Basketball:
Basketball is a fun and impressive trick to teach your rats, and opens up a bunch of other tricks! Once your rat has mastered basketball, you can teach them to "do the laundry", "throw out the garbage", "shop", and more!
Props:
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Step 1:
To begin teaching basketball, choose an easy to pick up item such as a mini wiffle ball. Now reward your rat for any interaction with the item (rub a treat on it if necessary to peak their interest), and work up from them sniffing and pawing it to them biting at it/picking it up for a treat. Once your rat understands that they must pick up the item, move on to the next step.
To begin teaching basketball, choose an easy to pick up item such as a mini wiffle ball. Now reward your rat for any interaction with the item (rub a treat on it if necessary to peak their interest), and work up from them sniffing and pawing it to them biting at it/picking it up for a treat. Once your rat understands that they must pick up the item, move on to the next step.
Step 2:
Take a small tape roll or container around an inch high, and lure your rat in front of it. Hold your chosen item on your open palm, right next to the container, in a position where the rat picking up the item will roll it into the container. Show the item to the rat, and reward them for attempting to place the item into the container (hold a treat in your second hand and use it to lure your rat into moving the item in the right direction). At first reward them even if they miss, but as they figure out what you are looking for start to only reward them when they get the item into the container.
Take a small tape roll or container around an inch high, and lure your rat in front of it. Hold your chosen item on your open palm, right next to the container, in a position where the rat picking up the item will roll it into the container. Show the item to the rat, and reward them for attempting to place the item into the container (hold a treat in your second hand and use it to lure your rat into moving the item in the right direction). At first reward them even if they miss, but as they figure out what you are looking for start to only reward them when they get the item into the container.
Step 3:
Gradually lower your hand so that your rat has to work harder to get the item into the container. Only reward them when they manage to put the item into the container. Now place the item on the ground, next to the container, and reward the rat for placing it into the container (since you are increasing criteria again you will want to initially reward for attempts even if they miss, but as they get the idea begin to again only reward for successful tries.)
Gradually lower your hand so that your rat has to work harder to get the item into the container. Only reward them when they manage to put the item into the container. Now place the item on the ground, next to the container, and reward the rat for placing it into the container (since you are increasing criteria again you will want to initially reward for attempts even if they miss, but as they get the idea begin to again only reward for successful tries.)
Step 4:
Once your rat has mastered one side, work on the other side, going through the same steps until your rat can place the item into the container from both sides. Now gradually raise the container about an inch, and again reward your rat for any attempt to place the item into the hoop. Once they start getting the right idea begin to only reward when they successful place the item into the container.
Once your rat has mastered one side, work on the other side, going through the same steps until your rat can place the item into the container from both sides. Now gradually raise the container about an inch, and again reward your rat for any attempt to place the item into the hoop. Once they start getting the right idea begin to only reward when they successful place the item into the container.
Step 5:
Finally, you can now gradually raise the hoop until it is at your desired height!
Finally, you can now gradually raise the hoop until it is at your desired height!
Optional:
Now that your rat has mastered basketball you can train one of their cagemates to play and then have them play together, or work on a variety of item based tricks!
Now that your rat has mastered basketball you can train one of their cagemates to play and then have them play together, or work on a variety of item based tricks!
Video Tutorial:
Disclosure: Esther (and her site rattrix.weebly.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com