# Sticky  Toys and Fun Ideas for Rats



## littlematchstick

*please only post if you have something to contribute, such as toy ideas, improvements on existing toys, photographs, etc. any chat will be deleted. thanks - the mods
*
There's always been a big to-do about rat toys, I haven't found a store yet where I could walk in and find all my rat needs, especially toys, in one place.

Rats Are very smart indeed, so they need constant stimulus. 

You can buy an assortment of bird toys, ferret toys, cat toys and dog toys.
These toys include but are not limited to:

Dangling Bird toys that are not made of pine or cedar wood, These toys should also not be made of cuttle bone or calcium chews, as these can be binding to rats body. 

Cat toys that have chase able parts, like kitten play mats are almost always enjoyed. Some rats will also roll and play with jingling, or crinkle balls are also a big hit.

A lot of rubber dog chew toys are fun for ratties, as well as edible Nylibone chews made for dogs.

Most Ferret made toys are very much loved by rats, I've never gone wrong with one yet. 


There are also an assortment of home made toys that rats are keen to enjoy.

* Pop sticks- If you go to the craft store, or save your own, you can soak your Popsicle sticks in Juice over night and then let them dry. They shred up easy but it's a lot of fun.

*recycle Blocks- If you take those old chewing blocks you spent money on but no one will touch and you put a dab of peanut butter in between them (or your pop sticks) and then freeze them you'll have a block that everyone will fight over Very Happy

*The Sock- You know those mismatch socks you cannot find the brother of? Fill the toe of one with healthy hard treats, tie it off and tie it to the side of the cage, Your Ratties will spend much time trying to desperately open and remove it's yummy insides.

*Nuts- Hard nuts still in the shell are a good work out for some under used teeth.

*Pinatas!- Rip up some paper in long strips. Find a used up paper towel or toilet paper tube. Get some small yummy, dry healthy treats together

Take a large bowl and add about a cup of flour, start adding Juice until the mixture is about as thick as pancake batter.

Dip the paper into the mix, squish off any excess back into the bowl, And place over one end of the tube, keep doing this until the whole side of the tube is covered, let dry.

Put the dry, covered side of the tube down, add treats (the amount is really up to you but I wouldn't fill it more then half way.) Cover this side of the tube with the dipped paper, Let dry. Tie a string around it and hang inside the cage. Add rats.

*Pasta ropes- I use old blanket shreds and lace uncooked pasta on it like a necklace and hand it in the cage

*Egg hunt- using plastic Easter eggs one can create a fun and reusable toy. Fill one half of the egg with dry treats and give to your rats. They'll attempt to chew it and open it for it's tasty insides

*Rat bag- Brown paper bags for lunch can get a sprinkling of treats added and given to rats. Who will shred until hearts content.

*Cork them up- Old wine corks are pre-flavored and are a tone of fun to shred.



A few places to find other great toy ideas include :
http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm
http://www.suzsugargliders.com/nosewaccessories.htm

Originally Written by: kenRakuu--Thanks

Other Good additions (original writer's names in parenthesis)

My new little rat loves water, so for rats that love water I guess try:
KIDS BATH TOYS! (jemmas)

My boys love old blankets. They spend hours running in and out and then settle down for a snuggle. And ladders... anything they can climb is a plus.(elizabethrae.)

Some of you have probably already heard of this website, but I'll post it anyway 
http://www.dapper.com.au/
If you click on "The Ratty Fun Pages" there is a range of home made toy ideas, and how to make them. So yeah, check them out  (ShadowPhoenix)

ICE CUBES  especially if you break them into funny shapes or put them into molded trays. (kinsey)

Here's something I did. I took one of those plastic cat toys covered in holes with a little bell inside and tied a long strip of fleece to it. I then took cheerios that I broke into one-quarter size pieces and stuffed it 1/3 full or so, then hung it from one of their ladders. They have a lot of fun pushing it around and trying to grab onto it long enough to get a piece out. (Crasher)

mine like playing with empty toilet roll tubes with ttoilet paper stuffed in little balls inside...they love nibbling them and shreading the paper. (Maddy)

a lot of baby/toddler toys are really good for them too. Like I have a bunch of brightly colored links, and a teething toy hanging up in our cage, and not only does it make the cage look more festive, but they love to push the teething toy around on the links. (Lynxie)

Cardboard boxes are the greatest thing ever if you ask my guys...I made them a multileveled condo and they love it...only problem is they poop all over the place inside of the rooms and it's really hard to clean it up. (Drasar)

Digging boxes-All you need is a large container, some sterile soil, and some seeds! You first germinate the seeds (fun ones are parsley, oat, wheatgrass, etc, anything not on the forbidden food list really) according to the package, then you replant them in your digging box and let it grow a little longer. Make sure your digging box is high enough to prevent dirt from being kicked out. Your rats should have a blast pulling up and eating the sprouts, as well as digging, as they are burrowing animals. (smesyna)


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## Bree

I made this for the ratties and they love it.


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## ReBel*AnGeL*

Another take on the rat pinata is what I call "papilotes"!

Take a white sheet of paper and a toilet paper roll, roll the roll in the paper and twist one end closed...fill with good yummy treats and twist that end closed also.

U can throw in the cage, or tie with a string to the top of the cage!

Guess a nice twist would be to use colored paper and hang all over like lantern's, and what I did was to leave some empty to get the rats to use their sense of smell!


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## KellyAnnKelly

I make rat pinatas too, but a little differently. I put some food inside of a paper towel, gather it up, and tie around the paper towel (so it makes sort of a ball shape), and tie it to the top of the cage (leaving it low enough that they can get it). They love them. And the best part is I only have to use their normal food so you don't worry about giving them too many treats.

This may not work if you only give your rats lab blocks though (mine get a mix of two different rat foods, plus blocks for some of their treats--which they love!)


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## Markasin3

I made a lot of hammocks and tunnels using snuggie fabrics.


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## LilysMom

Since I have a hairless rat, I made a hammock from an old t-shirt and put a pocket on the top of it so she can snuggle under the pocket and still hang out in her hammock. My hand sewing skills are crude but here it is.









