Trick Training FAQ:
Here you can find answers to some of the more frequently asked training questions:
What treats do you feed your rats?
Mainly Cheerios and Gerber puffs broken into 2-4 pieces each, with plain yogurt and occasionally meat baby food being my go-to liquid treats when I want to give the rats some extra motivation.
Mainly Cheerios and Gerber puffs broken into 2-4 pieces each, with plain yogurt and occasionally meat baby food being my go-to liquid treats when I want to give the rats some extra motivation.
How often do you train your rats?
I have a ~5-10 minute individual training session with each of my rats every 1-2 days.
I have a ~5-10 minute individual training session with each of my rats every 1-2 days.
What age can you train rats at?
Any age, although older and more mature rats are easier to work with in my experience. The youngest rats I've trained were barely 4 weeks old, and the oldest rat I've trained was just shy of 3 years old!
Any age, although older and more mature rats are easier to work with in my experience. The youngest rats I've trained were barely 4 weeks old, and the oldest rat I've trained was just shy of 3 years old!
Are male or female rats easier to train?
Young rats of any age should be energetic and easy to train, however as they age males are know to become a bit lazier and so may be a bit harder to motivate when it comes to active tricks. Despite this they can and still do enjoy training, and instead of pushing active tricks like agility older rats (and older males in particular) may enjoy more precision based tricks like basketball or placing a coin into a piggy bank.
Young rats of any age should be energetic and easy to train, however as they age males are know to become a bit lazier and so may be a bit harder to motivate when it comes to active tricks. Despite this they can and still do enjoy training, and instead of pushing active tricks like agility older rats (and older males in particular) may enjoy more precision based tricks like basketball or placing a coin into a piggy bank.
How do you get your rats to stay inside their playpen?
To start you will want to add lots of enrichment, including houses, tunnels, foraging toys, and so forth, in order to make your rats feel safe and to keep them occupied. It also helps to have the cage available to them at all times, and mine is connected to the playpen by velcro. On top of this I also train all my rats to communicate with me when they want out of the playpen. Because of this training, they get into the habit of never trying to escape on their own, which makes training and playtime in general much more fun and relaxing for both of us. If you would like to learn how to train your own rats to stay inside their playpen, you can do so here: How To Train Your Rat to Stay Inside Their Playpen
To start you will want to add lots of enrichment, including houses, tunnels, foraging toys, and so forth, in order to make your rats feel safe and to keep them occupied. It also helps to have the cage available to them at all times, and mine is connected to the playpen by velcro. On top of this I also train all my rats to communicate with me when they want out of the playpen. Because of this training, they get into the habit of never trying to escape on their own, which makes training and playtime in general much more fun and relaxing for both of us. If you would like to learn how to train your own rats to stay inside their playpen, you can do so here: How To Train Your Rat to Stay Inside Their Playpen
My rat won't accept food outside the cage. How do I train them?
Set up lots of hides in your rats training area and let them explore freely. I suggest scattering treats around to help get your rats used to this area. Once your rats feel comfortable in the area itself, then they'll begin to eat the treats you offer them and training can begin. You can also speed this by sitting in the playpen with a blanket or loose hoody, and bringing some liquid treats like yogurt or meat baby food. Whenever your rats approach you or go under the blanket/hoody, you can offer them some liquid treats.
Set up lots of hides in your rats training area and let them explore freely. I suggest scattering treats around to help get your rats used to this area. Once your rats feel comfortable in the area itself, then they'll begin to eat the treats you offer them and training can begin. You can also speed this by sitting in the playpen with a blanket or loose hoody, and bringing some liquid treats like yogurt or meat baby food. Whenever your rats approach you or go under the blanket/hoody, you can offer them some liquid treats.
My rats aren’t food motivated - how do I train them?
All rats are food motivated as it’s a primary need for them. With that being said as prey animals rats prioritize safety first, and so if they don’t feel safe enough in an area they absolutely won’t eat. So in order to train your rats you first have to make sure they feel safe in the area (look at the question above for some techniques on helping them adjust), and once they feel safe training can begin. It also helps to start with a liquid treat like yogurt because it’s more motivating and doesn’t require chewing, meaning rats are more likely to consume it even if they are a bit nervous. And since liquid treats are so highly valued they can quickly help your rats to associate the training area with good things.
All rats are food motivated as it’s a primary need for them. With that being said as prey animals rats prioritize safety first, and so if they don’t feel safe enough in an area they absolutely won’t eat. So in order to train your rats you first have to make sure they feel safe in the area (look at the question above for some techniques on helping them adjust), and once they feel safe training can begin. It also helps to start with a liquid treat like yogurt because it’s more motivating and doesn’t require chewing, meaning rats are more likely to consume it even if they are a bit nervous. And since liquid treats are so highly valued they can quickly help your rats to associate the training area with good things.
How can I get my rats to concentrate?
Rats are naturally energetic and spontaneous animals and so it’s perfectly natural for them to be running off every few seconds during their first few training sessions. You can reduce the chance of them getting distracted by adding lots of bolt holes to the training area and letting them run around for at least 15 minutes before training, but other than that all rats will go through a period of learning to pay attention. For the first 3-5 tricks you will likely have to train in small chunks whenever they come up to you, and when they run off you will just have to wait until they return to pick right back up. But once the get down these first few tricks training gets much easier, so stick with it and before you know it your rats will be concentrating for 10+ minutes at a time!
Rats are naturally energetic and spontaneous animals and so it’s perfectly natural for them to be running off every few seconds during their first few training sessions. You can reduce the chance of them getting distracted by adding lots of bolt holes to the training area and letting them run around for at least 15 minutes before training, but other than that all rats will go through a period of learning to pay attention. For the first 3-5 tricks you will likely have to train in small chunks whenever they come up to you, and when they run off you will just have to wait until they return to pick right back up. But once the get down these first few tricks training gets much easier, so stick with it and before you know it your rats will be concentrating for 10+ minutes at a time!
I want to train my rats but don't know where to begin. Help!
You can find information on how to start training your rats as well as my video on how to start the training process here: Getting Started!
You can find information on how to start training your rats as well as my video on how to start the training process here: Getting Started!
Want me to add a question to this FAQ? If so, post it below!
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