Toys and Accessories

Enrichment is a very important part of your rat's life. It may seem like no big deal, but a rat will be in their cage the majority of their day, and absolutely need items of interest and curiosity in order to maintain their mental and emotional health. You can buy a lot of items of interest from the pet store - and you can make a lot of them yourself!

Hammocks and other soft hangers - These soft lounging items make a cage less of a "cage" and give your rat a comfortable surface to sleep on. If you have lots of rats, they will often all pile into the hammock to snooze away together! Make sure your hammocks are securely sewn, and made from safe material that won't ravel. You should also make sure you change them frequently (rats won't bother to leave the bed before peeing... we call that "marinating!") and throw them away when they get holes chewed in them large enough to fit their heads through, since rats have managed to hang themselves that way. Some hammocks are plain squares, some are hanging pouches, some have pockets, some are even shaped like cubes, and you can buy or make color coordinated and matching sets if you are so inclined.

Climbing ropes - while these are mostly useful for younger, more limber rats and small females, it can be a lot of fun watching them clamber around and up these like little monkies. Care should be taken to ensure it's strung tightly across the cage to allow for better footing, and that the drop below is not too precipitous. These are easy to make by braiding long lengths of fleece together.

Hiding homes - the easiest of rat toys, simply take a box of a size to fit comfortably in your rat cage, make a hole in it, and voila! The rats will inevitably destroy it by chewing and urinating it in, but it's easily replaced. Cereal boxes, mailing boxes, kleenex boxes and similarly sized boxes are excellent candiates. One can also purchase large plastic igloos, which are harder to destroy and are washable, or large PVC piping, or ferret tunnels to use to the same effect.

Parrot/Hanging toys - Most rats don't care about a ringing bell the way a parrot does, but those wooden blocks hanging from a chain can be very amusing, especially to very young and active rats. There are also toys that contain a food treat inside a small hanging wicker basket, which can also provide your rats with lots of amusement as they destroy it! You can also home-make your own "food pinata" by placing a bit of food inside a toilet tissue roll and then folding the ends up tightly. You can hang the roll from the ceiling with twine, or just let it roll along the floor.

Wheels - of course, a wheel! Make sure it is large, has either small mesh or solid running surface, and that there is nowhere that the side supports rub against each other where a tail, leg or head can get caught! Many rats love running on wheels their whole lives, especially females, and it helps keep them in good trim and well exercised!

Outside the cage, there are a lot of fun things you can do with you rats to provide enrichment as well.

Make a maze! Tape a bunch of boxes together with holes cut in the sides where they join, and let the rat run around in this lovely chewable clubhouse. Provide little "windows" and peeking doors so you can interact, and hide treats inside!

Get a cat tower for your rats to climb around on.

Put toys in the bathtub (without water!!) and let them run around there!