I also braid ropes out of strips of old clothes. My rats love to tear them up and climb on them. Here's a picture.


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## LilysMom

Sorry I forgot to add that I make tunnels out of sleeves from long sleeve shirts or jackets and I will often take some string and string some cheerios or the occasional fruit loops on them and hang it in the cage as a treat


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## Rat Attack

I haven't yet let my rats play with this but I'm hoping they will like it, it's a hold over from when we had ferrets. It's a ball pit/box. Its nothing more than a box filled with plastic play balls (can also use plastic easter egges). Mine has a big cardboard tunnel that leads to the opening. Will post a pic when I get a working camera.


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## twistedrattery

I have not made one yet plan to. get a tennis ball and some rope. cut a slit in the ball and tie a knot at the end of the rope, squeeze the ball to open up the hole and stick the end of the rope with the knot in the ball then tie to the top of the cage. they can climb on it and swing. It really sounds cool


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## emmabooboo

I hang my boys' old white undershirts in the rat cage with binder clips to make a 4-opening pouch-like hammock. They *LOVE* this. And the best part is that my kids are always staining their undershirts, so I have a constant supply of them and never have to worry about washing them. When I clean the cage, I just toss it out and hang up a new one.


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## maplexcutie22

I find dog ropes, at the dollar tree, and hang then across the cage with safety pins, and they love climbing on them!


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## Bright.Side

This may be the best thread EVER! I've been trying to come up with ways of amusing my girls, lol. They're waiting on the giant cage I'm getting them for Christmas, and are bored out of their minds. So far I've been giving them cat toys(Sushi likes to line them up in neat little rows, which is too much for Popcorn. She waits until the balls are almost lined up and then bowls through them. Driving Sushi suitably insane of course, while Momma and their sister just watch and roll their eyes, lol). They love the crinkle ones. Go absolutely insane over them. I can't wait to try the fruity pinata though! I'd like to try out the peanut butter thing, but am somewhat paranoid about it...


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## shawnalaufer

I made a digging box using a black plastic tub I found in the dish drain rack section of my local Walmart. For "soil" I used Eco Earth by Zoo Med (found in reptile section of pet store) since it is safer than potting soil. Then I sprouted some cat grass and bird seed and transferred to the dig box. I am still growing the seed/cat grass so my ratties haven't gotten a chance to explore this box yet but I just know they are gonna love it!


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## OlegEqualzName

I have heard this one somewhere, put your rat on your back and the way he or she moves will determinate your own movements, for example, if he goes forwards, go forward, if left or right, turn in the corrispondimg direction, etc. If good thenthey shall figure out how to move you around.


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## brunamvco

*Lots of videos with ideas!!*

Hello, I want to promote a site with several videos with care information, ideas, maintenance, food and fun for animals! 
So far the site has more videos on rats and hamsters! 
Enjoy visiting the site and check out the videos! Suggested videos are welcome too! 
Register your pet!

http://www.petandcare.com

Bruna


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## fluffy470

On a hot day, I take a shallow bowl of cool water and drop some treats in the water. My girls LOVE it. One of them stay on the edge of the bowl and stick her paws I'm quickly to grab them, the other just dives right in 😄 its so fun to watch


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## Rat lover

I get felt and braid it into long ropes that I hang on the top of their cage to walk on.


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## British

I bought one of these for Bernadette to replace the chewed up wooden thing she had in her cage when I adopted her --> http://www.petco.com/product/115432/Planet-Petco-Wood-Wheel-with-Ball-Small-Animal-Chew-Toy.aspx

She was completely disinterested and wouldn't even look at the thing. So I wedged some veggies inside the bars and gave it to her that way; once broccoli and carrots were involved, she was all in! lol.


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## Malcolmratdad

Since I just got a huge paper bag full of shredded paper from my folks, and since tomorrow is cage cleaning say and I don't feel bad giving them a messy toy, I took an empty tea bag box and stuffed it with the paper shreds and sprinkled Reggie Rat in it and shut it. They're currently going bonkers over it lol they seem thrilled.


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## lilmiss_paradox

I used to stick little cardboard boxes that were given to me by a nearby bakery into the cage, closed and filled with little treats. They would have a fun time trying to open it, get the treats then sleep in the box ^_^


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## shawnalaufer

http://ratwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/04/tug-o-war-game-with-ratties.html

CAT TOYS WORK!


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## PipRat

I love the old favourite, bobbing for peas!


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## Afwife83

I took an old shoe box, and cut an entrance hole in it, and stuffed it with tissue paper and treats, and put it in my cage. They went bonkers pulling the tissue paper out of the hole, and scarfing down the treats. Now some are sleeping in the box, others are still shredding the paper and stashing it in their hides!


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## fluffy470

@Twistedrattery 
I bought a dog toy just like that with the rope already attached, my boys did not like it very much but yours very well may 

As for toys i do, I get a bag of in shell nuts from the store and toss them a few, they thoroughly enjoy prying open the nuts and digging out the good stuff.
Also, my family eats a lot of corn on the cob, so once everyone has eaten what they want off the cob, i am still left with the fleshy stuff that attaches the nibblets to the cob, so i drill a hole through the sid of the cob and string it up in their cage, its kinda like a variation of a pinata, my boys adore it  hope this helps


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## PipRat

I planted some cat grass in a shallow container for my rats and they love to eat it and dig it up. The first time they just explored it and ate the grass but the second time Boo really dug around in it.


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## ILoveMyMonsters

Treat pinatas are easy, inexpensive, and fast to made...they're always a hit with my ratties!

Just take a cardboard tube (like the kind you would find on toilet paper), fold one side in so that two points are sticking up, then fold those inward so it creates a "bottom" (a hole at the bottom is acceptable, but adjust it as needed so that the treats do not fall out.

Drop some favorite treats into the open end and fold it as above - leave the pointed ends out for right now. 

