# FUN RAT TOYS! I've only got boring ones...



## Iloveratz500 (Jan 21, 2008)

I've come to a delima. (if thats how you spell it)

Templeton seems to be acting bored of his cage. It's got lots off levels he climbs around on, and the size is no problem. It's just, the toys, and he's getting bored while I'm at school. :-X

Whats in his cage now:

-His slipper hanging from the top of his cage. He LOVES sleeping in it. He gets quite mad when I wake up at 6:30 in the morning and turn the light on. He hates it when he's woken up. You can tell he's crabby. ;D
-a small box for him to play in
-a sock
-a small tunnel he can't fit into anymore :-\
-food bowl
-treat bowl
-water bottle

I know. Boring cage..right? : It's just, I need some ideas that an adult rat would like to play with. 

Really...HELP!


----------



## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

My boys love the balls with bells inside like you can get for cats. But the funnest thing of all in their cage is..... each other!


----------



## aquaseafoam (Aug 3, 2009)

As I understand, males are pretty lazy anyway. He may enjoy more boxes. I've collected all the cereal and other boxes i've come across since I got my rats a few weeks ago. My plan is to cut holes in them and tape them together.

You could make things interesting by hiding some of his food so he has to work to find it. Maybe close up a box completely with some food hidden inside so he has to chew through to get it. For my parrots I put food in coffee filters then twist them up and tie them to the cage bars.

I've seen other people with wiffle balls, rawhide and cat or parrot toys in their cages.
He may or may not use a wheel :/

Why doesn't he have a mate? Another rat would be the BEST toy! 

Have fun!


----------



## Iloveratz500 (Jan 21, 2008)

Thank you sooo much! This will help a lot! I've definatley got some ideas now!


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

I was gonna get a Hotwheels car and put in my cage and see if they play with it, I was warned not to put plastic toys in there cause they might chew them and ingest the plastic...I was also thinking of a really small stuffed animal...like a little teddybear for them...balls might be cool too...roll around or climb on according to size ;D


----------



## littlematchstick (Apr 12, 2009)

a cheap toy that I discovered is...tie a roll of toilet paper to the cage...my kids LOVE this, they make nests out of it and just drag it around...makes a bit of a mess though.. : but they love it!


----------



## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

My rats have stuffed animals. I often see them laying on them or chewing on them, but never playing with them.


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

I was thinking wooden play blocks would be cool too..but how do you know what kinda wood they are make outta? Don't want to put anything harmful in there with them.


----------



## aquaseafoam (Aug 3, 2009)

Generally toys say for babies would be safe for pets, they should be nontoxic in case the kid puts it in their mouth.


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

I was worried they might be pine.


----------



## Lea (May 15, 2009)

aquaseafoam said:


> Generally toys say for babies would be safe for pets, they should be nontoxic in case the kid puts it in their mouth.


Hmm, yeah, but babies don't have sharp little rat teeth to tear them apart with...


----------



## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

Corpseflower said:


> My rats have stuffed animals. I often see them laying on them or chewing on them, but never playing with them.


You give your rats stuffed animals? I didnt know you could do that!  Wait.. wouldn't the stuffing be dangerous for them? Like if they got their feet caught in it or swallowed it or something =/


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

Never thought about them getting their feet caught


----------



## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

Yeah, Im always a little wary about the 'catching feet' thing. I used to have a gerbil who got his legs caught in some bedding and was struggling so hard to get out that he whacked his head on the side of his tank (MEGA hard) and got brain damage.... x____x''' So now I always assess EVERYTHING for the 'getting feet caught' scenario. ^^''

And omg just to let everyone know, www.acrorats.com is selling a ratty first aid kit! So if your babies ever do get into any trouble you can help n__n (I know this is the wrong section/topic. I just thought it relates slightly..)


----------



## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

My rats haven't chewed on them at all, so I wouldn't know.


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

Okay I know to put lots of chew toys and blocks and stuff in their cage to keep their teeth from getting too long but what do I put in there to keep my guys nail trimmed? ???


----------



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Drasar said:


> Okay I know to put lots of chew toys and blocks and stuff in their cage to keep their teeth from getting too long but what do I put in there to keep my guys nail trimmed? ???


Chew toys aren't actually a must. Rats keep their teeth to their normal length themselves e.g. by bruxxing, as long as there isn't a misalignment of the teeth (malocclusion). If a rat has malocclusion, then teeth trims are required to ensure they don't becoming too long and cause damage to the mouth.

Rats tend not to need their nails trimmed either. I've only needed to occasionally trim two of Spike's as they grow curly. You could put bricks/stones in the cage under their water bottle and in areas they frequently walk over (e.g. bottom of ramps) to help keep them less sharp (more for your benefit then the rats!)


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

Okay...Cool, thanks for the info and advice ;D


----------



## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

As stace87 said above, rats keep their teeth filed on their own. However if you DID want to put something in there for them to chew you could try washed coconut shell (with either none or a TINY amount of coconut on it as it is quite fatty for them). My girls go nuts on it, although they annoy the **** out of my partner cause they only chew them at night and they're rather loud about it, lol XP


----------



## Drasar (Aug 20, 2009)

Cool ;D...My guys are always running around and chewing on stuff and banging around as soon as I turn the lights out...sounds like they are killing themselves...lucky for me I could sleep if they were bulldozing down trees in my backyard LOL ;D


----------



## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

I had mice before my rats so I wasn't used to a lot of noise. I remember when I got my girls a bounce back rat treat toy, they started whacking it on the side of the cage and it litterally sounded like someone had just come into my room and was kicking and punching the rat cage as hard as they could x___x'' 

Oh, if you want some more rat toys and live in the UK then here is a link to the sticky of rat merchendise/toys thread. My post is the last one and it has some really good, cheap-but-awesome sites on there  If you live in the US then there are plenty of sites on that thread too ^^

http://www.ratforum.com/index.php/topic,5225.msg150271.html#msg150271


----------

