Rat Foraging Toys
Rats are intelligent creatures that always enjoy a good challenge. And as you've probably figured out by now, rats are also very food motivated critters and will do just about anything for a good snack. So what better way to provide ratty enrichment than to combine toys, puzzles, and food! On this page you will find fun enrichment ideas of both DIY and commercial types for your rats to enjoy!
Commercial Foraging Toys:
Super Bird Creations Foraging 4 Way Forager Bird Toy
The Super Bird Creations Foraging 4 Way Forager Bird Toy is a bird toy consisting of 4 small covered cups. These hang from a PVC pipe with a chain, and in order to get to the treats inside rats must push aside the cup covers. This toy is great for adding enrichment to your cage, as its ease of use for the rats makes it great for new foragers and experienced foragers alike! When you want to increase the difficulty you can do so by adding a bit of bedding or crinkly paper to the mix, so that the rats need to sort through the cup to find their treats along with opening it to start with. Overall this toy is an ideal rat forager and that combined with its ease of cleaning and use makes it one of my favorite in-cage enrichment items!
Ethical Pet Flip 'N Flap Bone Puzzle
The Ethical Pet Flip 'N Flap Bone Puzzle is a fun floor foraging toy meant for dogs. Despite this it is also perfectly suitable for small animals like rats, and the unique switches that open the hidden treat doors and movable bones that hide indents to put treats in provide a unique challenge for them. Currently this is one of my favorite foraging toys for free-range time, as while its large size makes it a bit difficult to use inside the cage, its perfect for enriching the rats play space and great for encouraging them to use their brains on days when I'm not able to trick train. It also comes in several different colors, with blue and red versions being available as well!
Trixie Pet Product Snack Board
The Trixie Pet Product Snack Board is a simple but fun toy that is great for introducing rat to foraging. This toy consists of a circular metal board with indents in it where you can place treats, along with a lid to cover every indent. To use the toy all a rat needs to do is pull off the lid and remove the treat inside. This is a great way to introduce rats that are perhaps a bit wary of other foraging toys or haven't had a lot of experience foraging to the idea that if they are curious and interact with the toy, they will be rewarded. So while this isn't the most complex toy out there it is a great way to bridge the gap and help your rats start to enjoy foraging.
Cat Balls/Mini Wiffle Balls w/Food:
While cat balls and mini wiffle balls alone can't really qualify as a foraging toy, adding some treats changes that immediately! Simply place several small treats into each slot/hole and give it to your rats. Upon smelling the delicious treats inside the rats will have to figure out how exactly to get them out - something which can be done by rolling or throwing the ball around! You can also find chewable wicker balls here, which are easily one of my rats favorite chew toys and can be made extra fun by stuffing in crinkled paper and treats!
Hanging Foraging Toys
Hanging foraging toys such as the Hanging Clear Foraging Wiffle Ball are a great way to give your rats treats while challenging them mentally as well. These hanging toys are usually plastic objects with holes in the sides, hung up with a metal chain. This means that when you place treats inside them, the rats must maneuver the treats out of the holes using their paws and mouth, while also being challenged by the gentle swinging brought on by the hanging chain. These toys come in many different shapes and sizes, from the usual circle shape to treasure chest, rabbit, and puzzle box shapes, and pretty much any shape you can imagine. These toys may be simple, but they are great for getting rats into foraging and also a great way to give some of the larger treats like fruit or veggies in a fun and challenging way!
Trixie Poker Box Various 2 Activity Strategy Game for Dogs
The Trixie Poker Box Various 2 Activity Strategy Game for Dogs is a super fun activity toy originally meant for dogs, but really more suited for rats. Size wise it fits rats perfectly, and the 2 foraging aspects are activities I've not seen in other foraging toys. One of the activities is a food tumbler, which the rats must spin in order to make the food inside fall out. The other included activity are the see-saws - in this case the rats need to push the raised side, and the food inside will slide forward so that they can reach it. Overall this toy is super fun for the rats and easily one of my favorites when free-range comes around!
Teach n' Treat:
The Teach n' Treat is a fun foraging toy made just for rats and other small pets. It features 3 levels of difficulty that each require the rats to perform different behaviors to get to the treats hidden inside. The first level only requires the rats to slide a plastic sheet around with their paws.The second requires the rats to remove plastic cups from their place, something which my rats also figured out quite quickly. And the last level requires the rat to slide the plastic cups with their paws, something which while not too difficult can still provide your rat with lots of fun! All in all this is definitely one of my rats favorite foraging toys, and if you have a hoarder in your group like I do, they'll get extra enjoyment out of stealing and hiding the plastic foraging cups as well!