Use a pen (or something similar that is small and pointy so it makes a hole small enough for string without damaging the toy) to punch two holes at the base of the top's more pointy folds.

Thread a piece of strong string, thread, or elastic "string" (idk what it's called exactly) through the holes and tie it through one time once you fold the pointed ends down like you did above with the bottom (like you would when first starting to tie your shoe), and tighten it.

Tie to a side bar or hang from the top of your rat's cage, double or triple knotting to ensure it's security and making it more difficult to chew through.

Cut any excess string, and let your rats enjoy! ;D


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## lilmrspanda

*When its Warm Enough I always take My boys out to play in the garden Baylie Really enjoys Claiming our small apple & blossom Tree and playing on the lawn With jasper . I never leave him unattended but he Dose Really enjoy his time out doors .
*



















also i have just began giving him Live Meal I'e grubs From the local Pet shop at first i was worried he'd not take to them but they Went down a treat
http://youtu.be/Cy97cPzyxzw

I also Fill a treat ball up with Well treats And he Really enjoys it 

http://youtu.be/DLAsAuEr_L4


and on the odd occasion he gets a boiled Egg 




he Also has Cuddles When He is chilled out 
http://youtu.be/jtEwqlVbg2A


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## JayDRatty

I actually cut a U in a butter tub and attached it to the bottomom of a wire shelf for a nice loungeAnd suz sugar gliders has some great no sew toys/shelfs/ledges and so on


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## Mrm911

I haven't got rats yet, but here some idea for toys

Straw weaving













-get 2 or more straws
-put punch hole in it
-put string through
-tie them at the bottom
-weave string through straws 
-once it fills up the straws push down,repeat until string is filled


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## Rat-1-

Ferret online shops have great things


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## Rat-1-

Ferret.com If you live in Canada or us


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## Smilebud

I just made some treat sticks/ foragers up for my new boys, coming home on friday. I also made some flavoured paper and sticks for them.


Forager/Treat Stick- to promote exercise, curiosity and cuteness.
I used a litle marking flag pole, but any wire will do. Than I cut a small circle of cardboard and poked the wire through. Nex I twisted the end throught the cardboard into a loop to stop it from falling off. I put cheerios, Shreddies, papertowel and home made flavoured sticks and paper (more on thist later) onto to wire and then bent the top into a hook and hung it up in the cage.

Flavoured Paper/Sticks- to promote having fun tearing things up. Oh, and healthy teeth.

First i put out a baking rack, baking pan and some bowls. I filled the bowls with asorted fruit juices (no citrices). I grabbed a few tissues and some paper towels, as well as some fresh clean sticks, and soaked them in juice. Then after an hour or so i tooke them out and lay them on the baking rack, sperading out the paper towels and kileenex(rips are okay) then the sticks. I then baked them at 100*c for an hour. then, presto! rattie delights. for shredding, eating, chewing,ect.


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## xcvdfdsf

Take a white sheet of paper and a toilet paper roll, roll the roll in the paper and twist one end closed...fill with good yummy treats and twist that end closed also.

U can throw in the cage, or tie with a string to the top of the cage!

____________________
Maillot De Foot


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## mistymornings18

String up corn on the cob and let them have at it.


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## steviej1980

Here are the recent clubhouses we built for our girls.


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## IOVERATS

What I would do, is get some fleece/fabrics/old towls or tea towls basically anything that rats cannot get caught in and then tear their nails, so anything woollen avoid.With the material (whatever you choose) get some clips and find a way to attach the clips to the material and then onto the cage on a corner at the bottom of the cage, and then leave the bottom of the material to drape over a corner of the cage and your ratties can have fun exploring  sorry I couldn't help you with the clip attaching but as I have yet to try this out, I haven't thought of a method to do so, sorry A fun alternative to hammocks is hanging baskets, just find a garden centre or some place where they sell them, for me it is a garden centre. Buy a new unused one, that they are selling for you to supposedly plant stuff in.Then fill with some bedding or a fleece or whatever you use, and then hang from the cage, the ones I've seen already have metel clips attached so it hangs naturally, or you could use the hanging basket for a herb farm, rats love that, you let them eat away at the herbs, just fill with soil and also you could put some germinated seeds in, i think this was someone elses idea up the top but, if you cannot find anthing plant pots then a hanging basket can be used. Hope that this is useful to someone


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## animallover68

fill a cardboard egg box with hay/bedding and treats and then close it shut again, rats will spend hours trying to gnaw open the box to investigate nd its good for their teeth too!


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## elliriyanna

animallover68 said:


> fill a cardboard egg box with hay/bedding and treats and then close it shut again, rats will spend hours trying to gnaw open the box to investigate nd its good for their teeth too!


I actually just made a tutorial on this lol.


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## JLSaufl

I buy chinese finger traps and popsicle sticks from oriental trading. I dye them in unsweetened koolaid and string them together with unstained beads (or beads soaked in koolaid) and hang them all around the cage. I also make pinatas by slightly blowing up a balloon and covering it with paper mache. Then I fill it with different goodies and toys and some paper...and hang from the cage. 

They love things that have beads on the end, to pull on.


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## HappyRat

Bree said:


> I made this for the ratties and they love it.


Awww!


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## Lubmyrattie

In another forum I've been on forever one of the girls has over 20 rats so she tries to entertain them all at once.

She has a plastic tub she puts a bit of shallow water in. Then he adds frozen peas and lets the ratties have at it.


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## Booder81

I added this hanging basket to my girls cage today. Bought it in the lawn and garden section of the store for $1.79 it was lined with coconut so I just covered that with fleece. 


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## Booder81

These are some swings I made. Took an embroidery hoop and placed two pieces of fleece between them. Once secured I cut the edges into one inch strips. The chain is plastic and the links also plastic were found in the kids craft section at the fabric store. I tied those into the strips of fabric knotting two together. 


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## BlackBirdSeesYou

string cheerios on a string and tie it to the top of the cage! my boys love this.


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## KelseyShea

I put a roll of cheap 1-ply toilet paper on a "branch" and let them unwind it. They love it! Paper towels work too.


