For our 25th foraging Friday I will be reviewing 2 similar (well, kinda similar) foraging toys. The first is the knot nibbler, a wooden foraging toy consisting of several wooden pegs attached together by smaller sticks to form a star shape. In the center of this "star" lies either a wooden bead or a almond nut. Both are fine for rats to chew up, but since the almond is actually edible it can act as more of an incentive for the rats to quickly chew up the toy. The second toy is the lifesaver bird toy and this consists of a wooden peg with several wooden rings on it. The rats can push the rings back and forth or just chew them up at their leisure.
Both these foraging toys are quite simple in their use, but both serve their purpose pretty well. The knot nibbler is a bit more like a typical foraging toy, either including a nut for the rats to try and obtain by chewing up the toy or (in the case of it having a wooden bead) by being able to be loaded up with treats to encourage them to push it around. At the same time the knot nibbler is also great for chewing, and even rats that are less chewing inclined like my girls can get some enrichment out of gradually gnawing on it over time. The lifesaver bird toy on the other hand is pretty much only chewing based, although of course the rats can also move around the rings if they so wish. Both toys have seen fairly regular use from my rats, although unlike most foraging toys they don't tend to sit down and focus on them for minutes on end, instead choosing to gnaw or push them around for a few seconds from time to time. The main downside to these toys is really just the colored wood. While it isn't dangerous to rats the dye used to color the wood will bleed out if the wood gets wet. And since rats are notorious for marking their toys this will inevitably happen. Even so this isn't a major problem for the most part, and its more something you just want to be aware of so you don't find yourself wondering where the colors are coming from (especially with the red, which can look unfortunately close to blood!) Overall both these foraging toys are fun and cute, and they work well as either in-cage toys or free-range toys. Neither is complex by far, and only the knot nibbler can really be considered a foraging toy in the traditional sense, but both toys suit their purpose of encouraging chewing and interaction quite well. Link to the knot nibbler: https://amzn.to/2ETqLUU Link to the lifesaver bird toy: https://amzn.to/3iitdTn
Video showcasing these foraging toys:
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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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