# Service Rat Training



## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I made a post in the introductions section of the forum, but I suppose this is my first real thread to ask for specific advice.

I am disabled and service animals have been suggested to be several times. I think that it would fit well for me, but never really gave it much thought past that. When I told my psychologist today that my husband and I are getting rats again, she asked about training them to help me leave the house and get errands done successfully. We schemed that some sort of nesting pouch strapped to my chest would work for this if I had the right rat.

My husband and I are on the waiting list for three male babies later this summer, but how would I go about training them? Start with basic trust, name, and recall training? What then? What would be the steps to take to end up with at least one rat that wouldn't mind accompanying me on regular errands?


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

I would start doing it while they are still young. Just take them out with you after you gained their trust and continue to do it everyday. Maybe take one outside and walk around the block a bit? Inp would also suggest too be very careful because a lot of people don't take well too rats:/


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Yeah, that is why they would be _kinda_ out of sight in a snuggle pouch. They wouldn't be out or anything, for everyone's safety. Just with me.


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

I'd just stick them in there then and take them around the block until they are used to being outside  and give em treats when they are being good


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

_"Why is that woman shoving rice krispies down her shirt?"_


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

Hahaha!! I'm sure they would love it though!


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

Could always borrow my Midnight,but he weighs two pounds,but doesn't mind being outside he just sits there like a lazy ratty. Lol


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Maybe I try letting them sleep in my shirt after they get worn out from playtime?

I'm sure it will take them a little bit of growing up to do before they are more relaxed, but training is the sooner the better, right?


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

Yup,that way they are used too it  tire them out . That's what I have too do with my 6 week old girl just so peanut can sleep peacefully LOL


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## Maiden (Mar 9, 2012)

I recently adopted two rats, and one of them is perfect for outdoor excursions. The other one gets a little antsy unless he's with his friend. I got mine after they were fully grown but they were relatively easy to train to be shoulder sitters. They prefer to be arms Snugglers. They have a purse with a cage in it that they love, and I've also made a scarf with pockets for them. You wouldn't think, but they love the swaying motion as I walk. It rocks them to sleep.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I can teach someone really interested in the right way to train a shoulder or therapy rat. I have a few thousand hours of intimate experience with the practice. And honestly, I'd love a frank and open discussion on the topic, but this is at best a life style that only a limited number of people and rats should even remotely think about attempting. 

For the most part discussions about working rats, shoulder rats and service rats are banned on most rat boards. Where one person might be helped by valuable information regarding the how to's of training and maintaining a shoulder, working or service rat correctly some one else might be tempted to undertake this hazardous activity improperly and they will kill their rat. I did say kill! Most first attempts by inexperienced people wind up in shoe box funerals.

Unless the board admins specifically permit this discussion and determine the appropriate warnings for such a thread, we had best stop here.

If you are a shoulder, working, service or therapy rat owner and need help please message me privately. If you are thinking about training a shoulder rat, your message should begin with why you want to do this and why you think you and your rat are ready for the challenge and risks associated with this kind of activity.

There is a great temptation for shoulder rat owners to say how much fun they have and how easy it is and to swap hillarious stories, but what they often fail to mention is how time consuming it was to achieve their rat's level of competence, all of the things that went nearly wrong or actually went wrong and in some cases their stories are about rats that aren't around any more. I'm not someone who is against shoulder, service, therapy or working rats who is making up cautionary tales. I have a shoulder rat, the envy of most rat owners we meet and I'm telling you this is no undertaking to be taken lightly.


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## starlie (Feb 29, 2012)

I own a psychiatric service dog. I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is no such thing as a service rat. As of March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized legally as service animals, under the Americans with Disabilities act. While you can have them as therapy or emotional support animals, it is illegal now to claim they are SAs, and can actually get you jail time and fines. Emotional Support Animals do not have any legal right to be in stores, but you can have them in apartment complexes that otherwise refuse pets, and bring them on airplanes. If you want a psychiatric service animal, though, it *must* be a dog, or it will have zero legal standing. And if you do not have a lot of exprience training dogs (such as for high level obediance shows), you'll want to work with a professional dog trainer to teach it tasks, obediance, and tasks. 

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Psychiatric service dog information:

http://www.psychdog.org/


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I'm aware of the ADA, PSDs, all of that good stuff.