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## Moonferret

Ratty ice lollies! My guys love carrots and honey on on really hot days I mix up some oats,grated carrot, honey and a splash of water and freeze it in blocks. place it in the cage in a tray to catch the mess and let them get on with it. they love trying to gnaw through the ice to get to the yummy carrot! 
boxes of tissues go down well.
oragami boxes filled with hard shell nuts are a favourite. they shred the box or push it around to get the nuts out then sit on it while they gnaw the nut.
boxes hidden beneath scraps of meterial like odd socks and old torn up t shirts are great. Add a tunnel by fitting a sleeve over the opening and theyll have hours of fun jumping out on each other and burrowing into the box to build a nest with the materials.
Cat balls are fun as are dog pull ropes which i untie if they are shaped and hang around the cage instead of ladders.
I have also made a swinging log bridge for them which they like to watch me work from. 
the best thing I came up with was a tapered tube with a treat in to small at one for it to drop out but enough for them to see, smell and taste the treat inside and a seal over one end so they really had to work to get it. it was great watching them work together to get the tube the right way around and chew through the seal to get at the treats- yummy frozen grapes!


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## Dayumie

I hand knit coats for my hairless ratties and also knit ladders and hammocks and other cozy sleeping things, so I guess it's not really toys. Once my camera is working I'll post some pics!


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## Dayumie

Bright.Side said:


> This may be the best thread EVER! I've been trying to come up with ways of amusing my girls, lol. They're waiting on the giant cage I'm getting them for Christmas, and are bored out of their minds. So far I've been giving them cat toys(Sushi likes to line them up in neat little rows, which is too much for Popcorn. She waits until the balls are almost lined up and then bowls through them. Driving Sushi suitably insane of course, while Momma and their sister just watch and roll their eyes, lol). They love the crinkle ones. Go absolutely insane over them. I can't wait to try the fruity pinata though! I'd like to try out the peanut butter thing, but am somewhat paranoid about it...


Peanut better is 100% safe, as long as your not giving them to much at once and try to have it organic and unsweetened. I do it all the time, my breeder was the one to show me it in the first place. As long as there is water near by they will have absolutly no problems with it  hope that changes the paranoia


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## Dinoclor

Something fun my rats like is when I take some of their favourite treats and some toilet paper and have the treats in the center of the ball. It gives them something to put in their ratty igloo and they look like they have fun unraveling the ball and trying to tear it open


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## BMulcahy

I do not know if anyone has done this but what about a fun tunnel using plastic flexible drain tubing or flexible duct tubing? Average cost is $20 from hardware store and they come in 4-6" diameter which is big enough for a rat to crawl through and a length of 20-25 ft. If you cut it up in 1 ft sections and then cut some holes is cardboard boxes for it to fit through you could make a tunnel fun house.. or just random tunnels with treat surprises. Either way lots of tunnel for rats..


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## lab1

loveddd the little piramid idea  very nice. look at that little rat sticking his head through the whole...LOL


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## benjamindean

All these tips are really fun and exciting ideas. Gotta try this at home with the boys. Thanks!


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## roaringsnail

Peanut butter knot: I start out with a thin sisal rope and tie a knot.smear a bit of peanut butter on it. tie another knot over it, continuing until all the rope is knotted and buttered. Toss in. Can make a fun tug-of-war toy for a pair or more ratties!


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## roaringsnail

Ok, I have a couple more ideas. The first is a spin on the piñata idea by dapperrat (dapperat.com.au). I discovered this idea when I mistakenly placed a bag of treats near the cage. The rats reached through the bars and raided the stock in the night. So I figured I'd give them something they're allowed to chew open. You can adjust what you bundle treats in based on the difficulty. Tissue and plastic bags are a bit easier, while paper and cardstock can take days. As for the second idea, one word: FEATHERS. Can be attached to a string and dragged across the ground, or just strung up in the cage. My female especially loves to play with this- bounding and pouncing after feathers is her favorite game!


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## Aarianna

I take cardboard toilet paper rolls twist one end put in a few cheerios then twist another end. Drop it in the cage. I usually find it had been chewed open and moved around in the morning. 

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## roaringsnail

Their favorite toy of all- a small wooden doll head I got at the craft store. He loves to chew it and fling it around the cage. It's about a 2 inch ball.


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## ShutterBug

Toys for the girls!


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## ShutterBug

Those were ideas pretty much. Bird toys make great rat toys.


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## roaringsnail

I have yet another thing to add... a definite ratty favorite. It's called............ DRUM ROLL........... THE HANGING TISSUE BOX! So simple you just need a couple supplies. An empty tissue box, hanging clips OR string/rope, and (optionally) some sort of nesting material. I just poked some holes in the top sides of the tissue box. I hung it up in the cage, fairly high, but easy enough to reach with or without aid of climbing materials. Mine love it to sleep in, especially with shredded paper.


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## naley_2006

My computer came up that dapper.au contained Malware, but I was so looking forward to making the rat ideas on there. Does anyone know why this is? Has it happened for any of you?


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## Ryu

naley_2006 said:


> My computer came up that dapper.au contained Malware, but I was so looking forward to making the rat ideas on there. Does anyone know why this is? Has it happened for any of you?


That has never happened to me. Your antivirus probably mistook it for malware. Mine mistakes things all the time, haha.


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## Dinoclor

(ONLY FOR FEMALE RATS)
You can put a whole satsuma or similar small orange in your rat's cage. They have fun tearing into the skin and ripping it off to get into the juicy, sweet flesh. There was also a study that showed that there was a reduced chance of cancer in rats that ate satsumas that was posted here maybe a week ago. It's fun to watch your rats battle it out to try to pull the orange around and get it out of the grip of the other. Fun for you, and also fun, tasty, and nutritious for your rats!

NEVER EVER EVER FEED ORANGES TO MALE RATS BECAUSE A CHEMICAL (D-LIMONENE) IN IT WILL GIVE THEM KIDNEY CANCER. It's perfectly safe for female rats, though.


