Pictures What kind of toys do rats like?

[Latency]

Well my mom adopted me a two year old rat named Bubbles for my birthday. I know she means well, I just really wasn't expecting another animal right now. Lol. So.. Now she lives here, too. Her cage is pretty bare but I'm not sure what to give her. Things like hammocks and chew toys, maybe a plastic ball?
She had a SS skewer in her cage so I put some cardboard, wood beads, and finger poppers on it. So it's a start!

She's sweet though. Not very jumpy at all.

 

[Jenphilly]

Rats are awesome!!!! Just be careful no bird lands on her cage, rat will bite a toe before you can scream!

Plastic pipe from home depot. Cut legs off old jeans. Anything wood toilet paper rooms - just like birds put treats in middle then stuff ends with paper or napkins. Dollhouse like Barbie furniture toys and van type toys she can climb over thru. ..

Yep we have rats. . Awesome present! Super smart and usually quite affectionate.
ENJOY!!

 

[Latency]

Rats are awesome!!!! Just be careful no bird lands on her cage, rat will bite a toe before you can scream!

Plastic pipe from home depot. Cut legs off old jeans. Anything wood toilet paper rooms - just like birds put treats in middle then stuff ends with paper or napkins. Dollhouse like Barbie furniture toys and van type toys she can climb over thru. ..

Yep we have rats. . Awesome present! Super smart and usually quite affectionate.
ENJOY!!

Lol.. My dad begged her not to(He knows I'm busy with my birds) and honestly I'm not even 100% sure she'll stay. I keep reading that rats do better in pairs/groups, and I don't want to get her a friend and just ignore them. So either she will stay as a companion and get lots of attention and toys, or I may find her a home with someone who has other rats. I have to admit, I like her. I don't like being peed on though...

But as long as Bubbles is here, she's going to be every bit as spoiled as the rest of our feathered/scaled family. As soon as we can get to the pet store for supplies.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

They really are neat pets and smart. They can learn many tricks. The also love their person and like spending time with them. If rats had longer lifer spans I may not have made it to birds!

 

[Cyreen]

@crystalsbirdtoys

Crystal's site used to build toys for rats as well as birds; she ought to know!

 

[VictoriaVague]

I had rats growing up. They're smart little guys. Hammocks are good, pipe. Things to chew. Things to engage their brains.

Have a look on YouTube at some other people's set ups. Always good for inspiration.

 

[Jenphilly]

Once they bond to you, rats won't pee or poop on you. That was just nerves a rat was my daughter's first pet, much to my dismay and 'horror'.... THAT TAIL!!! but Lucy was the first of many. She was dog like, would follow Tor around, escape her cage almost every night and I'd find her in bed on Tors pillow every morning.

In a large cage with lots of interaction they do great. Lucy was a single and lived over 3 years.... fairly old in rat terms...

Give it a week, they are incredibly loyal creatures and very very loveable and cuddly.

Just careful with other pets. Lucy took a chunk out of a curious cat one time. Cat was young no aggressive but apparently tried smelling Lucy. Not so good for cat.... and from our last rats 4 years ago maybe? .we have a tiel who landed on the cage and lost toenail to a rat. Just throw a blanket or such over rat cage if your bird is out in same room.

Post how things go you're making me miss ratties!!!

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Was going to say I don't remember Gwen peeing on me. She was actually very clean. Pet her and she would have to clean herself (like cats do). Now, sugar gliders pee and leave a trail!

 

[Mizzely]

My rats loved cardboard, anything wood, paper, cloth, etc. We used cloth handkerchiefs as hammocks until Penny kept chewing through hers every week, when we switched to using old jeans.

My girls loved when I would take a kleenex and hide treats and toys inside. They also LOVED live crickets as a treat. Frozen peas were a favorite too!

I'm not sure what bedding you are using but I had the best luck with carefresh paper. Others like using pieces of fleece that they wash. Any cedar or other wood shavings can cause respiratory issues for them so I would avoid them all together.

I'd also add in some shelving - there isn't a lot of floor space in that cage right now.

Here is a good site for some ideas: Rat Toy Ideas

 

[Jenphilly]

The thought just popped in my head... not a warning, but something to be prepared for when ratties are really happy and content when with their person, they will do an eye bulge thing. Its kinda like a cat purring, but the eyes kinda vibrate and looking like they are popping in and out. If it happens, don't worry, that is a sign of being very happy!! They do a teeth click or chatter thing too when happy. So you know they love you when you experience either!!

