Some games to get you started:
Wrestling: My rats were never fond of this game, but give it a try anyway. Basically it’s you pretending your hand is a rat and chasing and pinning your rat down (gently does it now!) and letting them reciprocate. Always let them win at least a 60 – 70% of the time (if not more), so they dont get discouraged.
| pea fishing |
Pea Fishing: Get a bowl, add a little water (not too deep, just enough to cover peas), and toss in a few peas and/or corn. Add rats, sit back and watch the fun! (You might have to show them a pea at first so they get what its all about).
Pouncing: Some people like to drag items like pencils, shoelaces, ropes across the floor until the rat notices and pounces. Sometimes you can give them a little chase before succeeding, and other times you can have a slowpoke shoelace. The more rats you have, the more entertaining it is for both you and your rats.
Shoulder Surfing: Not really a game, but rather a quality time spender. Place the rat(s) on your shoulder and start pacing the room slowly at first. This is useful if you are going to take your rats to places with you, as they will learn that your shoulder is a safe place to be and will often cuddle up their when they get tired. My one rat (Maxie, a pink-eyed albino) went blind (she had to follow my other rat, Pepper, an Agouti, around) and for entertainment to her, I’d place her on my shoulder and sway side to side (as if I were walking) and someone would blow gently on her face. She would swing her head side to side like she was actually going for a walk with me. She was such a sweetie!
Hunting: This can be with almost anything your rat likes, be it food or toys. Let’s use Fruit Loops as an example. Hide them in various places around the room (I like to rub it all over the general area that I hide it in so it’s easier to smell) and watch them search. You might have to give them a few hints at first, but being the intelligent creatures that they are, they’ll soon get the hang of it. You could also have a ‘special spot’ which you can leave a treat for them everytime you let them out the cage which they will get to know and go to inspect first thing!
Rat Toss: I wasnt even aware that other people played this with their rats when I saw it on numerous websites. Basically, you stand at the foot of your bed (this is where I used to play this) and have a large pillow (mine was what’s referred to as a Continental pillow) at the head of your bed. Make a cup with your hands (palms facing up) in front of you and have your rat sit there (or gently cup your hands over your rat) and slowly swing your arms back and forth while counting to 3, and on 3 gently toss them so they land on the pillow (they learn to get ready on 3). They usually come bouncing back for more! Be cautious at first though, as you wont know how afraid they might be of this game, and you can increase the swing and/or distance as they get more confident and adventurous.
More will be added every now and then, but your imagination is the limit, so go wild and please email any other unique games you and your rats play!
Maize: I used to build a maze for my rat (it started with my rat named Nibbles and continued with all the others after her)with treats hidden in corners and at the end. She had a ball finding her way around and I found it to be a very fun game to play. I used anything from wooden planks to empty coffee tins to build my maze. Then one day as she grew up she got clever and would climb over all the obstacles straight to the treat without following the path!
*̩ was thinking you could say something on how to train your rats to do tricks… *̩’ve read a couple of times that rats are so smart they can learn tricks.