who is the one who was killed?

karasratworld:

**Ok I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile as a way to catalog all my rat toy ideas! I hope you enjoy it and feel free to add things to this list**

Rats are intelligent animals- about as intelligent as your average dog. A boring cage for rats can lead to some negative behaviors- bar chewing, overgrooming (themselves or another rat), or general inactivity. Time out with people is great for rats, but don’t forget to keep them entertained while they’re in the cage. Rats, like most rodents, are the most active between sunset and sunrise, when we are usually asleep. These toy ideas are focused on bringing out a rat’s natural behaviors. They are also split into DIY/homemade toys and storebought. 

Nesting:

Nests are a rat’s safe space. Both genders build nests, but females may be more enthusiastic about nest-building than males. A nest has 2 components- a structure and nesting material. A structure can be one of many things:

Storebought
- Hammocks (Chelsey’s Cozies, Mischief Maker Hammocks- my store, Ty’s Rat Shack, Mainely Rat Rescue, Skyblue Snugglies, Rodent Central and many more) 
- Buckets
- Hidey-houses (1,2)
- Chinchilla Dust Bath (1,2)
- Crates
- Space Pod
- Fisher Price style barns, castles, etc. 
- Flower Pots
- Woven Hay Nests

DIY
- Cardboard Boxes- a rat favorite!
-Tissue boxes especially
- Homemade hammocks made from old jeans, t-shirts, or fleece

The nesting materials can vary and it’s best to switch it up and offer them different things when you can! It’s best to give them in big pieces so the rats can have fun shredding them. I often just stick them through the bars (but not all the way) so they have to work to pull them into the cage. Some fun options are:
- Cotton Balls
- Crinkled Packing Paper
- Newspaper (if it has soy-based ink)
- Paper Towels
- Toilet Paper
- Corn Husks
- Fleece scraps
- Cardboard
- Hay
- Coupon books
- Feathers (old feather dusters work great)
- Coffee Filters (not used)
- Streamers!

Foraging:

Searching or working for food is a great way to keep rats active and their minds stimulated. It helps them develop problem solving skills and can make treat time much more interesting than the usual grab and hoard. I either use small chunks of food in a foraging toy or I spread jelly, nutella, yogurt, baby food, etc. in smears on something so they have to spend time licking it off.

Storebought:
- Millet Feeder
- Kabob (I usually take off wood chews and put on fruits and veggies)
- Pinatas (smear jelly, nutella, etc. or stick nut pieces in where you can)
- Treat Cage
- Suet Holder
- Puzzle Feeders (1,2)

DIY:
- Corn Husk
- Pea Fishing
- Paper Towel Pinatas (wrap treats in multiple balled up paper towels and tie with twine or string)
- Egg Cartons with treats inside
- Q-tip box
- Paper Towel/TP Tubes- Fill with treats and smash ends in or poke holes in sides and stuff in carrots, nuts, etc.
- Dig box with nesting material and treats scattered inside
- Frozen Juice Treats: Freeze juice in ice cube molds with fruit chunks, nuts, coconut shavings, etc. Put a string in before freezing or use kabob stick to hang in cage

Chewing:

Rats are rodents and rodents looove to chew. All rodents have a single pair of ever growing incisors that must be kept short by gnawing and bruxing (grinding teeth together). Rats chew things to break them apart for nesting, to manipulate their environment (dig tunnels, expand the colony site), and to eat hard foods. Rat owners are often frustrated that their rats chew up all of their (sometimes expensive) possessions. But that’s part of the deal with owning rats- and any rodent for that matter. Giving rats a variety of things to chew on won’t necessarily stop them from chewing undesired objects, but it can help maintain oral health and keep them stimulated and busy. 

Storebought:
- Wood Chews (1,2,3,4,5)
- Lava Ledges
- Wood Ledges
- Snak Shack (these are available in tunnels, hanging, or chews)
- Bunny Blocks
- Sugar Cane

DIY
- Coconut Shells
- Bamboo
- Whole nuts: It will take them awhile to chew through the shell!

Tunneling/ Excavating:

Digging tunnels or exploring existing tunnels and walkways is a natural instinct for rats. Some of these tunnels are also good for chewing and some are just a fun addition to a cage! Some are not tunnels, but rather materials that rats can run under and feel like they are making new tunnels and paths 

- Fabric Tunnels from Hammock Shops
- Crinkle Tubes
- Wood Tunnel
- Chewtubular
- Ware Flexible Fun Tunnel
- SnackShack
- (pet safe) Packing Peanuts/ Ball Pit
- PVC

DIY
- Dig Box: Cardboard box or Plastic Litterpan with sand, mulch, dirt, etc.
- Oatmeal containers
- Socks

Miscellaneous:

The following are other ideas that don’t fit well into the above categories

- Granite slabs: especially in hot weather, rats lay on these to keep cool
- Rope Perches: good for climbing and to access hanging items
- Cat Trees: Lots of fun for climbing and hiding :)
- Wheels: The best ones are Wodent Wheel and the Silent Spinner (some rats don’t like wheels and some love them! You won’t know until you try :))

I hope you found this helpful! There are endless ways to combine these toys (and the foods you put in them) to make your rats’ lives enriching and fun. You can buy expensive toys or just make things from items in your house. There are lots of opportunities to be creative :) Just think about all the behaviors you see your rats doing and think of a way to bring out a certain desired behavior with your toy. Feel free to reply to this or send me a message if you have a fun idea you’d like the add to the list!