# Rats and cat balls...



## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Got my boys a cat ball from Pets at Home today, just a simple plastic ball covered in sisal (rope) with feathers coming out of each end...

Woah. It lasted all of 5 minutes! They went absolutely crazy over it! The feathers were the first thing to go of course, followed by the rope and now the ball isn't really like a ball any more...it's just a piece of gnawed plastic with string hanging off. I highly reccommend cat balls to rat owners if you haven't tried them with one already. It was 85p well spent, even if it was obliterated in the blink of an eye!


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

haha I get those for my boys all of the time they go INSANE over the ones with bells in them they go back and forth with who has the most bells stacked up somewhere


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

I don't even know what happened to the bell from the ball...it all happened so fast, it was a ball massacre! No doubt i'll hear it rattling about in the middle of the night lol.


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

Some rats love cat toys, just make sure they're catnip free . Now that I'm back to work I plan to get my girls some cat balls too.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Ooo! I was just wondering if those were okay...

Catnip free, rightyo!


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Just one word of warning on these things, from a bad experience I once had - 

I bought some balls that were designed for ferrets. They were miniature tennis balls, with a bell inside. As with all new toys, I watched them carefully after I first put them in. Within ten minutes, our youngest rat started spluttering like she was choking. Obviously, I removed it immediately. I suspect it was the rubber lines on the ball that did it - she didn't get right the way to the centre.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Mine like to put the jingly balls in their food dish  I'll go upstairs, and find 5 or 6 of them in each bowl!


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Wherever I put the jingly balls is never the place they want them XD They all LOOOOOVVVVEEEE feathers.


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

This one was catnip free 

Yeah, i avioded he rubber ones because i thought A) They'll be eaten in a second and B) They didn't seem very rat-health friendly. This one was hard plastic so they could gnaw on it safely.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

sniffs has a super ball but he doesn't chew on it at all LoL he just rolls it around with his front paws. then puts it back in his food dish (that is apparently his toy box as well as his food dish.)


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Mine have these toys that are like thinnish plastic made into swirls, and they're made for cats, but mine love them. XD They carry them around and put them in their igloo. x3


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

After reading this thread, I stopped by Family Dollar today and picked up 3 packages of cat toys with feathers, hairy bits, and shiny plastic. Each package had 3 toys. I also picked up two feather boas at the Dollar General for $1 each, a a rubber bouncy ball for them to chew on (one has demonstrated a lot of interest in my rubber cable tie around my laptop's power supply). They'll have entertainment for a while, now.

So far they haven't shown much interest in anything, but I gave just gave them their new toys and they're much more interested in begging for my dinner.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Mine love those cat toys that have feather on a string. They snatch it and drag it ferociously into their little igloo and I wait until they're done and wave it around again. They run up and try frantically to snatch it back XD MAJOR FUN!


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

Okay, the cat toys are officially a hit, especially the ones with masses of feathers and string coils. They haven't been chewed through all the way yet, but they'll get there soon! This was totally worth 3/$1.


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

lol, I gave my boys a tennis ball and all thats left is the rubber from the inside...Its funny watching then move it around! Jay acually trys to carry it in his mouth >.<


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Lmao! I'm definately getting them some more. I wish i could find some deals like the three for Â£1 ones...this one was only 80p but buying packs of three would be more economical for something that's demolished in a matter of seconds  I'm gonna get them one of those cat wands with the feathers on too. I got them a squeaky ball last night as well and they love it! I'm convinced they think it's some sort of intruder rat because they go into attack mode! I had to take it out of their cage last night though, it was driving me nuts.

But yay for cat balls!


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

Don't they have dollar (er, pound?) stores over there? 

I just looked on eBay UK and there's nothing like the ones I found. If you want, I can go back to the store this weekend, clean them out, and send them all to you. Each toy weighs .01 oz --> which means a ton of them would fit in one package, and it wouldn't be expensive to ship, especially if they fit into a flat-rate mailer.


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

I think we do have pound shops....somewhere. I haven't been able to find any yet :/ And i don't think they're anywhere near as big or good as the ones in the US - you seem to get all sorts of cool stuff from dollar stores. 

You would do that for me?! That would be absolutely bloody fantastic!!!! One or two packs would be more than enough, and of course i'll give you the money for them and the p&p etc  Only if that wouldn't be too much trouble, of course. 

You could set up a little ratty-ball dealership, catering for all the ball-shredding rats out there!


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

Yah, it's no problem to pick up extras... all of the dollar stores are within 3-5 minutes of me! (That's actually a *bad* thing - I've gotten a bit addicted to them.) And if I'm gonna send them, I might as well get you more than one or two packs, since otherwise the p&p isn't worth it (cheapest shipping is Global Priority, $5.25 for a flat-rate mailer no matter how heavy, one that a *lot* of toys could fit in)

Here's a photo of the toys I bought yesterday. You can see which one the rats liked the most.  The feathers on the sides are from boas, which they are really into destroying.

