Rat Playtime
One of the reasons rats make such great pets is that they are full of fun and mischief. They need to be stimulated both physically and mentally and the bes way to do this is to give them as much playtime as possible. Out of cage play is great for them but games can also be played in the cage. This page explains a bit about rat-proofing and also supplies some ideas for games to play with your ratty friends
Free Range and Rat Proofing
Ideally your rats should have at least an hours free range time several times a week in a rat proofed area. This will provide them with both mental and physical stimulation as well being good fun and a great bonding time for you and your rats. Free range time is also a good time to check your rats’ health and it will keep them fit and healthy. It is essential to provide them with this time out of their cage to prevent them becoming bored.
Rat proofing is essential. Wild rats are well known for their chewing that can cause damage to crops and buildings and even start fires when chewing wires in domestic dwellings. Pet rats are no different. I’ve had rats chew clothes (while I was wearing them), shoes, curtains, skirting boards, window sills and frames, wallpaper, bed clothes and the internet cable! Most rat owners have a similar list.
As well as chewing rats will also leave little trails of pee as scent marking and can fit through the smallest of gaps. Therefore when choosing a free range area it is important to choose somewhere with few or no wires, no holes the rats can get into and no antique furniture or brand new carpets that you don’t want chewed or widdled on.
Kitchens are generally not a good idea due to too many escape routes behind cookers, fridges etc. There is also the hygiene factor of letting your rats walk across where you will be preparing food.
Free reign in a front room is also generally not a good idea due to the number of wires for telephones, televisions, DVD players, games consoles etc. Bedrooms can be equally as hazardous because of wires. Electrical wires can be covered up though, using cable tidies which are strong plastic tubes that all your cables can be fitted into. Remember to periodically check them to make sure the rats aren’t chewing the cable tidies.
Some people let their rats out to play on a bed or on a sofa to keep them contained. I feel this generally would be a better idea for males than females, due to girls being more adventurous. In my personal experience my girls wouldn’t stay on the bed, escaping to rampage around the room instead! If you do let your rats out on a sofa or bed, it would be a good idea to cover it over with a blanket or sheet to stop urine getting on the furniture and also be prepared for rats to chew duvet covers and burrow into the sofa.
Many people, especially those that keep their rats in their front room, simply let them out to play while they are watching the telly. Again this is fine if you are sure your rats aren’t going to escape off the sofa and start causing mischief.
One good area for rats to play in is hallways, particularly if all the doors leading off it can be closed. These don’t have loose wires, no holes to get into and generally little or no furniture for the rats to chew or hide in or under. If you live in a house where upstairs and downstairs doors can all be closed your rats can play up and down the stairs which will keep them fit.
Another room popular for ratty playtime is the bathroom. Bathrooms generally have flooring that is easy to clean and no wires. Provided there is no holes under or behind the bath, basin or toilet, bathrooms make very safe play areas.
Generally, when choosing a room or an area for rat free-ranging you need to choose somewhere that has easy to clean flooring, nothing in it you definitely don’t want nibbled, no holes that the rats can disappear through into walls or skirting boards and either no loose wires or wires that can be easily put into a cable tidy and are easily seen when the rats are out. Always supervise your rats when they are out playing just in case they find an escape route you missed – if you have does you are bound to have overlooked at least one! Rats are also creatures of habit – if they have found an escape route or a way onto something they shouldn’t, they will remember and do it again and again. And when you block their route they will pull and push and chew and climb and keep on until they are 100% sure that either the new obstacle can’t be overcome or they find a way round, over or under it!!
If you do not feel that any room in your house is suitable or practical for ratty free time, you can always construct a play pen. A play pen could be a shop bought indoor pen suitable for rabbits or guinea pigs (check the bar spacing of these) or as simple as a giant cardboard box. The good thing about a play pen apart from keeping the rats in a confined area is you can put a plastic sheet or similar down beneath the playpen to keep your flooring clean. Your play pen will need to contain toys, tubes, climbing frames etc to keep your rats entertained. A mesh pen will likely be climbed up and you will need to supervise your rats to make sure they don’t escape. Plastic sheets, such as Perspex, make good playpen walls as rats can’t get a grip and climb up it. You don’t have to build a four sided pen, you could just section off an end or corner of a room.
It’s nice if you can fit in the play pen to sit down or if your rats are your children’s they can sit in it. This means you can be used as a climbing frame and are part of the fun.