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## RattieLover2

At my local dollar tree they have Halloween stuff out. I was looking around and found a "spider web bowl". It makes a great hammock for the little ratties! I took some binder rings and hooked it into my rats cage and put some soft Halloween themed fleece in it and they absolutely love it ! It was defiantly a hit ! They also come in two halloweenish colors! 














Here is the link !:
http://www.dollartree.com/party-supplies/decorations/Plastic-Spider-Web-Shaped-Halloween-Treat-Bowls/574c586c586p341628/index.pro?method=search


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## lilake1

Does anyone have idea's for hanging things in a ferret cage that has three floors? I have a hammock and a swing, but it seems like there could never be a way to hang things off other floors like, the cage is this: http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3762649dt.jpg only no green things. the steps have to be a little closer together also so that they can even reach them.


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## lilake1

Also, I made a sock pinata kind of. Big paper towel tube closed off on an end and put in a too-tight for me sock. Couple treats and tied to the cage. Boscos been at it for at least 15 minutes and hasn't gotten a thing out  which is unusual for him.


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## MChrisB23

I make hanging tunnels that go around their entire cage by taking old pringles cans and cutting off the other (closed) side and hanging them with shower curtain hooks. Also taking a tissue box that has the tissues in it and putting it in the cage, they will sleep in it take the tissues for bedding and just go nuts. I also make treat sticks by taking branches from outside soaking them in water to clean them letting them dry soak them in sugar free juice (over night) then roll it in a honey and or peanut butter base then roll it in a snack mix and hang it from the cage, they go nuts for it and its good for their teeth.


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## Charlottesmom

This thread is a wealth of fun stuff, my future rats will NEVER be bored!!


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## Allora

I haven't tried this yet, and I can't remember what site I read it on, but it seems like a good idea to me 

Bean bags:
Take some jeans material (I'll probably use felt) and make a square pocket. Filly the pocket with dried rice and sew it shut. Dried rice keeps it's temperature really well, so you can put it in the freezer during summer and keep them nice and cool, or pop it in the microwave for just a bit (careful not to keep it in for too long) during the winter to keep them warm.


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## kaleidoscope_eyes

So far I've tried the pinata, the fabric braided rope and the peas in a bowl of water. My rats all reacted the same, they checked it out as I put them in the cage, they sniffed it a bit and then they moved away. My babies are so lazy and uncreative, haha. Hopefully they'll show some interest soon. Going to attempt some hammocks with fleece fabric and maybe some rice beanbags.

Such awesome ideas, thank you!


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## brundlefly

I'm not too sure if it's been posted but I thought it was such a good idea I'd post it here

My local pet store's owner and I were talking about rats. He said he gives his girls one of those travel-sized boxes of cereal. He just tosses the whole box inside. He says the rats had a BLAST chewing through the cardboard to reach the delicious cereal inside.


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## AboJah

Still has work to be done, but here's what I started today. Because of the cats I can't let Dumbo roam free, so I wanted to make a little "safe arena". I plan on adding some more large boxes to the exterior eventually.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/8edg060nnry4wux/Rattie_Play_Arena_-_Day_One.jpg


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## Dkeno

This may have been asked before, but one of my rats walked out of his cage and dragged my plastic soda cap back in and gnawed on it. I took it away, but I was wondering if it wis safe for them to eat it?


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## Simons mum

My Token is a cage chewer and it drives me crazy. I found that draping some old wool scarves over the top at night keeps her busy trying to pull them in. She can work on one scarf for hours!


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## Chloey101

Who sings that song? NSN?


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## crazyshiny

Hmm, I haven't tried this but I could imagine that it works for hot summer days. So basically you just cut frukts and veggies into little pieces. Than you take a small container ( a cup or something ) feel it up with water, add the fruits and veggies and than put it in the freezer. So in the end you have ice cubes with fruits and veggies in them


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## Hey-Fay

I made fruit "ice cream" cubes for mine. I took strawberries, grapes, bananas, cantaloup and apples and mashed them all together in my mortar and pestle and put them in a ice cube tray. They get a cube or two when it's hot out.


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## madihicks4

I you drink tassimo coffees the boxes of cartridges are the best for rats to sleep in. Its like a crib for them


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## smyhls

I have an idea I have been waiting to try out. It is pretty much another piñata, but instead of using toilet paper rolls, use the small boxes that come with travel sized products, like toothpaste. Travel or sample sized. They are normally 3-4 inches long and maybe an inch wide/tall for the toothpaste ones.

Pop tart boxes work great, too.

I guess the only question is: would the ink on the little boxes harm the rats?


For my three, I thrift a lot for them. Around Easter time, you can sometimes find plush little animal-themed baskets. If you take the handles off, you now have a soft, warm cuddle cup. They also get cotton scarves to tear up and nest in, once in a while. Wine racks are also something that is easily thrifted, and the rats love to climb up and weave through the holes. I have also been able to find wooden puzzles and building blocks.

With the building blocks, I take the flat, rectangular ones and slightly wedge them in the cage grate (corners work best), and they act as both a chewing spot and a platform for treats for them to hunt down.


One tip I have is to check out the toy section in your stores. My Dollar Tree had small toys attached to a white plastic chain. Well, one of the chains was bare, so I took it up to the register and asked the manager if I could buy it; he said keep it.

Last one!!! My rats seem to love packaging paper ... The kind you find in shoe boxes or what your glass wares get wrapped up in before you leave the store. I crumple a big piece up into a ball and put it in their cage. They will team up to unravel the ball, then tunnel under the paper or shred some for nesting.


...whew. I think that's all.





Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## TatsuKitty

Sounds like a ton of fun! Pocky loves boxes and tissues like Kleenex and tearing up my clothing. The last one I definitely discourage lol!


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## CosmicKat62

My rats like it when I put a tissue box filled with shredded tissue in their cage. Thy love thoroughly destroying the box and nesting in the ripped up tissues. However, if your rats are in your room I wouldn't suggest this toy, unless you don't mind the sound of cardboard being ripped to pieces by happy rats.


