Introductions, you & rats

Do you have ping pong rats that don't want to be visible, run swiftly into their hides, don't look for attention or to be pet and are all around skiddish? This article is for you, but you will need some things... including time and patients. Remember, never try to handle a rat by force because it may be sick or injured already and stress will make things worse. Never yell at or hit your rat, even if they act like a wild animal; we are going to show you ways to be involved with your pet rat that you may not think is possible right now because of their behavior. If you have bought rats and don't know what to do next continue reading....

Giving a little time

     The first thing to do when you bring your rat home is have an appropriate enclosure set up and ready. Make sure when your rat goes into the cage all you have to do is close the door, water should be ready and food available. Try not to judge your new pet on his or her every move, they need time to adjust to their new environment and if this is your first time holding them ever then it's best to hold off. Don't worry, your pet will not forget you this quickly! I tell you this now because your rats were taken from their safe place and haven't found a new safe place yet, so give them time to find where a safe place just for them will be so we can move on. So step one, give a little time and allow your rat to explore or hide in their own enclosure or where you want them to sleep at night. If you brought the rats home in the same container this step can be done together as well, with supervision to make sure no brawls break out. If you have more than one rat to a space try to make sure there is multiple places to hide especially in places like near a food bowl. The ride home could be stressful and make your rat feel somewhat unwell....

I want to break free

     Out of cage time is your next goal, so set up a rat proof area to play and be hands on in after your rat has become acquainted with his or her living space. To do this, the easiest way to make a "play room" for your rat is to find quiet place and build up a tent. It's for temporary and supervised use only as the rats can and will quickly chew through the material. Line the tent with soft bedding, like fleece or your own blankets or what ever isn't noisy material. You may also bring fresh fruits and bits of cooked chicken for rewarding calm behavior. Now that you have everything you need you may safely transfer the rats from their enclosure to their play tent. Again, try to do this in the most direct and least stressful manner... we are getting to the fun part! So don't loose your socks, literally.... join your rat who is in a box yet and sit down in the tent with your treats and now close the tent and let them free to come out as they smell things and for the first time meet you for who you really are! This should only last no more than 15 minutes and actually for the first time should be closer to 5 minutes only. I will explain why, you want to teach your rats that you are a reward or a good thing that happens to them. On the other hand if all it was when you get them was stressful interactions then they will associate you with a bad time. We want to end the play session on a good note, we do this by keeping each session short. 

Rewards and training

     To be honest we all love treats. But how you use them can make all the difference. Take advantage of your rats good behavior by rewarding them quickly when they are calm and interested in you. Pay attention to when they sniff in your direction, that should be when you give them a first treat. The higher the reward is the better stimulus you give for a reaction. Does your rat ever run across you (without leaving a trail of pee) and stops to look at you? That's a perfect opportunity for a treat. Anything your rat does with you that you want to see again can be trained like this. For fun you can try spin and treat as soon as they begin to turn around then eventually they will do a complete spin. (See out YouTube tutorial)

     When you have multiple rats they will learn together and it helps them with a bond when repeated daily. Try to train your rat to give you a paw for food every day and the rats will become a unit that seeks to give paw when they come out of the cage! My point is, bring your rats out together so not only do they bond with you but with each other.