# Advice on toys?



## Miike (Jul 9, 2017)

Hi! I'm looking to get some new toys for my 2 rats, and was hoping to get some input. I have some specific questions below, but all advice is appreciated, if you just have a must-have toy in mind or a word of caution or something like that. And any help is appreciated, so you don't have to answer all the questions, just as many you want. Thanks either way!

Granite slabs- I hear rats lay on these to keep cool. In your opinion, is this something you should have? Do rats love them? Are they necessary if you keep the rats in a room with the suggested temperature range?

Wood chews- My rats don't love chew toys as much as I wish they would. Is there something they'd be more likely to chew on to keep their teeth in check, if anyone knows, from experience or elsewhere? I also heard that a bit of honey on a chew toy might entice them, is that true/safe? 

Nesting- what's the best nesting material, and how often should i change it?

Tunneling/digging- I'd love to do this for my rats but, where to start? I assume this isn't something you put in a rat's cage, for space conservation, so do you just leave it out during playtime? And what is "it"- I've heard a lot of ideas for this sort of thing, from crinkle tubes to boxes of pet safe packing peanuts. What would you recommend?

Thank you for any and all help!!!!


----------



## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Okay, I'll try and answer your questions with what I personally do:

Granite slabs: These can be put into the fridge and later put in the cage to cool down your rats. They're not necessary at all (if your rats are housed in a room cooler than the high 70's to 80 F) but if you do use hem you should place an igloo or hut over them (as many rats don't enjoy sitting out in the open). I've never used a granite slab, but I have placed clean, flat, cold rocks into my rats cage, which essentially serve the same purpose. My girls actually would rather lean on frozen water bottles covered in a sock, so this is another alternative.

Wood toys have never been a hit with any of my rats, instead I'd recommend saving cardboard boxes (such as egg cartons) and putting them in the cage. Toilet paper tubes, tissue boxes, and other cardboard items are a big hit. I wouldn't put honey on the wood, as it could get gross and would be sticky. Instead, try soaking them in a fruit juice (like apple juice) or rubbing a savory treat (like a yogi) on them. This will encourage your rats to bite and chew on it. But the best thing I've found to do is to just leave the wood chews in the cage for weeks on end. They chew a bit each week, and it's there if they ever feel like really going at it. The problem is that rats are very intelligent, so they often prefer interactive or yummy smelling toys over boring things like wood blocks. Rats don't actually need chew toys to wear down their teeth (bruxing does this), so if they don't chew the wood, it won't affect their health at all.

Nesting: I use Eco paper bedding and tissues as my primary nesting materials. I'll also put in fresh fleece strips once or twice a week. Occasionally I'll place an entire tissue box (unopened) or an entire toilet paper roll into the cage and let them rats rip it up into nesting material. But during the summer time, my rats don't really use the nesting material for anything but covering their bowl, so I cut down on what I put in to avoid wasting excess material.

Tunneling/Digging: I occasionally connect PCV tubes and crinkle tubes together to create fun areas for my rats to explore. I'll also sometimes fill a huge cardboard box with Eco bedding, placing tubes, boxes, and treats at various places in the bedding. My girls will often sleep in the buried boxes, or just dig around for fun. All my cardboard boxes come from unboxed mail items, but you can also buy giant boxes at your local UPS store. I haven't tried packing peanuts, but if they're pet safe then they're probably fine. I've let my girls play with regular packing peanuts during free-range, so you shouldn't have any issues. I've also used the paper from tea boxes to give my girls something fun smelling to chew up, and they absolutely love it!

I usually stick to only using any "dig boxes" during free-range, and I also have a variety of long cardboard tubes that wouldn't fit in my cage that I use during free-range. But now that I'm using a large cement mixing pan as my cage base, I can stick enough bedding in the cage so that the rats can dig and tunnel in it as well.

Other than that, I'd advise going to the dollar store for some cheap toys. I got plastic bins from there as well as cheap fleece place mats, all which can be hung up on the top bars of the cage to create extra levels and hammocks. I use pipe cleaners and safety pins to hang up most of my stuff, but for an easy alternative you can buy shower hooks and use those (the only reason I don't use these for everything is because they can be a bit expensive - thus I mainly use them for hanging up my makeshift cage levels).

The bird section of any pet store is another area to get great rat toys, and I always find myself buying from there instead of from the rodent toy selection (which are mainly chewing blocks :/).


----------



## JohnHarison (Mar 29, 2021)

Honestly, I hear for the first time about granite slabs and that rats like to lay on these to keep cool. I don't think you need it. As for toys, our rats usually play with regular toys from the pet store. They especially like plush and soft ones. The Elephant Squeaky Stuffed Toy is the undisputed favorite among their toys. We bought it for our dog, but rats showed more interest in it. Therefore, the dog still prefers rubber balls and regular sticks. Regarding nutrition, it should be balanced and nutritious. We give them not only dry food but also fresh vegetables.


----------