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## Phile

1) Use a long piece of baling wire (or something less durable) to string a "necklace" of corks, lab blocks, and treats (e.g., peanuts in shells). I used a very small drill bit to drill a hole in everything before threading. I hung it across the cage, within "medium easy" reach. The options for the necklace "beads" are pretty much limitless once you've got the drill out.

2) This was mentioned upstream, but a roll of toilet paper is rattie heaven. I hung one suspended in the cage on a rope, and lightly creased the cardboard roll to make it more difficult to spin. The ratties applied themselves to tugging it into the main nest for bedding. If you make it awkward enough that too-hard tugging rips the toilet paper, you'll get more mileage out of it.


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## AmyNickiD

I also make cloth ropes and even stocking ropes , mine like toilet roll tubes, wooden boxes with holes cut out of them.


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## Shine

I enjoy making origami paper cubes just for fun, and the other day I decided to give one to my rats to see their reactions. Amadeus got really excited, and wasted no time in dragging it to his hiding corner and ripping it to shreds. It was fun to watch, and I know he certainly enjoyed it. cx


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## MomwithRoandSp

My boys are in heaven. I heavily felted a wool sweater and cut the arms off and cut them into different size tubes. They can't stop going in and out of them. So cute


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## bostongirl1983

I love all these ideas! I got a bunch of fleece remnants at Joann Fabrics and I made a whole new set up for my rattie. He is loving exploring his new world!


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## Smilebud

So my rats love this for free range time. Take a small laundry basket and either clip some of the holes bigger (for skinny white laundry baskets) or just place it upside down. Then throw a blanket over half!


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## Dreamless

Recently I've been experimenting with new foraging ideas and had a brilliant one the other night while I was cleaning my girls cage. I have bits of thick cardboard tubes from rolls of upholstery fabric (my grandmother works in the upholstery business) and I often use them as tunnels. But the other night I decided to clip some to my cage walls as little climbing things and had the realization I had just created foraging tubes as well! They can only get their front halves into the tubes as the other half is blocked but the cage and you can add treats or bedding from the outside via cage wall. It's a challenge for them to reach into the tube and grab up the goodies but it seems like good natural foraging behavior.


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## Fledermaus

It gets hot in my room during these summer days (and even some of the nights) so I've been working on ways to cool them down.

_Shroom-sicles:__ It's those juice pops we all made as kids with ice cubes and tooth picks, but for ratties! You need an ice cube tray for small rounded ice cubes, a large handful of washed spinach, about a 1/2 cup of cooked chicken (no gristle or skin), ***1/4 cup of ground up rat blocks, quarted baby carrots or some other small stem shaped treat your furry babies like, and enough water to get the solids to blend and pour from a spoon.

***I usually sift the powder and crumbs out of the bottom of a new bag and store it in an air tight container for later use. But you can also grind up rat blocks using a mortar and pestle, or a food processor/blender, or even a coffee grinder if you feed them the tiny pellets... just don't let coffee grounds contaminate it. 
Blend the chicken, spinach and "rat block flour" up with a splash of water until it's got a consistency almost like baby food, but with more texture. Use a tea spoon to pour it into the ice cube tray, leaving it just below full so that you can insert the "stems" without them over flowing. Put the tray into the freezer for about 15-20 mins to set, then take them out and stick a "stem" into the middle of each one, leaving just enough for their little rat paws to grip. Put back in the freezer for 2-3 hours... or more. Thicker mix = needs more time to freeze.

_













Voilá!
Alternatively, if you only have the large chunky ice cube trays, you can fill those with the mix and then put a whole rat block into it. My boys won't share one ice cube, so I can't put one big cube in to the cage.








Enjoy!


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## keykaye

Some things i know my rats love, the price varies depending on the store or site you visit, but anything by SNAK SHAK. They are edible tunnels, but also come in little huts with hay toppers that my rats love to shred first, i've seen em made to look like furniture like couches, or you can find tunnels stuffed with treats.


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## SorrySayAgain

I'm not a gifted sewer, so I buy cotton or polar fleece scarves from thrift shops and clip them to the cage as hammocks. 

I also use bandanas and old clothing, but my boys favourite is actually a dog jacket. I hung it from the roof with the velcro straps and clipped the last side to the wall. 

I put a few mouse-shaped cat toys in their cage and I found it hilarious to watch the boys carry them from level to level, put them next to the food and water (trying to feed them?), taking them to bed, power grooming them, and otherwise bullying these poor mouse toys (putting them somewhere nice and then shoving them off the edge of a level, pouncing on them, burying them in the litter tray, etc).


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## PsychoChick95

My rats like to play with string they will chase it and bat at it. They also like to play with my bracelets and one of them even likes to wear them around her waist.


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## InuLing

It's a little late in the season now to find these but I picked up a large plastic ball ornament from Walmart for 50c. I took off the hardware on top so just the ball itself was left. Then I put some Rice Krispies inside and hung it from the top of the cage. The rats have to figure out how to pick it up and turn it upside down to pour out the treats, and that's after they get it down.


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## Gribouilli

Inuling- great idea, it looks like a lot of fun for your rats. I know rats are smart and that it is not likely to happen but I would make a few extra holes in it in case one of your rats got his head stuck in it, so he/she doesn't suffocate.


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## catty-ratty

My rats really loved this last night. 

I read that they enjoy digging and finding things, so I did this

Need:
1 smallish box, mine was about 9" x 6" x 4"
1 med box that will hold box one with room for rats to move around
1 large box to hold med box with walking room for rats

Cleaned and sanitized pebbles
Small treats, like seeds and such
Balled up tissue and lose pieces of tissue

Shake up mixture above and put it in box 1.

Put box 2 over box one with a small door cut out 

Put the open side of box 2 to the back side of box 3.

Add rats.


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## Hamah

I've got a belly stuffer in my cage with my boys, they love it. I also take cardboard boxes and fill it with tissue paper and poke holes in it for them to chew open. They're very destructive

.


