# my rat has no interest in treats. suggestions?



## pillowtalk6188 (Mar 25, 2009)

i've tried peanut butter, some yogurt treats for rodents from the pet store, and even some yogurt treats for birds.

any suggestions for something rats really like? it's nearly impossible to teach him when he doesn't even like anything. he won't take things out of my hand. i want to start training, but i haven't found anything he likes.


----------



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Be careful with peanut butter - it's known for making rats choke. If it is given add water so it's runny. Not sure if the bird yoghurt treats would be harmful either. 

How about fruit/veg? Babyfood? Cooked rice/pasta (I say cooked as it will be quicker for him to eat if it's for training him). Just keep trying different foods - you're bound to find something he likes. Healthy things will probably work best


----------



## Corrie (Feb 4, 2009)

Is it that he doesn't like the treats or isn't quite ready to trust you yet to take them off of you?

My youngest and newest rat took ages before she would take treats from me. I don't know what her background was but she was much more nervous and took ages to come round. I started just putting the treats next to her and she would then take them once I'd moved far enough away from the cage as to not be a threat anymore (so long as another rat hadn't nicked it in the meantime!!). She's now overly happy to take treats but it took a long while, today I had to fight with her when she was on free-range and was trying to steal a malteser from my hand!

All my other rats, even the most aggressive ones when they came to me took treats straight away but she obviously needed to build up a lot of trust first. It may not be the case with your rat but just wanted to share in case it was!


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

Rats are naturally weary of new foods, some moreso than others. Your best bet is to introduce any new foods within the cage, leaving it there for him to taste when he is comfortable with it. Then once he knows the food is harmless (and yummy) he may be more enclined to take it from you.

However, some rats are just not comfortable eating treats in the presence of people or out of their cage, so I wouldn't pray for miracles with him


----------



## ratscribbler (Jan 31, 2009)

My rats can be finicky about treats too. They don't care too much for apples or grapes; they're indifferent to raisins; they turn their noses up at baby food. But they're nuts about sunflower seeds and broccoli. They seem fond of bananas, too.

I recently discovered that all my rats love, love, LOVE chicken. They practically inhaled the bits I fed them. Mal and Stitch are also fans of turkey pepperoni, but Squeaker drops any tiny piece I give him.

Some rats are more picky than others, and some need more time to try new food. Like Ration said, rats often prefer to sample just a bit of unfamiliar food, then wait around and see how they feel. If it doesn't make them sick, they decide it's OK. For wild rats, it's a smart strategy... gotta watch out for those poisons and all.


----------



## pillowtalk6188 (Mar 25, 2009)

i guess i just have to work with him more consistently. i like to get him out and let him climb on my lap. in the mean time i'll try expanding his pallet. up untill we purchased him he was a feeder rat and only ate rat food and probably had almost no human contact except for people walking past his cage.

thanks for all the advice. i'll just keep trying different things and maybe one day he'll figure out that i am the bringer of yummy things


----------

