supply you with (I made sure it wasn't used) or you could use a sock. I filled in with a small handful of hard treats e.g. dog biscuits. Then I hung it from the top of the cage and sat back and watched!

Spring going for the hanging bag !

Hanging food

This is similar to the above but instead of using something to hang the food in you simply hang the food itself. The best types of food to use either have a hole already in them like some cereals or cat biscuits, foods that are long so can be draped over the bars e.g. Spaghetti or are hard enough so you can put a hole in them with out them braking. All you do is use some wool , thread it through the hole in the food, tie a knot and then hang it from the cage roof.

Spring attacking some corn on the cob.

The Run

This is much like a rabbit run, except you use it for you ratties and more supervision is needed. I acquired my run second hand for free, but you could always construct a simple run yourself or buy a cheap new one. My rats love going outside hearing all the birds and feeling the grass under their feet. I often fill the run with water tray type toys and sit near by and watch them having fun! As this is only a summer game the only real down side to this game is having some where to store the run over winter and then having to clean all the spiders off it in the spring !!!

NOTE = There are many associated risks with this game, never leave your rats unattended, check that the run is on level ground, keep your rats out of direct sunlight, provide them with adequate shade and water and finally don't let your rats run on ground that is unsafe e.g. Has been treated with fertilizers, or has broken glass on it etc.

Parcels

This idea I got from watching monkey world on TV! Simply wrap up your ratties favourite treats in layers of tissue, fabric and paper and tie together with some thick string (thin cotton etc could easily wrap itself around limbs and cause wounds). You could start with an easy parcel with just one layer to let your rats get the idea and then increase the difficulty by adding more layers.

Bramble sniffing out her treats inside a parcel!

Ice lollies

This is a great summer treat for your ratties! Using old clean yogurt pots I fill them with water or very dilute sugar free squash and put pieces of fruit such as apple in them. I then freeze them over night and give them to my ratties in their water tray or a large dish, this is to try and stop a sticky mess in their cage although it never really ends up working because inevitably someone does a grab and run!

Kenya tucks into her ice lolly

If you have any ideas for games, toys or beds that you think would be good for this page then please email them too me and I will give them a go! I hope you have enjoyed this page and it has inspired you to enrich your rat's life with some more fun toys!

Last updated 26th August 2008

All photo's and some art work are produced by me, unless stated otherwise. Please do not take any of my art work or photos as allot of work has gone into them. If you do wish to use some of my art/gifs/photos then please email me for permission first.

Disclaimer = I do not claim to be an authority on rodents or rats and any information on this page is just opinions and advice and is by no means a substitute for good books or veterinary advice. All the toys on the toys page are just ideas and may not have been tried out so it is up to you to implement them and judge there safety.