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## Toxicat

Since it's starting to warm up, it's time to start some water activities! I like to get a bowl and fill it up with a little bit of water and put some frozen peas. My 2 older rats like trying to grab the peas (even though they don't eat outside the cage), very excited to let my baby rat have a go soon.


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## Smilebud

Pack of cards, a hole punch, and some sisal or hemp string all tied into a hanging toy drives them wild.


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## PastelRat

Honestly I think one of the best diy toys is a cardboard box. I mean, rats in general seem to love them, they're cheap, and easy to replace. I'd recommend tissue boxes (you can even hand them on the side of a cage) and cereal boxes. I'm also planning on buying some PVC pipe and plastic baskets, since they're washable and usually set at a good price. There's also this 2-tier spice rack at Target that caught my eye, it seems large enough for a female and could be attached to the bars of a cage.


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## Lucozade126

I bought a Kong for ours in the smallest size that I stuff with treats, usually something like sugar free cereal, cracker or dried fruit. They love it!


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## PastelRat

Basically get some non-toxic Elmer's glue, Popsicle sticks, cardboard, and whatever else you have rats can use. Glue it all randomly together, making hideys and ladders as you go. It's a great diy playground and entertains for hours. My friend and I made one that took up 1/4 of her room.


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## PastelRat

So I was at Michael's and they have tons of Popsicle sticks and wooden dowels! I got a few packs and I'm going to make something for my hamster with tubes and ladders. If you get the bigger ones you could definitely make a cool think for rats to play with.


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## SumpinSpecial

Hi Everyone, I noticed that this thread about toys is pretty long but there don't seem to be any other discussions about toys for your babies. I posted in the Marketplace forum about some cool rat toys that I have in my shop. Head over there and take a look!

But also, I really want to know: do your babies play with toys much or are they more about just exploring their surroundings?


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## Basiltheplant

I had made a popsicle stick rope bridget for my rats. I used a tutorial that I found online for hamsters


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## Asiposea

I love tying knots...and it's nice having a reason to! Take any roundish nut (walnuts, hazelnuts, etc) and tie a monkey fist knot around it. Don't throw out those walnut shells when they chew it up either...smear a little peanut butter on the seams, stuff them with treats and then reuse them. I use coconut fiber or jute. Easy and cheap.


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## Joshua Vrabel

I have a double bed high off the floor. My baby loves the exploring room, and fortunately doesn't leave the bed. I am in the process of designing a tunnel system using 4" PVC piping. I want an end that curves up to the height of the mattress, so she can have tunnels. Unfortunately PVC is rather smooth, so I am afraid she won't be able to climb back up. I am thinking of using dryer vents to slide into it because of it's ribbing. Any thoughts on the durability of the aluminum metal and the little one? should I just use a hemp rope and knot it into a hole for a ladder type thing?


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## comprar

string cheerios on a string and tie it to the top of the cage! my boys love this.


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## chrissy87

Not so much a "toy" but I've had to improvise and attach small baskets to the sides of my cage with zip ties for the boys to sleeps/play/climb in and on. Since I ended up having to buy a rabbit cage and making it suitable for rats, this is the cheapest way I could think of giving them levels to play on. Add little ladders or rope to help them climb up and down (mine just ignore the ladders i put in lol!). I got that red basket second hand for 2 euros and they absolutely love it!! Best purchase ever haha. 

Mine also seem to LOVE the larger plastic baskets too - the pink one in the picture is my storage basket for extra toilet roll tubes, baby wipes, tennis balls, the pooper scooper etc, but they still love exploring in it haha!


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## Daisywonk

*Fun Rat Toys*

I have a lot of bridges, etc. They require some balancing, and the ratties love them. We have a rope bridge acting like a ramp, although it needs more climbing then one. We also have a nice sandpapered stick whittled to click into the bars that I made, and a old tunnel that I've attached to the hammock-below-top-level-from-celing bars and the regular wall bars- they actually sleep in there and like it more then their space pod!


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## Roxymachado

*Sewing rat stuff*

Just made my first multi-level honeycomb hammock!!! It was so easy.


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## Clove2440

I give my rats t-shirts and twist them in fun ways so it's like a maze!


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## mvZD

Joshua Vrabel said:


> I have a double bed high off the floor. My baby loves the exploring room, and fortunately doesn't leave the bed. I am in the process of designing a tunnel system using 4" PVC piping. I want an end that curves up to the height of the mattress, so she can have tunnels. Unfortunately PVC is rather smooth, so I am afraid she won't be able to climb back up. I am thinking of using dryer vents to slide into it because of it's ribbing. Any thoughts on the durability of the aluminum metal and the little one? should I just use a hemp rope and knot it into a hole for a ladder type thing?


 Whay if you used something like this instead? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Brown-Downspout-Extension-85019/100047958


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## Steffy

A tennis ball!

When we had Blazy for a couple of weeks I offered her one in her cage. She grabbed it dragged it into her nest box and shaved all the fluff off it!
It provided her with a good hour of entertainment and exercise.
She did it to a second ball a feew weeks later, too, but from then on the novelty had worn off and any further tennis balls were ignored.


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## athenianratdaddy

I put one of those wheat grass thingies for cats inside the cage last night and the girls immediately took to it. I could tell they were very excited. Today it is almost gone, with most of the grass having been either chewed or pulled out. I'm going to make a much bigger digging box for them, I think that they really enjoy their interaction with soil and grass.


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## Phoene

Though I haven't bought one, I have always thought that rats would LOVE cat trees. Can't you just see them running around, playing, and nibbling on this: https://www.amazon.com/Go-Pet-Club-...=UTF8&qid=1525577006&sr=1-4&keywords=cat+tree


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## Brittykb

Phoene said:


> Though I haven't bought one, I have always thought that rats would LOVE cat trees. Can't you just see them running around, playing, and nibbling on this: https://www.amazon.com/Go-Pet-Club-...=UTF8&qid=1525577006&sr=1-4&keywords=cat+tree


I have multiple cat trees for my cats and my last rat liked checking them out but didnt care too much. I get 2 new babies in 2 weeks and im hoping they like them! Would be so cute

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## Vampiric Conure

This is a very involved food craft, but the rats LOVE it. You take elbow pasta (macaroni) and cook it so it's somewhat firm, but still cooked (Guess that would be al dente?). Take baby food and an eye dropper and squirt the food into the center of the macaroni. I find it's a great way to deliver medications and just a fun way to interact with the rats. You could probably do the same thing with penne and canned dog food if you have a nursing mom.


