For our 12th foraging Friday we will be reviewing the bird See Saw foraging toy by Featherland Paradise. This foraging toy is a fairly large box shaped toy that is used in a way that really fits its name.
The way this toy is used by the rats is that there is a spring inside keeping the toy tipped away from the opening hole. The food rests in the back of the toy but as soon as the rat (or other animal) puts their weight on the front part where the opening is the food will slide forwards and they will be able to reach it. Once they release the toy the remaining food slides back to the other side as the spring returns the toy to its tilted downward position. I really like this "return to place" function because a lot of foraging toys will just stay open once the rat/other animal has performed the needed action, making it easy for them to just eat all the treats in one go. This foraging toy on the other hand helps to make them work for each treat by returning the toy to its initial position as soon as they release it to eat, helping to add to how long they use it and how much enrichment it provides. My main concern when I got this toy was if the rats would be strong enough to push it down and slide the treats over to the access hole. I've had this problem with a few larger bird toys where the rats either needed to apply a lot of force or in some cases couldn't apply enough force even when they really tried to work a toy. Thankfully that isn't the case here, and even my smallest and most timid rats have been able to work the toy without any trouble! This see saw foraging toy isn't the most complex foraging toy by any means, but it does a good job of making the rats work a bit for their food and my girls have really seemed to enjoy their experience with it. I've even been toying around with the idea of making it a bit harder by stuffing some tissue inside that they have to remove before the treats can slide forwards - I haven't yet tried this, but I suspect it will go over well and be a good way to increase the toys difficulty. In terms of human use its also fairly good. Like some of my other foraging toys you have to load food through the access hole up front, however unlike most of those toys it actually has a large enough access hole that this isn't a hassle. I especially like that the access hole is large enough to freely dispense lab blocks from, as this makes it an ideal foraging toy for me (that's how I like to feed the majority of my rats lab blocks). Link to this foraging toy: https://amzn.to/3cgvXOy Video showcasing this foraging toy:
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AboutHey there! Here you will find tips and tricks on rat care and training, along with information not found elsewhere on this site. If you have questions or suggestions for me, feel free to contact me through the contact page. Archives
October 2021
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