# Rats won't climb



## Alli97 (Nov 18, 2016)

Okay guys, I've had my rats for a couple of months and I've noticed they won't climb around. I have one rat that runs up and down the ramps like crazy but the other two will only go up one ramp to the top shelf. I have hammocks and ropes across the top of the cage but even the adventurous one won't go across them. I've put them in the hammock but they immediately jump down. What do I do? I want them to climb around and have fun.


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## windslav (Jan 10, 2017)

I guess they just don't like the hammock.
As for climbing, it's like in the movie. Do people still run? - Yeah, for fun. - The **** kind of fun is that?


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

Start hiding treats in places they can only reach by being adventurous!


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## smilesandsqueaksrattery (Dec 20, 2016)

Rats are fossorial animals - they live in small, compact burrows in the wild, squished in with a bunch of other rats. Climbing is not really a natural behavior for them. Some seem to enjoy it more than others, but I wouldn't be worried if you have a rat that prefers horizontal space - that's the norm, according to this study. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432811001513)

I'm not sure what your cage looks like, but getting rid of any larger open spaces might be a start to encourage her to be a little more active. Think clutter


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## Alli97 (Nov 18, 2016)

Thanks guys! You have calmed my nerves. I was afraid something was wrong with them!


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## dontmindme (Sep 3, 2016)

My girls like climbing and such but one in particular loves burrowing into blankets and hiding under shelves and ramps. You could try getting a space pod or two, they are mostly enclosed and hidden and can be used on the ground or hanging from the top of the cage.


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

smilesandsqueaksrattery said:


> Rats are fossorial animals - they live in small, compact burrows in the wild, squished in with a bunch of other rats. Climbing is not really a natural behavior for them. Some seem to enjoy it more than others, but I wouldn't be worried if you have a rat that prefers horizontal space - that's the norm, according to this study. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432811001513)
> 
> I'm not sure what your cage looks like, but getting rid of any larger open spaces might be a start to encourage her to be a little more active. Think clutter


This study appears to use some structures that are not very climb-friendly for rats, like widely spaced-out bars in the cube gym. My rats love climbing up and down the cage bars, and Rattus norvegicus (norway rats) are amazing climbers in the wild too. The study also doesnt seem to mention if the subjects used have ever had any exposure to climbable structures prior to this experiment.. so if they've only been raised on bin boxes as they usually do in lab setting, they wouldnt really know how to climb, which would explain their preference of sticking to lateral movements rather than vertical. 

As Grotesque suggested I'd try luring the rats up with treats  Depending on the individual rat, they might not be very interested in walking on ropes though, I've found that some of my rats just dont have the gift of balance (hahaha) while others are just natural! So the lack of climbing might just be their personality too. So far with my rats, they all seem to prefer to sleep/rest on/in the hideout or shelf of the highest point of the cage..


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## Ratologist (Nov 24, 2016)

Rats absolutely climb in the wild! And this study looks at what happens when rats are given a semi-natural environment in the lab: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4929907/. Scientists are trying to figure out how important climbing, standing upright, and burrowing are to rats in order to make lab studies using rats more accurate. 

I *would* try to encourage them to climb. Climbing helps them to maintain good health. What kind of cage do you have? Maybe the bar spacing bothers them? Can you remove the ramps? Healthy rats can climb to the top levels of a cage without ramps. We encourage climbing when our rats are free ranging. They will climb pant legs for treats! They'll scale almost anything to get to the tabletop. 

It still may be the case that they won't enjoy the hammock and won't become avid climbers, but, if I were you, I'd put in the effort to encourage some good climbing. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But at least you tried.


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