 

[Caza66]

I love rats, I have 9 and I really love hooded rats. Cardboard boxes, shoe boxes filled with tissues, various hammocks (you can make some out of tshirts, tea towels but not the ones with loops), ropes (or old belts), cardboard tubes from carpet inners. I usually make my own hammocks. But whilst she gets used to you open flat hammocks are better to stop her hiding from you. She should really have a friend. I used to have a single rat and even though I gave him as much attention as I could it really isn't enough compared with a ratty friend. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Latency]

The thought just popped in my head... not a warning, but something to be prepared for when ratties are really happy and content when with their person, they will do an eye bulge thing. Its kinda like a cat purring, but the eyes kinda vibrate and looking like they are popping in and out. If it happens, don't worry, that is a sign of being very happy!! They do a teeth click or chatter thing too when happy. So you know they love you when you experience either!!

Well, I'm glad you warned me, cause that sounds like something that would have me FREAKING out if I didn't know what it was!! So I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[Latency]

I made her an "open" hammock last night, actually, and I found her in it this morning! I'll look into some shelving also. I have a couple platforms from my conure's cage that they aren't using, so maybe I can get them to fit.
I'll definitely check youtube and see what I can get from home depot(we're going tonight anyways.) She also took the skewer and spread some of the contents around her cage LOL. It doesn't have a stopper on the bottom(has threads, but nothing to screw on.) so I just had it propped up on the corner.. but at least she's chewing!
We're also going to get new bedding for her. I don't know what's in there right now, but it won't be there for long!

 

[Caza66]

The thought just popped in my head... not a warning, but something to be prepared for when ratties are really happy and content when with their person, they will do an eye bulge thing. Its kinda like a cat purring, but the eyes kinda vibrate and looking like they are popping in and out. If it happens, don't worry, that is a sign of being very happy!! They do a teeth click or chatter thing too when happy. So you know they love you when you experience either!!

Boggling.......I get sooooo excited when my rats boggle 'cos I don't see it happen much. I also have a lickey rat. She loves to lick my fingers, it's so sweet.

 

[Latency]

In a large cage with lots of interaction they do great. Lucy was a single and lived over 3 years.... fairly old in rat terms...

Give it a week, they are incredibly loyal creatures and very very loveable and cuddly.

So if she's already two I only have about a year(give or take) left with her? That makes me kinda sad. I thought they lived to be 5 or 6 for some reason.
Well.. No use in bouncing her from home to home at this age. A year isn't very long, so I might as well enjoy her while she's here and make sure she's happy.

 

[Cyreen]

Once they bond to you, rats won't pee or poop on you. That was just nerves a rat was my daughter's first pet, much to my dismay and 'horror'.... THAT TAIL!!!

Remember the movie Ratatouille and in the extras where it said rats were everywhere except for... yeah, that's where I'm from. Gotta say, the tail kinda wigs me out.

The thought just popped in my head... not a warning, but something to be prepared for when ratties are really happy and content when with their person, they will do an eye bulge thing. Its kinda like a cat purring, but the eyes kinda vibrate and looking like they are popping in and out.

Very weird.

 

[Jenphilly]

So if she's already two I only have about a year(give or take) left with her? That makes me kinda sad. I thought they lived to be 5 or 6 for some reason.
Well.. No use in bouncing her from home to home at this age. A year isn't very long, so I might as well enjoy her while she's here and make sure she's happy.

She might be from a good bloodline and live longer.... our first rat was a petstore rattie, which typically is a mass produced breeding farm bloodline and she lived well over 3 years, so you never know. Enjoy her while she's with you And if a female, keep an eye on her for tumors, really common in female ratties. If the tumor is not in a spot that prevents her from getting around and such, they can live quite a long time without surgery or needing to be put out of their misery. We actually spent over $300 on a beloved rat to have a tumor removed and she died a few months later. We learned after that most times the girls live longer with the tumors then having them treated. Its one of the major downsides... along with how short time they live but they are awesome while they are with you!!!

Love the pic of her in the hammock!!! Most bird toys can be given to her as well, so you can recycle to her They love carboard boxes too. Put a hole in the side and one in the top, she'll pop in one hole and stick her head out the other... oh my god you are so making me miss having ratties!!!! I wanna come visit

 

[witchbaby]

I love ratties! Mine were litterbox trained and always went back to their cage to take care of business. My sweetest rat, Casper, used to climb onto my bed and sleep next to me on the pillow. They're SO smart and very loving. You're going to fall in love!

 

[Caza66]

Look what I gave just bought for my guys.....an octoplay
That's Luna on top, she has been in and out and around it.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Look what I gave just bought for my guys.....an octoplay View attachment 181582
That's Luna on top, she has been in and out and around it.

OMG what a neat toy! I bet they had fun in that toy.