Super Bird Creations Foraging Bottom'S Up Bird Toy
The Super Bird Creations Foraging Bottom'S Up Bird Toy is very similar to the 4 way version shown above, only in this case instead of 4 cups hanging across from each other in pairs it consists of 3 cups hanging vertically downward instead. Like the 4 way version this toy is great for adding enrichment to your rats cage, with its ease of use (the rats simply have to push aside the cup cover to access the treats inside) making it a great way to get new rats into foraging. And for rats more experienced in foraging you can add extra stuff to each cup, using crinkled paper, bedding, or even normal lab blocks and food in order to encourage more foraging. You can also find a smaller one cup versions here!
Bird See Saw Foraging Toy/Space Circles
The Bird See Saw foraging toy is a fun toy that uses gravity to challenge your rats! The food is added to one end, and the chain is positioned so that the food slides back and out of reach of the rats. When the rats push down on the open end the food will slide towards them, allowing them to remove it and enjoy! And as soon as they release the toy it will slide back into place, with the food again becoming inaccessible until the rats again push down on the raised side. This toy is also available in a slightly smaller version called space circles.
Bird Foraging Drawers:
Bird climbing toys tend to be some of the best rat toys out there, and their foraging toys are no different! Things like this bird foraging drawer provide quite a challenge to the rats when first figuring out how to open them. Nonetheless, once they figure them out they will have lots of fun periodically checking the drawers for any added goodies. I've even recently started feeding my main lab blocks out of these drawer, giving the rats some extra enrichment and extra incentive to go the extra step and open each one! (Note: if you get the same foraging drawers as I did, I recommend removing the leather straps for the rats safety.) You can also find one with sliding doors here, along with a cage mounted one (instead of free swinging) here.
Featherland Paradise Tilt A Wheel Cage Mount Bird Toy
The Tilt A Wheel Cage Mount Bird Toy is another fun bird foraging toy that is perfect for rats. This toy is made up of a circular inner tube where treats can slide around freely. Two fair sized holes allows access into this treat area, being the perfect size for rats to scoop out treats with their paws while preventing them from sticking their nose in. The catch is that because the toy is mounted at a slightly downward angle on the cage bars in order to get the treats out the rats must rotate the toy horizontally to slide the treats into reach of the opening holes. Overall this is a fun foraging toy that challenges the rats ability to think through a problem. It can initially be a bit difficult for them to figure out, but once they get it down this will quickly become one of their favorite foraging toys, and its just a blast seeing them figure it out!
Nature's Instinct Foragewise Snack Rack:
A great challenge foraging toy for experienced foraging rats is the Nature's Instinct Foragewise Snack Rack. This foraging toy might be made for birds, but it works just as well for rats! This toy consists of 2 circular rings which can be locked into place above a platform. These rings are hollow and so once you place food on the platform and lock the rings into place above them, the rats must rotate the rings around until they unlock and open up, allowing the rats access to the treats inside. This mechanism makes this foraging toy both unique in its challenge and incredibly fun for the rats to figure out - out of all my foraging toys this is the one that my rats spend the most time working on, even now that they know how to work it!
Budgie Foraging Spinner:
This amazing toy is a great way to really get rats to engage with their paws. Upon getting the spinner you simply need to fill the crack with small treats and attack it to the side of your cage. After playing with it for a bit your rats should quickly figure out that using their paws to turn the toy is how they can get treats out, and after that they'll have a blast periodically spinning it to see if there's anything yummy locked inside!
Foraging Wheel
Bird foraging wheels are one of the most well-known bird foraging toy used for rats. These toys are quite simple, but provide excellent enrichment. The work them the rats must spin the outer plastic layer, which has 2 holes in it that allow access to the food inside. The wheel contains 5 different compartments which you can load with different foods, encouraging them to turn the wheel to get to the different treats. And just like with other foraging toys you can increase the difficulty by adding some crinkled paper or pellets to the mix, making the rats search out their treats along with turning the wheel to access them. This wheel comes in a few different colors so if you enjoy matching toys to a cage theme you can find pink and blue ones as well!
