For our 17th foraging Friday I will be reviewing some simple bucket foraging toys (such as the Oxbow Foraging Pot). These toys are made up of a bucket hung up on a string or chain, with a plastic or wooden lid on top. Once you have placed food inside the bucket your rats then have to nudge it open using their nose or paws, after which they can remove the treats.
Now as far as foraging toys go, these ones are very simple to use. Not only do rats figure out how to nudge them open pretty quickly, but because of the way they are built they often tilt to one side, making it even easier for the rats to get inside. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because the toys are still fun and usable for rats, but it does mean that they don't pose much of a challenge. Because of this I like to use these more as normal food bowls than foraging toys - really I use most foraging toys this way, in order to encourage my rats to work for their food just a bit more than they otherwise would, but with these foraging toys in particular this is a nice way to encourage rats new to foraging or just rats unsure about foraging to start enjoying it. And once your rats get down the main idea you can increase the challenge some by adding in crinkled paper or tissues, or even by adding some clips to the top of the lid in order to make pushing it aside harder (I have yet to try this but I've seen people do it for birds and I bet it would work for rats as well!) As for cleaning and refill both of those come easily with these sorts of toys. All you have to do to open them is slide the lid upwards and because of this its easy to pour in more food or clean the inside of the buckets. Overall this is a simple but fun foraging toy that is especially good for rats new to foraging. Its not super complex, but its still enjoyable for rats and that combined with its easy refill and cleaning makes it a great way to add a bit of mental enrichment to the cage. Link to the Oxbow Foraging pot: https://amzn.to/30zy2lJ Link to the plastic version: https://amzn.to/3cUmuvT Link to a DIY version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHxx4H62aEI&list=PLGThSDBAdLELSQO1duyJWmwly0PR8TIq2&index=18&t=0s
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
CategoriesDisclosure: Esther (and her website Shadow The Rat) 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
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