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## Adoptedfive

Made the babies a jungle gym today I’m going to add some more net things to block areas if they fall but they had a blast with it today. It’s a few panels from an extendable baby gate/pen thing. I can fold it up to stick in a corner when they aren’t playing.
The baskets and netting and stuff are seagrass


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## Nourith

Fleece scraps! Mine always like to chew on them.


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## FlowerStar

roaringsnail said:


> I have yet another thing to add... a definite ratty favorite. It's called............ DRUM ROLL........... THE HANGING TISSUE BOX! So simple you just need a couple supplies. An empty tissue box, hanging clips OR string/rope, and (optionally) some sort of nesting material. I just poked some holes in the top sides of the tissue box. I hung it up in the cage, fairly high, but easy enough to reach with or without aid of climbing materials. Mine love it to sleep in, especially with shredded paper.


I know I'm replying to an old post but I do that too heheh


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## Funkypinkpat

I like to use old pringles cans. I cut out the bottom and connect the ends to boxes (usually bubly boxes lol)
They love it!
I also cut egg cartons and string the pieces together and put treats in the middle so they have to try and open it.
Plus a good old Kleenex box. They sleep in it more than the expensive hammocks lol


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## Funkypinkpat

FlowerStar said:


> I know I'm replying to an old post but I do that too heheh


I always put kleenex boxes in the cage but I never though to hang it up. Great idea!!


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## FlowerStar

Phile said:


> 1) Use a long piece of baling wire (or something less durable) to string a "necklace" of corks, lab blocks, and treats (e.g., peanuts in shells). I used a very small drill bit to drill a hole in everything before threading. I hung it across the cage, within "medium easy" reach. The options for the necklace "beads" are pretty much limitless once you've got the drill out.
> 
> 2) This was mentioned upstream, but a roll of toilet paper is rattie heaven. I hung one suspended in the cage on a rope, and lightly creased the cardboard roll to make it more difficult to spin. The ratties applied themselves to tugging it into the main nest for bedding. If you make it awkward enough that too-hard tugging rips the toilet paper, you'll get more mileage out of it.


I'm gonna try the toilet paper roll idea!! Every evening before bed I spend a couple hours making fun foraging toys and pinatas and treasure boxes for them to entertain themselves with during the night when they are up. Thanks for this idea I'm sure my girls are gonna have tons of fun!!


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## ratmamaliv

On Pinterest, I've been seeing a lot of people use plastic baby chew links as decorations and toys for their cage, but I cant seem to find a definitive answer on google as to whether they're rat safe. I want to make the cage more colorful without introducing potential choking hazards. Anyone use these or know if they're safe?


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## MinkShadow

ratmamaliv said:


> On Pinterest, I've been seeing a lot of people use plastic baby chew links as decorations and toys for their cage, but I cant seem to find a definitive answer on google as to whether they're rat safe. I want to make the cage more colorful without introducing potential choking hazards. Anyone use these or know if they're safe?
> View attachment 304379


I use very similar things, shower rings, and the rats have only chewed them once and never again. They work so well!


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## JohnHarison

I also made such pockets for my rats, so they could play and hid in them. Indeed, it is very comfortable for them. I even saw that people hang baby toys in the cage, look very nice and cute. Unfortunately, I work online and I always stay in contact with my rats. So I started more playing and training them. It is a difficult process but we have first results and I'm proud of this. The same patience you need when you earn money or invest in a long-term project. I was looking for the possibility to earn passive income on the weekend and I found on yourmoneygeek.com some apps that offer to perform simple actions and get profit from them. Indeed, it is very easy and helpful. It would be great to teach this to my rat so that it does not waste time in vain. LOL


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## JohnHarison

If you have children, you can ask them to give you some old toys that they don't play anymore, rats love them a lot


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## Oliy

yesterday I made my rats a foraging box which is just a a cardboard box with different types of ripped up paper and ripped up cardboard 
Thay also have a dig box which is just a plastic bin with Coco fiber in it and I think 
They like the forging box I made more then the more expensive dig box 😂


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## Newtorats

Tie up the end of a paper towel tube and stuff it with treats food and bedding


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## artea_em

Here is how I make some treats from the powder that sits at the bottom of the food bag. I personally use Mazuri so it may turn out a bit different if you use something else. 

1: Put the powder in a bowl that's pretty basic
2: Get baby food that's safe for rats (no citrus for male rats)
3: Pour the baby food over the powder and mix it till it's in a moldable form.
4: Grab something that can form it into little balls. I personally use measuring spoons.
5: Put on a pan and throw in the oven till it's dry and hardened.

My rats definitely prefer the sweeter stuff but it's a nice healthy treat to give them and puts all the powder to good use!


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## PotHeadSteve

What i am going to try soon is this. I live in the middle of nowhere in the forest. So there are lots of trees and we need wood for the winter. You need power tools for it. But take a peice of hard wood that is rat safe like the maple trees here. And drill a hole inside of the wood, then fill the inside with peanut butter or yogurt. Something wet will slide into the drilled hole and will keep em busy for hours. It should be really good for their teeth too.


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## Reshka and Laska

To make a quick and simple toy I take a bit of my girl's food, put it in a paper towel and tie the paper towel into a knot. They have to rip the toy up to get the food out 😋


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## Verminica

i found this thing at a thrift store but I had no idea what it was. I decided it was an almond dispenser and put it in with the rats to figure it out. So far I’ve been just showing them how it works but they’re not interested lol. If they don’t like it I might see how the squirrels outside do with it!


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