Playtime, toys and your pet rat

Your rat knows is interested in one thing: playing! Smart and sensitive, your pet needs to be physically active and mentally challenged to stay happy and healthy. Are you ready for your new job as rattie entertainment director?

Pet rat toys can be a lot of fun

It's a given that your rat, like all members of her species, loves toys. It's just a matter of figuring out what toys and activities she likes best. Some rats are serious joggers, so you should get yours set with an exercise wheel to see if running is the sport for her. Keep in mind that solid or plastic models are the real deal. Stay away from runged wire wheels, as a rattie foot or tail can easily get caught in the openings.

A toy need not be expensive to be effective. Some of the best rat toys of all can be found right in your own home. Empty oatmeal containers, egg cartons and cardboard tubes can be crawled on, over and through--and then chewed, of course! If there's ample room in the cage, nothing beats a cardboard box filled with soil or bedding for digging.

Make your own easy rat maze

Tunneling is yet another popular rodent pastime, and you should get yours set with PVC pipes, plastic connecting tubes and interconnected cardboard boxes with cutout entrance holes for this purpose. Rats love climbing, too, and you can tie a big rope across your pet's cage and watch the fun begin. Ladders and branches are also great toys, and don't forget small balls – but no rubber ones, please!

Chew toys are a must

We can't stress enough the need for your rat to chew – on safe, appropriate objects, that is. Your pet's teeth grow continuously, so she'll need to do a lot of daily gnawing and chewing to keep her choppers properly filed. Twigs or branches from non-poisonous trees that haven't been treated with chemicals are great, and some rats also like rawhide chews. You can also find a variety of wood and cardboard chew toys at your pet supply store.

Once you've hand-tamed your rat, you should let her out of the cage for supervised exercise in a safe, secure room every day. That means you'll need to remove electrical wires from the area, and anything else your rat could, but shouldn't, chew. Bring out some of your pet's favorite toys for out-of-the-cage playtime, rotating different toys for each session. It's also a good idea to always make sure your rat has access to her own private hideout (an empty shoebox will do) to which she can retreat at any time during her "gym class"!