For our 8th foraging Friday we will be focusing on the living world teach n treat. This toy is pretty typical in use, with the rats having to move parts around to get to the treats. Its main difference from your typical foraging toy however is that is has 3 different levels. The first level uses a flat disk piece that the rats must slide around to get to the treats underneath. The second level has the rats pick up or knock over small cups to get to the underlying treats. And the final and third level has the same cups from level 2 being mounted on the toy via some groove which allows the rats to slide them around in order to get to the underlying treats.
Now in terms of difficulty this toy isn't all that hard. Each step requires a pretty similar action, with the rat having to push something with their nose or paws in order to get to the treats. This makes it an ideal foraging toy for rats that are just starting out foraging, and even for rats that are more foraging experienced it can be a fun way to mix up how they get their treats. Its not a difficult toy to set up on our side either, with each piece being easy to slide right in. Even the last level where you have to change out the center piece in order to slide in the cups isn't hard to setup, taking only a few seconds at most. I find this toy fun and enriching for rats, however I do have a few gripes with it as well. My main issue with it is just how similar the levels are - I like that they tried to add some variability, but I feel like each step is so similar that it doesn't really ramp up the challenge. My other issue is more personal preference than anything serious in that I wish the rats couldn't just knock over/slide a piece and then get all the treats from one cup. This wouldn't be such an issue if they gave you 7-8 cups instead of 4 (at least then almost all the treat holes could be covered) but with just 4 when working on level 1 or 3 you can only put treats in a few cups because otherwise the rats don't have to work at all to get to them. Overall I think this is a fun toy for rats, especially rats that are just starting to forage, however it could definitely be improved. Nonetheless the fact that its specifically made for small animals and actually caters to their intelligence instead if just chewing puts it higher on my list - its nice to find a foraging toy specifically made for small animals like rats that can be used in this way as opposed to having to turn to bird or dog toys. Link to this foraging toy: https://amzn.to/2JWNqPy 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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