Thank you for your concern, though.


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## starlie (Feb 29, 2012)

If you already knew this information, why are you attempting to train a 'service' rat?


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Rat Daddy said:


> I can teach someone really interested in the right way to train a shoulder or therapy rat. I have a few thousand hours of intimate experience with the practice. And honestly, I'd love a frank and open discussion on the topic, but this is at best a life style that only a limited number of people and rats should even remotely think about attempting.
> 
> For the most part discussions about working rats, shoulder rats and service rats are banned on most rat boards. Where one person might be helped by valuable information regarding the how to's of training and maintaining a shoulder, working or service rat correctly some one else might be tempted to undertake this hazardous activity improperly and they will kill their rat. I did say kill! Most first attempts by inexperienced people wind up in shoe box funerals.
> 
> ...


I would love to hear about this! Could you possibly send me some info as to what a shoulder rat is exactly. Like I know a rat on your shoulder, but could you go into more detail on how this is life threatening or how its any different than what most of us do already?


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

starlie said:


> I own a psychiatric service dog. I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is no such thing as a service rat. As of March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized legally as service animals, under the Americans with Disabilities act. While you can have them as therapy or emotional support animals, it is illegal now to claim they are SAs, and can actually get you jail time and fines. Emotional Support Animals do not have any legal right to be in stores, but you can have them in apartment complexes that otherwise refuse pets, and bring them on airplanes. If you want a psychiatric service animal, though, it *must* be a dog, or it will have zero legal standing. And if you do not have a lot of exprience training dogs (such as for high level obediance shows), you'll want to work with a professional dog trainer to teach it tasks, obediance, and tasks.
> 
> http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
> 
> ...


Does that mean people can't have those miniature horses anymore??? I always thought it was the cutest thing to see this tiny little horse working like a service dog would. It definately takes you by surprise to see!


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## starlie (Feb 29, 2012)

shawnalaufer said:


> Does that mean people can't have those miniature horses anymore??? I always thought it was the cutest thing to see this tiny little horse working like a service dog would. It definately takes you by surprise to see!


Miniature horses are still legal, thankfully. Sorry for not including them in my original post, but yeah they have their own special accommodation, which you can see in the link I provided if you scroll down a bit. They got their own special blurb!  
The revision of the law to make only dogs and in special cases, horses, able to be service animals came about because so many people were taking advantage of the law and claiming animals not suited for the role (cats, rats, snakes, birds) were their service animals. There's nothing wrong with taking your pet rat places where they allow them. Mine have been taken on many errands; most employees don't mind so long as its contained in a pouch or something. But you should never try and tell the employees they're 'service animals' to get them in. That's illegal, dishonest, and it reflects poorly on responsible service animal teams. I actually had an access challenge with my service dog because the employee had been duped by someone with a 'service rat' (ironically) and gotten chewed out for it by his manager, so he was extra paranoid about everyone. :I

As a sidenote, I got to meet a mini guide pony once. It was incrediably adorbs.


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## Flarism (Jun 8, 2012)

Service rats aren't legal.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

The following information is based in my locality and my state. Laws vary from place to place so you can check with your local health department and legislator:

If I may put legality into focus. For the most part local laws catagorize rats as non-indigenous wild life. As to public property, rats can generally go wherever squirrels can. For food establishments rats are catagorized as "pests" along with mice and cockroaches. There are generally no specific laws pertaining to pet rats or fancy rats. Whether a rattie is allowed onto any private property is up to the owner of the property. 

I had an x seeing eye dog, it had a tattoo in it's ear and had a special legal status. It could go anywhere I went and no one had the legal right to prohibit it. It also had a special free license.

Always check on your local laws when traveling with your rat and guide yourself accordingly.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Sorry, to avoid any confusion my last post might create... Although there are a very few competent shoulder rats out there that have been carefully, lovingly, cautiously and thoroughly trained by a few very expeienced rat owners with more than a little time on their hands and lots of experience at managing the risks... Kiddies please don't try this yourself!!!! Training shoulder rats, like sword swollowing has a very steep learning curve and your first mistake will probably end badly. Rats may be smart, but they are not dogs, they are far more fragile. This kind of discussion might mislead someone into doing something stupid and this thread might well deserve to die a natural death here before the admins shut it down.


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