Bird Food Tumbler Foraging Toy
The bird food tumbler foraging toy is a fun and unique toy for adding enrichment to your rats cage! To work this toy rats need to turn the toy using their paws, causing the food to fall down the entrance hole and into their reach. Its a bit difficult for rats to master when first starting out, but once they get it down it quickly becomes a cage favorite and all 7 of my current rats are huge fans of turning it from time to time to see what goodies can be found inside!
Wheeky Treat Ball:
This cute foraging ball is ideal for entertaining your rats! Simply add some small treats in the loading area and close it up, the give to your rats for some foraging fun! As the rats roll the ball around and try to get out the food, treats will drop out of the cute carrot shaped holes and reward them for their foraging effort. You can also find similar toys for other animals like dogs and cats that work just as well for rats - some of my favorites include this mouse one (originally meant for cats), and this dog one (originally meant for dogs)!
4 Corner Cage Mounted Drawers
The Bird 4 Corner Cage Mounted Drawers foraging toy is a fun and enriching way to add some mental stimulation to your rats cage. Unlike the drawer toy mentioned above this one is cage mounted, and each drawer opens in a different way. This allows for maximum foraging opportunity, as the rats have to figure out how to open each and every drawer. It also spins around the center, meaning that the rats also have to contend with that movement. Overall its a great way to really challenge your rats, and is the perfect toy for rats that are already experienced with foraging!
Oxbow Foraging Pot
The Oxbow Foraging Pot is a great way to provide your rat with some enrichment when feeding their regular food. I like to fill mine up with the rats typical lab block, along with a few hidden cheerio halves, and then hang it on the cage bars. Its not the most complex toy, only requiring the rats to push aside the wooden top to get to the treats inside, but its nice and spacey and is a great way too encourage some gentle foraging.
Hol-ee Roller Bird Toy:
These fun bird toys can make perfect foraging toys for rats! Simply hang it up in the cage and add some yummy treats - your rats will have to push it around to get the treats out, giving them some much needed mental stimulation in the process!
Knot Nibbler:
The knot nibbler is a classic rodent foraging toy that any rat will enjoy! Its basically just a nut or wooden bead encased in wooden pegs - and this forces your rats to chew their way through the wood first in order to get to the yummy nut inside. This is another favorite for my rats and I highly recommend these for rats of any age! (Note that when the colored pegs get wet they can bleed color, and while this is safe for your rats it can be surprising the first time you see it!)
PVC Forager For Small Animals:
This cute foraging toy mimics many of the larger bird ones out there. This toy contains a small PCV pipe with a lid attached to each side. Simple add treats to the tube and hang it up in the cage - rats have a blast figuring out how to lift up the lids and get to the yummy treats inside!
Snuffle Mat:
Snuffle mats are a well known foraging toy in the dog world. But did you know they can also be used for rats? Snuffle mats are a great way to let your rats really work their nose to find some tasty treats. Simply sprinkle some treats onto the mat and let your rats sniff them out. Its that easy!
Dog Foraging Puzzle Toy:
Dog foraging toys can often be used quite successfully with rats. I'd recommend getting the puzzle based ones with drawers to pull out, levers to switch, pieces to slide, and cups to remove. These toys are often comparable to the teach and treat but also tend to be less expensive, and are a great alternative toy for loads of foraging fun!
Rat Treat Kabob:
Treat kabobs give you a great way to give your rats fresh food in a challenging manner. Simply slip on your desired fruits and veggies and then hang the kabob from different parts of the cage! The nice thing about this foraging toy is that the rats can't run off with the food on it, so its a great way to make sure all the rats in the cage get their fair share of any larger treats such as fresh food.
Trixie Pet Product Gambling Tower
The Trixie Pet Product Gambling Tower foraging toy is a fun foraging toy that will really test your rats ability to think things through, Out of all my foraging toys this is the only one I have actually had to help rats figure out, and that's because it involves a lot of sight based work, something rats don't usually rely on when foraging. You'll want to first work with your rat on pulling out the first level for treats, and gradually work up to them pulling all 3 out. Overall this toy is super fun because it combines both training and foraging and once your rats have mastered it they will be ready to take on just about any foraging toy!