Do not put your rats in a ball. They do not allow rats to get mental stimulation as well as creating an injury risk from crashing into furniture, and potential overheating and a cause of stress to a rat. Only one rat will fit in a ball at one time which deprives them of playing and exploring together.
If the room your rats’ cage is in isn’t suitable for free ranging you will need a carrier or a pouch to transport your rats safely between the two areas. You might like to provide a water bottle or bowl for your rats in their free range area if they don’t have access to their cage. You will need to do this if your rats are out for over an hour and when the weather is warm.
Out of cage games
Rats are highly intelligent and even though they are initially wary new things, it doesn’t take long for them to be off exploring something new in their cages or play area. Your imagination (and obviously the rats’ safety) are really the only limitations to the creation of ratty toys and games. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Obstacle Courses - Rats are well known for their ability to find their way through a maze, so why not create one for your rats. It can be as simple and cheap as a number of cardboard boxes taped together with holes between them or cardboard tubes (eg: Pringles, Mini Cheddars tubes etc) joining them together. Remember rats are excellent climbers too, so stack the boxes up. To avoid injury make sure it is sturdy enough to take your rats’ weight and don’t leave long drops.
A cat scratcher also makes an excellent climbing frame, particularly one of the larger ones with platforms and hidey holes. Check out Ebay for a bargain!
My girls also enjoyed a clothes airer to climb on, though it’s probably best not to use the same one you use for clothes! An A-frame one is easier for them to climb on and you can hang old towels on it so they can clamber around in them. You really get a sense of their agility and balance watching a rat walk along the rung of a clothes airer.
You could also make an agility course similar to a dog agility course. Some rat clubs have agility at their shows. The courses generally consist of a number of jumps, a hoop, weaving poles, a see-saw, a ramp, a tightrope and a tube. The course can be made out of wood and will then need painting with no toxic, waterproof paint (such as Jalpac). You could of course create one with whatever you have lying around the house. Whatever your agility course is made of make sure any holes are big enough for your rats to fit through and that nothing will collapse and injure your rats.
A maze could be made using books or something similar as a more traditional idea of a maze. Put a treat at the end and see how long it takes your ratties to find it and how quickly they remember the route through. Beware the rat that thinks she’s clever and climbs over the walls rather than going through the maze!
Pea Fishing - Rat fun often involves food and I’ve yet to find a rat that doesn’t love fishing for peas! Simply put a small amount of water (about an inch) in a shallow dish. The dish will either need to be heavy, ie: ceramic or Pyrex or if you have a plastic dish put some stones or something heavy in it to keep it still. Add some peas (no need to cook them, though I de-frost them first) then add rats. They’ll have great fun catching peas and you’ll have great fun watching them. Some will jump straight in, sitting in the water munching away, while others will sit daintily on the edge, delicately retrieving peas with their front feet. All you need to watch out for is the mess they’ll make splashing water about and the empty pea shells they’ll leave everywhere!!
Digging box - Most rats will happily rummage in your house plants given half a chance so a digging box is a great way of letting them have their fun without trashing your plants or potentially eating something poisonous. All you need is a shallow seed tray, large enough for the rats to get into rather than simply drag around. Add some clean compost. Only use soil from the garden if you’re 100% sure it’s not contaminated, either by pesticides or other animals. Sprinkle some grass seed into the tray, place in a sunny spot and water until grown. When it’s got to a suitable height place the tray in the rat room and add rats. If you want to re-grow the grass remove the tray before they trash it. It’s best to play this game somewhere you don’t mind getting grubby!!
Games to play with people
Rats make great pets because they are very interactive. They will seek you out for cuddles and play. They soon learn a daily routine and will be waiting for you at out-time, hanging off the bars starfishing. Here are a couple of ideas for games for you to play with your rats.
Wrestling - Pretend your hand is a rat, chase your rat around with your hand, giving him gentle nudges and tickles. When he moves around to your hand, move it away and encourage him to chase you. You will probably find your rats get ever so excited playing this game and will ping around, jumping at and chasing your hand. It is best not to play this game with aggressive rats and if your rats show any signs of aggression (eg; fluffing up) then stop the game.
Chase - Next time you’re in a pet shop, pick up a cat feather chaser. The next time your rats are out playing, bounce the feathery end in front of them to get their attention then drag it across the floor to encourage them to chase it. Let them catch it occasionally to keep them interested. This game seems to be enjoyed more by my girls but try it with boys too. You will probably find you will have to eventually replace the feather chaser as the feathers will get pulled out as over enthusiastic rats savagely ‘attack’ it.