And as far as a ratty ball dealership.. no go, but I've actually been thinking about selling little glass rat pendants to build up the vet fund (I work with glass). I should make a few and post them to see if there's any interest!

Oh, and technically they're not balls.. they're mice. Maybe that changes things?


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

haha, i bet that is just awesome to watch. ever considered those little tennis balls? or do you give them the gigantic ones just cuz it's funnier? i'd do something like that...


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Oooh right, i didn't realise weight didn't matter. Well however many you can fit would be brilliant  The glass rat pendants sounds like a fantastic idea, i know i'd get some, or get some for friends that are into rats. That could be a nice little earner


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

Ugh, they were out of the feather-tailed ones! And they had 3 more packs of those when I was there earlier this week. Bogus. Someone else obviously figured out what cheap and great toys they are.

I'm attaching a photo of the ones I found, and if you'd rather not have those types, that's cool. My ratties will happily destroy them.

Otherwise, I found the feathered kind on the US eBay with a very nice price: 25 for $5 + $3 shipping. He might be convinced to ship to the UK.
http://cgi.ebay.com/SHAKING-FUR-MIC...7QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20741QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

The ones on ebay look good...i'll message him and see if he will ship to UK and tell you what he says. Not sure what my girlfriend will say about them being real rabbit fur though :/ I'll maybe not mention that one lol....

The ones you've got look perfect


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

There's another dude on eBay who has the nylon string kind w/ feather tails, but it's like $33/100.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

You must live somewere posh Sara, I can think of a fantastic pound shop in paisley and 3 in Glasgow city cr, 2 in Maryhill shopping centre 
I love shopping in them then im skint cus you can spent Â£20 and got loads of usefull stuff-the other day i got loads of hairbobbles and some hair dressing scissors


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

Ooh, I just love how you Brits speak. hehe, hairbobbles and hair dressing scissors. cute.


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Ha, i wish i lived somewhere posh!!! As if South Yorkshire is posh!! I live in the country though...so there's a general lack of any type of shop lol. Barnsley city centre is only about 30 mins away but i can't for the live of me think where there'd be a pound shop...I did go into one in Manchester though, and it was absolutely fantastic! I spent about Â£6 and left with all sorts of random but useful stuff.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Sara_C said:


> Ha, i wish i lived somewhere posh!!! As if South Yorkshire is posh!! I live in the country though...so there's a general lack of any type of shop lol. Barnsley city centre is only about 30 mins away but i can't for the live of me think where there'd be a pound shop...I did go into one in Manchester though, and it was absolutely fantastic! I spent about Â£6 and left with all sorts of random but useful stuff.


I'm not sure exactly where you are, but yell.com always used to work for me. I did *this search* for Barnsley and it came up with a few.


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Wow, Yell.com if officialy my new best friend. Thank you DonnaK! I think i know how to get to that street...i'll have a wander round tomorrow before i go to work and see if i can find it


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Sara_C said:


> Wow, Yell.com if officialy my new best friend. Thank you DonnaK! I think i know how to get to that street...i'll have a wander round tomorrow before i go to work and see if i can find it


You're very welcome. Hope you find lots of goodies!


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

When I got some more potty box litter for the boys yesterday, it can with a little toy. Ended up being one of those ball toys with the bell inside. Jay went crazy on it! All night I heard him rolling that dang thing around. xD


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## Chivahn (Mar 30, 2007)

Are the crinkly foiley plasticy ones ok? I saw some of them in pics in this post, but it seems like it might be kind of a bad idea....

I just ask cuz I have a ton of them about that the cats have no interest in anymore, heh.


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

I don't see why they'd be bad. Mine have been chewing on them, and seem to enjoy destroying them just like they do with the rest.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

I got a foam bottle brush the other day and Lola and Poppy instantly tore it to peices. So I went back and got more! And some spunges of the same mateireal


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

What is it with rat and sponges? They seem to have a bit of a thing for them  My boys ran off with a makeup sponge the other day and i had to practically prize their jaws open to get it back, they were so determined on stashing it bless em!


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

It was instant! I dont suppose they have ever met a sponge but it was like "ATTACK!". I could see the double teeth marks where they'd seperated them!


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

Hmm... you can get a couple sponges for a dollar at the dollar store... here we go again!!... lol.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Are sponges alright? What about the tennis ball cat toys? Or plastic rubber cat toys?

My rats stole a sponge brush once (never been used) Best of both worlds, a wooden stick and a sponge XD They chewed on it all.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

2manyrats said:


> Hmm... you can get a couple sponges for a dollar at the dollar store... here we go again!!... lol.


Look! Im a poor student, Id buy my pants in those shops if I could :lol:


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