Creative Foraging Systems Hide & Seek Refillable Canister
The Creative Foraging Systems Hide & Seek Refillable Canister is a fun cage mounted bird toy that can be loaded with treats, chew toys, wicker balls, crinkled paper, and pretty much anything you can think of. The rats then get to pull it all out from the holes in the toy, allowing for a lot of fun foraging and nesting behaviors. This toy is definitely my hoarding rats favorite, as it allows them to empty it gradually for nesting material, all while getting some yummy treats as a bonus. Overall its a fun toy for rats of any age and foraging capability, and is a great way to encourage them to move around and interact with their environment!
DIY Foraging Toys:
DIY Toilet Tube Crackers:
Toilet paper tubes are one of the best things to use for rat toys because well, we all have them! Simple take a tissue, add some treats, ball it up, and stuff it into your toilet tube! And that's it, perfect foraging toy for your rats! (Note: Some rats have been known to get stuck in tubes. While I've never had this happen personally, if your worried about this simply cut a slit down the tube before stuffing it to prevent even the largest rat from getting stuck inside.)
DIY Bottle Foraging Toy
This is one of my personal favorite DIY foraging toys which I made to emulate commercial bird foraging toys! All you need for this DIY is a small bottle, string, a hook, cardboard, 2 pushpins, and scissors. Start by making a small hole in the bottle cap and threading through your sting. Tie a know with the string on the bottom of the bottle cap and pull it tight, making sure it holds the cap in place. Now tie the other end of the string to the hook. Moving on to the bottle itself, cut two plastic openings on different sides of the bottles bottom half. Now take your scissors and cut out cardboard ovals that are just larger than the hole you cut in the bottle. Now take a pushpin and punch it through the top of a cardboard oval and the plastic right above one of your bottle holes. Do the same for the other side as well. Finally, add some small treats to the bottle and screw back on the lid. All that's left is to hang it in your rat's cage for some foraging fun! (Note: Because the toy contains sharp points its best used under supervision.)
DIY Tissue Box Foraging Toy:
Another easy DIY that can be oodles of fun for any rat! Simply take a tissue and add some treats, then crumple it into a ball. Add several treat-filled tissues along with several empty tissues to an empty tissue box with the plastic lining removed. And that's it! All you need to do now is give the foraging box to your rats, and they'll have lots of fun rooting around the box and finding some yummy treats!
Muffin Tin Game:
This is a great DIY toy that serves as a great way to introduce your rats to the idea of removing objects to get food. Its also a great way to teach your rats to pick up a ball - so if your stuck on fetch consider trying this out! Anyway, to "make" this toy all you need is a mini muffin tin and several small balls with holes (I recommend mini wiffle balls or slotted cat balls). Now all you need to do is place a small treat or two in each hole and place a ball on top of it! (Note; some rats need a little help figuring out where the food is. For these rats, letting them eat out of open muffin holes first before placing on the mini balls can really help!
DIY Snuffle Mat:
Snuffle mats are both easy to make and fun for your rats! Simply take an old blanket and rumple it up, scattering toys in between the folds. Finally, just add your rats and let the foraging commence! (Note: To find out how to make a fancier snuffle mat, click here!)
Bottle Cap DIY:
This is a fun foraging toy that can be easily made with bottle caps and dry pasta. Simply make a small hole in the center of 4 to 5 bottle caps and thread through a string. Tie the string on the bottom and cut off any excess, but leave some extra string on the top. Tie the top's extra string to a hook and finally insert some small treats between the caps. And that's it! Now hang this toy in your rat cage and let the foraging commence!
Treat Cups DIY:
This is an easy DIY that makes for a great cage foraging toy. All you need is 2 paper cups, some string, bite-sized treats, and a hook. Start by tying the string to the hook. Next you'll want to make a hole in the center of each cup. Place the cups on top of each other and thread the string through it, making sure to tie a knot below the second cup. Then cut off the extra string and add treats between the two cups. All that's left is to hang this in your rat's cage and let them figure out how to slide the cups apart and get to the treats inside!
DIY Treat Kabob:
This is probably one of the coolest DIY foraging toys out there! All you need is some sisal string or wooden skewers and some yummy food (I prefer veggies or fruits). Now make a small hole in the center of each food item and thread through the string. Tie a knot at the bottom to prevent the veggies from falling off and tie the top string to a hook. All that's left is to hang up the veggies inside the rat cage and let them munch away! (Note: For an extra challenge use some empty toilet paper rolls to hide the treats!)
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